England vs India: Will rain interrupt play? Manchester weather and pitch report

India and England will finally hope to get their five-match T20I series underway when they meet in the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday. The opening match in Durham was abandoned after India's innings due to persistent rain, leaving the series level at 0-0.

With clear weather forecast for Manchester, fans can expect a full 40-over contest as Shreyas Iyer's India look to take an early lead against Harry Brook's England.

England vs India: Old Trafford pitch report

The Old Trafford surface is expected to favour batters, with a hard pitch offering consistent bounce and good pace through to the wicketkeeper.

Fast bowlers could extract some extra carry with the new ball, but conditions are unlikely to provide sustained movement. As the innings progresses, stroke-making should become easier, while spinners are expected to have little assistance from the surface.

Given the conditions, teams winning the toss are likely to opt to field first and chase under the lights.

England vs India: Old Trafford pitch at a glance

• Surface: Hard with even bounce
• Best suited for: Batters
• Pacers: Early carry with the new ball
• Spinners: Limited turn on offer
• Toss: Bowl first likely to be the preferred option

England vs India: Manchester weather forecast

Unlike the rain-hit opener in Durham, Manchester is expected to provide ideal conditions for cricket.

The forecast predicts a cool evening with temperatures around 16°C, low humidity and, most importantly, no rain expected during match hours. While strong crosswinds could influence swing bowlers and high catches, they are not expected to interrupt play.

England vs India:Weather forecast

• Temperature: Around 16°C
• Rain probability: 0%
• Conditions: Clear skies
• Wind: Strong crosswinds expected

India eye winning start after Durham washout

India produced an encouraging batting display before rain intervened in the first T20I, posting 189 thanks to aggressive knocks from Abhishek Sharma (59 off 24), captain Shreyas Iyer (68 off 47) and Shivam Dube (42).

However, Sanju Samson's lean run continued after he was dismissed for just one, while Tilak Varma also failed to convert his start. There has been growing speculation over whether teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could be handed his international debut, although India are not expected to make wholesale changes.

England, meanwhile, have welcomed back Jofra Archer, while Josh Tongue is in line for his white-ball debut as the hosts chase a strong start on home soil.