An explosive half-century from opener Abhishek Sharma and a steady captain’s knock by Shreyas Iyer powered India to a strong total of 189 for seven against England in the first T20I at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, India endured a disastrous start that initially brought back memories of their recent series defeat to Ireland.
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The visitors lost both Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan early, slumping to a precarious position with just six runs on the scoreboard. Samson fell cheap to Saqib Mahmood, driving a catch straight to point, while Kishan was run out following a massive misunderstanding with Abhishek.
However, the early setbacks did not affect Abhishek Sharma, who quickly shifted gears to unleash a spectacular counter-attack against the English bowling attack. Alongside Shreyas, the dynamic left-hander dismantled the home team’s pacers during an 82-run partnership that came off just seven overs.
Abhishek targeted Mahmood and Luke Wood, hitting a lot of boundaries and sixes to propel India to a commanding 61 for two by the end of the powerplay. He continued his aggressive hitting to register his half-century off just 20 deliveries, becoming the fastest Indian to score a T20I fifty on English soil. His 4 sixes today also helped him touch the 100 sixes mark.
Sam Curran eventually broke the dangerous stand by trapping Abhishek leg-before for 59, forcing the batsman to stay anchored to his back foot. Following the dismissal, Shreyas took complete charge of the innings.
The skipper played a measured knock, prioritizing gap-finding and anchoring the innings before launching big hits, including a massive six over extra cover. Shreyas brought up his 9th T20I fifty, his first as national captain off 38 balls before Mahmood trapped him leg-before for 68.
With India sitting at 165 following the Iyer’s departure, Shivam Dube provided the final flourish. Dube smashed a quickfire, unbeaten 42 off 21 balls to push the visitors close to the 190-run mark, setting up a challenging chase for England under overcast Durham skies.
IND Vs ENG, 1st T20I: Playing XIs
India XI: Sanju Samson (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer (C), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakaravarthy.
England XI: Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (WK), Harry Brook (C), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood.
(With PTI inputs)
