IND vs ENG 1st T20 match: REPORT

India defeated England by seven wickets in the first T20 match, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series, thanks to a fiery innings from opening batsman Abhishek Sharma. England, batting first, scored 132 runs in 20 overs. However, Abhishek smashed 79 runs off 34 balls, hitting five fours and eight sixes, which led India to chase down the target in just 12.5 overs, scoring 133/3. For England, fast bowler Jofra Archer took two wickets, and Adil Rashid claimed one wicket.

Scorecard

India 133/3 (12.5)

England 132 (20)

Match Report

India became the second team jointly with the most consecutive wins at a single venue, as they registered their seventh straight T20 International victory at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. With this win, India leveled with Pakistan, who had won seven consecutive matches at Karachi between 2008 and 2021. The top position is held by England, who won eight consecutive matches at Cardiff between 2010 and 2021.Chasing a low target, the Indian team got off to a good start with Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma adding 41 runs for the first wicket. However, Archer dismissed Samson (26) and then captain Suryakumar Yadav without scoring, causing a slight wobble in India’s innings. Despite this, Abhishek opened up and scored a rapid half-century in just 20 balls. Abhishek took on every English bowler, and in the process, he became the third-fastest Indian to score a fifty in T20 internationals. His innings was eventually ended by Adil Rashid. Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya then took India home, with Tilak scoring 19 runs off 16 balls and Hardik remaining unbeaten on 3 runs off 4 balls.

Earlier, Indian bowlers, led by spinner Varun Chakravarthy, performed brilliantly, dismissing England for just 132 runs. England’s captain Jos Buttler scored a half-century, making 68 runs off 44 balls with eight fours and two sixes. Apart from Buttler, only three England batsmen reached double figures, and none of the others made a significant impact. India had left experienced fast bowler Mohammad Shami out of the playing XI for this match, but Arshdeep Singh took responsibility, providing India with a solid start by dismissing two early wickets. With this, Arshdeep became India’s most successful T20 International bowler. For India, Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets, while Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel each took two wickets.