An all-round show with both the bat and ball from Hardik Pandya helped India defeat England by 50 runs in the first of three T20Is, held at Southampton on Thursday.
The Indian all-rounder scored his maiden T20 international fifty and picked up four wickets for 33 as England were bundled out for a meagre 148 runs in 19.3 overs. By doing so, Hardik Pandya became the first Indian male player to pick four wickets and score 50 runs in a single T20I.
Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav (39) and Deepak Hooda (33) also played crucial knocks to propel India's total to 198/8. Debutant Arshdeep excelled with the ball, picking up 2 wickets and giving away just 18 runs in 3.3 overs, while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also impressed, scalping two for 32 in four overs.
India Posted 198/8 After Batting First
Earlier, Rohit Sharma, who is leading the side after recovering from Covid-19 earlier this week, opened the batting alongside young Ishan Kishan. Rohit got off to a good start before nicking one to England skipper Jos Buttler, off Moeen Ali’s bowling in the third over.
The Indian captain looked in fine touch, sweeping Ali for two consecutive fours before losing his wicket to a quick drifter from the England all-rounder. Sharma’s 24 came off 14 balls and included five fours.
Man-in-form Deepak Hooda joined Ishan Kishan in the middle and started his innings with a bang, smashing two consecutive sixes off Ali in the fifth over.
However, the veteran spinner gave England the breakthrough in same over, dismissing the left-handed Kishan, who until then had found it hard to get going. Kishan managed a mere eight runs from 10 balls as he tried to sweep Ali, only for the ball to top edge and land safely in the hands of Matt Parkinson at short backward square.
With India’s score at 46/2 in came Surya Kumar Yadav, who took the pressure off by sweeping Moeen for a four to open his account. Meanwhile, Reece Topley, who had bowled an economical fourth over was smashed all over the park by Hooda, who scored 16 runs as India galloped to a quick 66/2 by the end of the powerplay.
Hooda and Suryakumar Yadav kept India in the game, rotating strike and dismissing the bad balls to the ropes. Just when it looked like things were going India’s way, England's bowlers struck once again as Hooda fell to a pitched up cutter from Chris Jordan in the ninth over, after scoring 33 runs from 17 balls.
The Hooda-Suryakumar duo added a crucial 43-run partnership to India’s total before the former departed after an innings which involved three fours and two sixes.
Suryakumar Yadav continued for a while longer alongside all-rounder Hardik Pandya, dispatching four and sixes at regular intervals until Jordan struck once again for the hosts. A sharp bouncer whizzed past the Indian batsman’s glove and helmet into wicket-keeper Buttler’s hands as England appealed for a wicket.
The review established that there was indeed a spike off the thumb of Suryakumar, who scored a crucial 39 of 19 balls, that included four fours and two sixes.
Hardik, who had captained India’s white-ball side during the 2-0 Ireland series win then took the responsibility upon himself and started to build a partnership with Axar Patel, who had joined him after Suryakumar’s dismissal.
The two added 45 runs for the fifth wicket, with Hardik scoring the majority of the runs. With the score now looking a comfortable 171/4, India lost Axar in the 17th over.
The left-hander judged the length wrong and played a stroke as leg-spinner Parkinson bowled a wide delivery which fell into the hands of Jason Roy at cover. Axar, who offered Hardik good support, however, scored just 17 runs off 12 balls.
Hardik, who was the pick of Indian batters till then, cruised to his fifty off just 30 balls as India’s score read 178/5 at the end of 17 overs with Dinesh Karthik alongside him at the crease.
All-rounder Hardik, however, fell soon in the next over, managing to add just one more to his total tally as India were at 180/6 in 17.4 overs. India could not add much more to their tally, managing just 18 runs in two overs, losing Dinesh Karthik and Harshal Patel in quick succession.
For England, Chris Jordan excelled with the ball, picking two wickets while givinf away just 23 from four overs. Moeen Ali also picked up two wickets but was quite expensive as he gave away 26 runs in two overs.
England's Chase Fell 50 Short
Chasing a total of 199, England got off to the worst possible start, losing three wickets for 32 runs by the end of the powerplay. England lost captain Buttler in the last ball of first over as Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s searing in-swinger shattered his leg-stump. The England opener departed for a golden duck.
David Malan, who arrived at the crease next, took the attack to the opposition, but did not last long as Hardik Pandya clattered his stumps, leaving England reeling at 27/2 in 4.2 overs.
It went from bad to worse for the hosts as Pandya struck once again in the same over to remove new man Liam Livingstone for a duck. Livingstone, who lasted just three balls, tried to paddle a wide delivery from Pandya to fine leg, but managed to get only his gloves en route to the keeper Dinesh Karthik.
Meanwhile, England opener Jason Roy’s nightmare stay at the crease finally ended when the in-form and confident Pandya dismissed him in the first ball of the seventh over. Hardik, who bagged this third wicket of the day had bowled a ball outside off which Roy tried to smash over covers only to take a thick edge and land in the hands of a waiting Harshal Patel at third man.
When Roy departed England were 33 at the loss of four wickets, and it seemed like they were out of the game, but Mooen Ali and Harry Brook offered some resistance for the hosts.
England seemed to have finally found some mojo with Ali and Brooks in the crease, also with a little help from Indian fielders who dropped a few sitters in between.
However, the partnership did not last long as Brooks (28) tried to pull a length delivery from Chahal only to fall into the hands of Suryakumar at deep midwicket.
Ali (36) accompanied him soon as he danced down the track at a dipping full ball from Chahal to get stumped by wicket-keeper Karthik. Karthik had initially fluffed the chance when the ball landed in his arms, but he got time to fix his error and hand Chahal his second wicket in the match.
With the scoreboard reading 100/6 in 12.5 overs, an England collapse looked soon on the cards. Though Chris Jordan came and played a cameo, hitting 26 of 17 deliveries, England were far from home as four wickets perished in a matter of 45 runs, handing them the first defeat of the three-match T20I series. Out of the final four England wickets, one was taken by Hardik, who registered his fourth for the day.
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