India beat England by 7 Wickets in 1st T20I of the Five-match Series
India triumphed over England by 7 wickets in the first T20I of their five-match series at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. England batted first and struggled significantly, losing wickets early in their innings. They were bowled out for a modest total of 132 runs in 20 overs, with captain Jos Buttler being the standout performer, scoring 68 runs off 44 balls. The Indian bowlers put on a disciplined display, with Varun Chakravarthy taking 3 wickets and Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel each claiming 2 wickets.
In response, India chased down the target comfortably, scoring 133 runs in just 12.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma was the star of the innings, smashing a quickfire 79 runs off just 34 balls. Sanju Samson contributed with a solid 26 runs off 20 deliveries. India lost three wickets during their innings, with Suryakumar Yadav being dismissed for a duck. Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya remained not out at the end, scoring 19 and 3 runs respectively.
England's innings was characterized by a series of collapses, as they lost their first wicket in the third over and never managed to recover. The Indian bowlers capitalized on the situation effectively, leading to a decisive victory that sets a positive tone for the series ahead.
England Innings (batting)
0-1 (Salt, 0.3), 17-2 (Duckett, 2.5), 65-3 (Harry Brook, 7.3), 65-4 (Livingstone, 7.5), 83-5 (Jacob Bethell, 11.5), 95-6 (Jamie Overton, 13.3), 103-7 (Gus Atkinson, 15.6), 109-8 (Jos Buttler, 16.2), 130-9 (Jofra Archer, 19.4), 132-10 (Mark Wood, 20)
India Innings (batting)
41-1 (Sanju Samson, 4.2), 41-2 (Suryakumar Yadav, 4.5), 125-3 (Abhishek Sharma, 11.5)