India won the toss and elected to bat first in the first T20I against England at the Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street. This is the first of a five-match series between the two teams.

After winning the toss, the Indian captain, Shreyas Iyer, was happy to bat first. Iyer confirmed that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was not included in the starting XI and will have to wait for his debut.