T20 heavyweights look to draw first blood ahead of five-round bout

  T20 heavyweights look to draw first blood ahead      of five-round bout

  

 The two teams are in transition, but there's plenty   of firepower in both sides for what should be a   high-scoring series

  

 Big picture: Teams in transition

 Gautam Gambhir and Brendon McCullum have many things in common. They were both stellar openers, they were both captain and coach of Kolkata Knight Riders at different times, they're both known for their "aggressive" mindsets when it comes to approaching the game from the dugout, and, now, they both find themselves trying to shepherd teams in transition.

 

India's has been easier, at least in this format, with three superstars calling time on their careers with T20 World Cup medals around their neck, and others fitting in smoothly over the course of wins against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Africa. England's has been trickier, with one of the most exciting white-ball teams in world cricket struggling in ICC tournaments since their T20 World Cup win in 2022

 This has meant McCullum enters the India T20I series as England's white-ball coach for the first time, with ambitions of maximising the team's unfulfilled potential. And for Gambhir, the aim is to show that the T20 team remains unaffected by the poor Test results that have shaken the establishment.