India outplayed England by seven wickets in the first T20I at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Abhishek Sharma‘s blistering 34-ball-79, backed by a disciplined bowling effort, powered India to victory.
England were bundled out for a paltry 132 at a venue where the average first-innings score is around 195.
Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy returned figures of 3/23, while left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh delivered a record-breaking spell of 2/17.
As it happened | Scorecard
Arshdeep surpassed Yuzvendra Chahal (96 wickets) to become India’s leading wicket-taker in T20Is with 97 scalps.
Abhishek’s clean hitting, including five fours and eight sixes, took the game away from England as India cruised to the target with 43 balls to spare. He shared an 84-run partnership with Tilak Verma (19 not out) at a strike rate of 200.
Abhishek showcased his full range of shots, reminiscent of Yuvraj Singh, and capitalised on a lifeline when Adil Rashid spilled a sharp return catch. He brought up his half-century by hooking a 140.7 kph short ball from Jamie Overton over fine leg.
India’s spin troika snared 5 for 67 in 12 overs, vindicating Gautam Gambhir’s decision to play three spinners despite the dewy conditions.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav managed his bowlers astutely, ensuring timely changes and capitalising on their momentum after winning the toss.
England’s struggles were compounded as they failed to build partnerships, with only skipper Jos Buttler holding the innings together with a composed 68 from 44 balls.
Chakravarthy turned the game decisively in India’s favour post-powerplay, dismissing Harry Brook (17), Liam Livingstone (0), and eventually Buttler.
Ravi Bishnoi complemented the attack with a tight spell of 0/22, while Axar Patel recovered from a shaky start to finish with 2/22.
The spinners dominated the middle overs, conceding just 25 runs and picking up two crucial wickets between overs 10 and 15.
England’s misery was compounded by some reckless shot selection, with youngster Jacob Bethell (7) mistiming a pull to deep midwicket off Hardik Pandya.
Pandya, initially expensive, was cleverly rotated by Suryakumar and finished with 2/42.
England were eventually bowled out in the final delivery when Mark Wood was run out for 1.
