IND vs ENG 1st T20I: Abhishek Sharma Stars As India Crush England By 7 Wickets, Take 1-0 Lead

It was a resounding victory in Kolkata for the Men in Blue. From winning the toss to selecting three frontline spinners, every decision clicked as they bowled England out for a mere 132 runs.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav's decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid off.

Source : @ICC / X

IND vs ENG 1st T20I highlights: Abhishek Sharma's explosive knock of 79 runs off just 34 balls dismantled England's bowling attack, guiding India to a dominant victory. Chasing the 132-run target with ease, India wrapped up the match in under 13 overs with 7 wickets in hand.

It was a resounding victory in Kolkata for the Men in Blue. From winning the toss to selecting three frontline spinners, every decision clicked as they bowled England out for a mere 132 runs.

Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma gave India a blazing start in their chase of 133 runs. Samson hammered 22 runs in the second over but was dismissed by Jofra Archer for 26 runs off 20 balls. Archer struck again in the same over, sending Suryakumar Yadav back for a duck.

Abhishek Sharma then took over, attacking the England bowlers with a barrage of fours and sixes. India lost their third wicket at 125 runs when Sharma was dismissed for 79 runs off 34 balls, featuring 5 fours and 8 sixes, and a strike rate of nearly 233. Tilak Verma (19* off 16 balls) and Hardik Pandya (3* not out) finished off the chase, guiding India to an easy victory.

England will aim to rebound and level the series at 1-1 when they face Team India in the second T20I on Saturday, January 25, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

England all out for 132 runs in first innings

India captain Suryakumar Yadav's decision to bowl first after winning the toss paid off as the bowlers dismantled England for just 132 runs. Jos Buttler was the lone bright spot for England, scoring a brisk half-century, while India's bowling attack shone, led by Varun Chakravarthy with 3 wickets. Arshdeep Singh, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel each contributed with 2 wickets.

England's innings started disastrously, with Arshdeep Singh dismissing Phil Salt on the third ball before a run was scored. Arshdeep struck again in the third over, removing Ben Duckett for just 4 runs. Varun Chakravarthy then tightened the screws, taking two wickets in the same over by dismissing Harry Brook (17) and Liam Livingstone (0).

Hardik Pandya sent Bethell (7) back to the pavilion, while Axar Patel dismissed Jamie Overton (2) and Atkinson (2) in quick succession. Despite the steady fall of wickets, Jos Buttler produced a brilliant fightback, scoring 68 off 44 balls, including 8 fours and 2 sixes, but received little support from his teammates.

'Mystery spinner' Varun Chakravarthy delivered the final blow by removing Buttler, leaving England's innings in tatters.

Playing XIs 

India: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Axar Patel, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy.

England: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.