INDIA VS ENGLAND ,1ST T20I, EDEN GARDENS KOLKATA :India’s Deadly Bowling and Abhishek Sharma’s Explosive Batting Demolished England in 1st T20I .
India’s spin trio , right away produced a record of combined 5/67 in their 12 overs in terms of the earlier marker in the T20I series which laid the way for their side’s resounding seven-wicket win over England in Eden Garden, Kolkata on Wednesday (January 22). With the contest being billed as a battle between two pretty entertaining upper orders, India’s spinners in home conditions reminded England of their threatening skills as they bowled out the visitors for a mere 132 before Abhishek Sharma’s fireworks wrapped up the victory with another 43 balls remaining in the match. India’s Deadly Bowling and Abhishek Sharma’s Explosive Batting Demolished England in 1st T20I .
TOSS-
Toss : India won the toss and opt to bowl.
TEAMS LINE UP-
India Squad:
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy
England Squad:
Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood
ENGLAND INNINGS-
India had no qualms in bowling first, considering they had arrived with a spin heavy attack and delayed Mohammed Shami’s return. With the new ball, however, Arshdeep Singh was spot on, with a short ball that seamed as Phil Salt was outwitted to keep only a leading edge before departing early. Against the same bowler, Ben Duckett got a leading edge, though it was also off a delivery comparatively fullish in length. England’s came at the other end when Jos Buttler hit Hardik Pandya for six boundaries in his two overs and had Suryakumar Yadav bring in a change.
Although Buttler and Harry Brook took a six each in Axar Patel’s opening over to get the visitors’ back on course, the repair job was a brief one as Chakaravarthy’s double-wicket over left England rocking. The damage on each occasion was the googly again, with both Brook and Liam Livingstone having their stumps rattled. Jacob Bethell had a night to forget on his debut outing in India as the left-hander found the going tough and when he did finally middle one, he hit it straight to the man in the deep.
Buttler was giving England hope when that looked like too big an ask, as the captain regularly found the boundary, even as he lost partners in a procession at the other end. He had contributed more than 60% of the team’s total by the end of the 15th over. But any hopes of him extending his score at the end was extinguished when Nitish Reddy took a brilliant diving catch to send the Englishman back to the pavilion. Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid then somehow got the total to beyond the 130-run mark but it had no way of forcing a challenge from the home side on this track, with dew around.
INDIA INNING-
Predictably, Sanju Samson activated destruction mode, having played out Archer’s opening over. Gus Atkinson had his first ball welcome to the attack with a four which was followed by three other fours along with a six as Samson wiped 22 off the target in the space of six balls. Samson was circumspect against Mark Wood in his first over and in a bid to atone for it, the opener spliced one in the next over for a catch near deep midwicket. Archer had two in two in the space of three balls, Suryakumar getting across early for a flick that only generated a leading edge.
But the man at the other end passed his test against serious pace, fetching back-to-back sixes off Wood after having also put runs on Archer’s name before. Cadence was the word, a breakneck pace that by the powerplay’s end had seen India number 63 with victory well in sight. And once Rashid had offered him a reprieve off his own bowling by dropping a catch, Abhishek was unstoppable, the left-hander 4,6,6 in the same over then clearing the ropes again in the next over to complete a stunning half-century in 20 balls.
At the other end, another cricketer in good touch, Tilak Varma was happy to play the role of a spectator as India raced past their hundred in 10 overs. As Atkinson took the stick this time, Abhishek marched to make things as long as possible before a googly from Rashid brought that end just an over before the formalities were achieved.
Brief scores:
England 132 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 68; Varun Chakaravarthy 3/23, Arshdeep Singh 2/17) lost to India 133/3 in 12.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 79; Jofra Archer 2/21) by 7 wickets .