The T20I series between India and England was hyped up as one of the biggest series of the year and it was for good reason as it was the top two T20I teams in the world. Given that the T20 World Cup will be hosted in India, this was going to be a crucial series for both teams to test out some players and settle on their best possible combinations.

It was a cracking affair as many had predicted it to be and we had to wait till the very last game to find out the team that would emerge victorious over the 5 game series. England won the first and third games, while India won the second, fourth, and fifth games in the 5-game series. Indian skipper, Virat Kohli was the Player of the Series for his outstanding performances with the bat.

Despite the series defeat, England retained their place as the world’s No.1 T20I team in the ICC rankings. We saw some terrific performances from both the teams, and it was expected given the quality of players in both the squads.

On that note, here’s a look at the combined XI of the T20I series from both teams

1. Jason Roy

Jason Roy’s place was the most vulnerable in England’s batting lineup given that he didn’t have a great series against Australia and even Alex Hales was playing quite well in the Big Bash. Furthermore, he went unsold in the IPL Auction, and thus, he had a point to prove and he didn’t do badly in the series.

He scored 144 runs in 5 matches at an average of nearly 29 while scoring at 132.11 per 100 balls on average. In his career, he has played 43 T20Is and scored 1034 runs. His strike rate of 142.22 is among the best, but he would want to improve on his average of 24.04 as he is a much better batsman than that.

Roy scored 40 or more runs in three of the 5 games, showing that he was fairly consistent. He was unlucky to not score a fifty even once, and his highest score of 49 came in the first game of the series. Although Dawid Malan scored four more runs than him, Roy edges him because of greater consistency and higher strike rate.

2. Jos Buttler (wk)

Jos Buttler wasn’t at his very best during the series but he still managed to come up with a couple of breathtaking knocks. He is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the shortest format of the game and when he gets going, it is pretty much impossible to stop him. He is one of few batsmen who can bat anywhere from 1 to 6.

The keeper-batsman has played 79 T20Is for England and scored runs 1729 runs at a strike rate of 140.99 and averages 30.22. In the series, he scored 172 runs at a strike rate of 147 while averaging 43.

His 83* in the third T20I was an unbelievable innings and he ensured there would be no hiccups while chasing the total. The 30-year-old killed the game in the first six overs itself. Even in the last game, he scored 52 from just 34 balls, but it didn’t prove to be enough as the bowlers conceded a few too many runs.

3. Virat Kohli (c)

The world’s best batsman managed to come out of a rather poor run of form in great fashion during the T20I series. He proved why he is considered one of the greatest batsmen of all time and some of the innings he played were just magnificent. The 32-year-old was the highest run-scorer in the series by a comfortable margin.

Virat Kohli scored 231 runs in 5 matches at an incredible average of 115.5. His strike rate of 147.13 was also pretty good, and he showed his versatility by opening, batting at 3, and even at 4 during the series. In his career, he has scored 3159 runs in 90 T20Is at a strike rate of 139.04 while averaging 52.65.

His 73* off 49 balls in the 2nd T20I was one of the main reasons behind India’s win and he allowed Ishan Kishan and even Rishabh Pant to play with freedom. Although his 77* off 46 in the third game came in a losing cause, it was quite a special innings and was the only reason the team was able to put up a respectable total. In the last game, he scored a crucial 80* and helped India post a gigantic score of 224.

4. Suryakumar Yadav

Suryakumar Yadav received his first callup to the Indian team, and he made the most of the opportunity by playing a couple of terrific knocks. He is widely considered as India’s Mr.360 and thus, it was only a matter of time before he played his first game for his country.

The 30-year-old scored 480 runs in 16 IPL games at a strike rate of 145.01 and virtually forced the selectors to pick him hereafter being ignored for the T20Is against Australia. He scored 89 runs in 3 games at an average of 44.5 while maintaining a terrific strike rate of 185.41.

He made his debut along with Ishan Kishan in the 2nd game, but he didn’t get a chance to bat and was subsequently dropped for the 3rd game. However, he came back into the team for the last two games and he scored 57 and 32 in those games. His counter-attacking 57 in the fourth game was sensational and his aggressive style of batting is something the other batsmen will need to try and replicate.

5. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer’s place in the T20I team was under threat before the start of the series given that he didn’t do much against Australia and he also had the likes of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan behind him. However, he proved his critics wrong and has managed to cement his place in the team at least for the next series.

He played all five games and scored 121 runs in four innings while averaging 40.33. His strike rate was an issue during the IPL and even against Australia, and he managed to rectify that as he scored in excess of 145. In 29 T20Is, he has scored 550 runs at an average of 28.94 and has a strike rate of nearly 135.

