1st T20: England Cruise To Victory Over India With All-Round Show
Live updates from the first T20I between India and England in Ahmedabad.
England have beaten India by 8 wickets in the T20I series opener, following an easy victory over the hosts in Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
After India posted 124/7 in the first innings, England’s openers Jos Buttler and Jason Roy got the team to 58/0 in just 7 overs.
The partnership was eventually broken by Yuzvendra Chahal when he was brought back to bowl the eighth over. He went for 14 runs in the over before trapping Buttler lbw off the final delivery, out on 28 off the 24 deliveries he faced.
England were 72/1 after 8 overs with the Dawid Malan and Jason Roy partnership adding 17 runs off 19 deliveries before India made a second breakthrough - Roy out lbw to Washington Sundar just one run short of his half century.
Jonny Bairstow then joined Malan and scored at a strike rate of 152 to help England cruise to victory.
Earlier, Shreyas Iyer’s half century rescued India’s innings after early wickets during the T20I series-opener between India and England at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.
The India number five scored 67 off 48 deliveries helping India post 124/7 after England’s pacers reduced them to 48/4 at one point.
With Rohit Sharma rested for the first few matches, KL Rahul came out to open with Shikhar Dhawan.
The first over of the match was bowled by Aadil Rashid and when Jofra Archer was given the ball in the second, the pacer cleared out Rahul’s wickets castling him on 1.
Virat Kohli walked into bat at number three and played just five deliveries before falling victim to Rashid, caught by Chris Jordan.
Rishabh Pant then joined Shikhar Dhawan out in the middle with the score reading 3/2 and just the third delivery he faced, he smashed for a boundary.
In the next over, he hit Jofra Archer for 11 runs, including a big six and a boundary.
But at the other end, Shikhar Dhawan’s stay was ended by Mark Wood as he too was castled for 4 off 12 deliveries.
Pant’s Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer then joined him in the middle and the pair added a quick-fire 28 runs off 30 deliveries before the wicket-keeper’s innings was ended by Ben Stokes.
Rishabh hit two boundaries and one six during his 21-run 23-ball stay at the crease.
India were 48/4 after 10 overs at the fall of Pant’s wicket when Pandya walked out to join Shreyas Iyer and the two smashed 54 runs off 44 deliveries.
Iyer completed his half century as well before Jofra Archer broke the partnership, sending back Pandya on 19, caught by Chris Jordan at mid-off. Shardul Thakur was out on the first delivery he faced and Archer was on a hat-trick but Washington Sundar managed to deny him and India were 105/6 at the end of 18 overs.
Iyer fell to Archer in the final over of the match as India went onto post 124/7 in their 20 overs.
Shreyas finished on 67 off 48 deliveries with Rishabh Pant (21 off 23 balls) and Hardik Pandya (19 off 21 balls) the only two other players to score in double digits.
England had won the toss and elected to field at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera on Friday.
India vice-captain Rohit Sharma is sitting out of the first two matches since he is resting following a gruelling four-Test series in which he played a key role. In Sharma's absence, Shikhar Dhawan and K.L. Rahul will open the Indian innings.
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant also makes a return to India's T20I playing XI. Pace bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar too returns to the India fold after recovering from a thigh injury sustained in October during the IPL.
Teams
India XI: K.L. Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (captain), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal.
England XI: Jason Roy, Jos Buttler (wicketkeeper), Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Eoin Morgan (captain), Ben Stokes, Sam Curran, Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
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