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2nd T20I | England vs India T20I Series 2026 | Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester | 4 July 2026
England go into the second T20I with two proven seamers walking straight back into contention this weekend. Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue rejoin the squad at Old Trafford after sitting out the opener on workload grounds, and both arrive facing an India top order that has already shown real cracks under early pressure once this series, cracks England will be hoping to exploit again with fresh legs and a different kind of new-ball threat entirely than the one India already survived once at Durham.
Archer and Tongue were rested for the first T20I at Durham while England managed their workload following the New Zealand Test series, and both are now confirmed back in the squad for Saturday’s match. That first XI read Phil Salt, Jos Buttler as wicketkeeper, Harry Brook as captain, Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood and Saqib Mahmood.
Compared with the side that played the T20 World Cup semi-final, that Durham XI already contained two changes, Mahmood coming in for Jamie Overton and Wood replacing Archer. Exactly which of Wood, Mahmood or Curran now makes way for Archer and Tongue at Old Trafford hasn’t been confirmed.
Whatever combination England settle on, the personnel shift changes the character of the attack significantly heading into Manchester.
| Player | Role | Batting Position |
| Jofra Archer | Pace bowler | Tail (No. 9-10) |
| Josh Tongue | Pace bowler | Tail (No. 10-11) |
| Luke Wood | Pace bowler | Tail (No. 10) |
| Saqib Mahmood | Pace bowler | Tail (No. 11) |
| Sanju Samson | WK-batter | No. 1 (opener) |
| Abhishek Sharma | Opening batter | No. 2 |
| Ishan Kishan | WK-batter | No. 3 |
Archer in particular offers a different kind of threat than anything India faced at Durham, a proven wicket-taker against this exact opposition rather than a workload replacement filling a gap.
Archer has taken 15 wickets in 12 T20Is against India, with best figures of 4 for 33, a record built specifically against this batting lineup rather than in general form. His 2026 numbers across all formats read 13 wickets in 10 games at an economy of 9.45, and in this year’s IPL he took 25 wickets in 16 matches, particularly effective with the new ball in hand.
Tongue’s profile is almost the opposite. He remains uncapped in T20I cricket, so there is no prior head-to-head history against India’s top order to draw on. What he does carry is a genuinely strong recent Test record, 18 wickets across three Ashes matches this winter, including figures of 5 for 134, 7 for 89 and 6 for 139, and a Player of the Match award at Melbourne.
India’s top order didn’t survive the powerplay cleanly at Durham. Sanju Samson was caught by Tom Banton off Saqib Mahmood for just 5, extending a lean run that now reads 5, 0 and 1 across his last three T20I innings. Ishan Kishan was run out in a mix-up with Abhishek Sharma, his second successive run-out dismissal in consecutive T20I innings after also being run out against Ireland in Belfast.
Both wickets fell inside the powerplay, leaving India 6 for 2 early on. They recovered through Abhishek Sharma’s 59 off 24 balls and captain Shreyas Iyer’s 68 off 38, reaching 189 for 7 before the match was abandoned to rain during the innings break.
Sources differ slightly on the ground’s exact dimensions. One figure puts the boundary at 85 metres at its longest and 65 metres at its shortest, while a separate general range for the venue is cited at 65 to 75 metres. Either way, the pitch itself tends to offer true bounce and good early pace, helping seam and swing bowlers under Manchester’s typically overcast, humid conditions, before spinners find more purchase as the surface wears through the middle and late overs.
Of the 14 T20Is played at Old Trafford, 7 have been won by the side batting second, a slight lean toward bowling first that suits exactly what Archer and Tongue are being brought in to do. The England vs India 2nd T20I bowling changes may end up mattering more than any single batting adjustment on either side.
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Are Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue playing the 2nd T20I against India?
Both are confirmed to rejoin England’s squad for the Old Trafford match. Their inclusion in the final XI hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, with the specific change still to be announced.
What is Sanju Samson’s recent form in T20Is?
Samson’s last three T20I scores read 5, 0 and 1. The most recent of those came in the first T20I, caught by Tom Banton off the bowling of Saqib Mahmood.
Where is the 2nd T20I between England and India being played?
The match is at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday, 4 July 2026. It follows the rain-affected opener at Durham, where India were restricted to 189 for 7.
How did Ishan Kishan get out in the 1st T20I?
Kishan was run out in a mix-up with Abhishek Sharma. It was his second successive run-out dismissal in consecutive T20I innings, having also been run out earlier against Ireland in Belfast.
Who did England leave out of their XI for the 1st T20I?
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue were rested rather than dropped, managing workload after the Test series. Jamie Overton missed selection entirely for the squad due to injury.
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