Iyer scored 67 in the first game when the other Indian batsmen struggled to get going. His 37 off 15 deliveries in the fourth game was a match-winning one as he helped them score 185. The Mumbaikar will need to play more such innings if he is to be a part of the XI during the World Cup.

6. Hardik Pandya

This series wasn’t just a battle between two of the best teams in the world, but it was also a battle between two of the best all-rounders at present. Hardik Pandya and Ben Stokes are essential to both their teams, and they provide balance to their XIs respectively. It was the Indian allrounder who edged his English counterpart with his performances in this series.

He picked up just the 3 wickets, but his economy rate of 6.94 was a huge positive for India as he usually tends to be a bit expensive. He wasn’t at his explosive best with the bat, but he still managed to score 86 runs at a strike rate of more than 140.

Pandya’s 39* in 17 balls in the last game ensured India finished strongly and he also dismissed Eoin Morgan in that game. His 2/16 was arguably his best performance of the series and he was very useful in pretty much every game.

7. Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar carried on the impressive form he has exhibited over the last few months and has strengthened his claim to be in the playing XI even when Ravindra Jadeja returns to full fitness. Given Chahal’s poor form for the national team and his own good form, he could remain in the team at the expense of his RCB teammate.

He picked up 4 wickets in five matches at a strike rate of 23.2 while conceding at 8.9. His economy isn’t a true reflection of how he bowled and his 0/52 in the fourth game has inflated that particular stat. In 31 T20Is, he has 25 wickets to his name at a strike rate of 24.8 and at an economy rate to 7.24.

The 21-year-old’s 2/29 in the second game was the major reason why England could score just 164, which was chased down comfortably. His economy was less than 7.5 in three of the five games, showing how good he is at controlling opposition batsmen.

8. Jofra Archer

Jofra Archer ended the series as the second-highest wicket-taker and did no harm to his reputation. The English pacer was quite impressive in all stages of the game and often picked up crucial wickets for his team.

He had 7 wickets to his name in 5 games at an economy rate of 7.75 and picked up a wicket every 17.1 deliveries on average. Archer has been terrific in his time with the national team thus far and 14 wickets in 12 games at a strike rate of 20.1 tells the same. His economy rate of 7.89 is great for someone who bowls during the death and the powerplay.

He won the Man of the Match Award in the first T20I when he ran through India’s batting lineup with an outstanding 3/23. The 25-year-old returned with figures of 4/33 in the fourth game, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough on the day.

9. Mark Wood

Mark Wood was in good form during the series and didn’t show signs of being out of rhythm given that he didn’t play since the Test series against Sri Lanka. His pace was a problem for the Indian batsmen and along with Archer, he exposed a few of the weaknesses that the batsmen had against express speed and bounce.

He picked up five wickets in 4 matches at a strike rate of 19.2 while conceding at 8.06. Given his performances in this series, it was quite surprising he had only played 11 T20Is prior to this. In 15 games, he has picked up 23 wickets at a strike rate of 14.4, but his economy rate of 8.81 is a bit too expensive for his liking.

His 3/31 in the 3rd game was phenomenal and by picking up the key wickets of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma in the powerplay, he pretty much killed the game there itself. Even in the first game, his 1/20 was crucial in keeping India down to a mediocre total.

10. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s wicket tally might not be the most attractive but regardless of that, his impact was there for everyone to see. He was in excellent form. He troubled the Englishmen with his swing and was very reliable during the death as well.

He got 4 wickets in 5 games at a strike rate of 27 while giving away runs at just 6.38. In 48 T20Is, he has 45 wickets to his name at an economy rate of 6.98 while striking every 22.9 balls on average.

He didn’t concede more than 30 runs in any of the five games and he made notable contributions in each of India’s three wins with 1/28, 1/30, and 2/15. India will hope that he continues his form heading into the IPL and he will be key to their chances of winning the T20 World Cup later this year.

11. Shardul Thakur

Shardul Thakur had a bit of a mixed series, but his overall performance should be enough to ensure he keeps his place in the T20I squad. He played in each of the five games due to the absence of the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and T Natarajan.

He picked up eight wickets at a strike rate of 13 and was the highest wicket-taker, but his economy rate wasn’t quite great as he conceded at 9.69. His tally of 31 wickets in 22 T20Is is pretty good but once again his economy rate is a bit of a problem as he concedes at 9.11.

He picked up 2/29 in the second game and helped India win their first game of the series and his 3/42 in the fourth match was very important as they managed to win the game to tie the series. At a time when it looked like the 4th game was slipping away from the team, he dismissed Ben Stokes and Eoin Morgan off consecutive deliveries. Thakur chipped in with a vital 3/45 in the decider as well.