Image Source : Depositphotos
1st T20I: Abhishek smashes 79 as India thrash England by seven wickets
Spinners and Abhishek dominate England in series opener
Abhishek Sharma smashed 79 runs to help India chase down 133 in 13 overs and beat England by seven wickets.
India's spin bowlers did a fantastic job, taking 5 wickets for 67 runs in their 12 overs, helping India win by seven wickets against England in Kolkata on January 22. They bowled out England for just 132 runs, and then Abhishek Sharma's quick batting led India to victory with 43 balls remaining.
India decided to bowl first since they had many spin bowlers, delaying Mohammed Shami's return. Arshdeep Singh bowled excellently, surprising Phil Salt with a short ball and Ben Duckett with a full delivery, making them both get out early. Jos Buttler hit six boundaries off Hardik Pandya's first two overs, which forced Suryakumar Yadav to change the bowler.
Even though Jos Buttler and Harry Brook hit sixes in Axar Patel's first over, their momentum didn't last long. Chakaravarthy's brilliant over saw Brook and Liam Livingstone getting bowled. Jacob Bethell's first match in India didn't go well, as he seemed nervous and got out after briefly hitting one shot to the fielder in the deep.
All credit goes to Buttler, England didn’t get into the worst collapse. He kept hitting boundaries, making up over 60% of England’s total by the end of the 15th over. However, Nitish Reddy’s fantastic diving catch ended Buttler’s innings. Jofra Archer and Adil Rashid helped push England's score past 130, but it wasn’t enough to challenge India, especially with the dew on the field.
Sanju Samson turned aggressive after Archer’s opening over, hitting a boundary off Gus Atkinson and then following it with three more fours and a six, reducing India’s target by 22 runs in just six balls. Samson played carefully against Mark Wood initially but got out in the next over, mistiming a shot. Archer quickly claimed another wicket, getting Suryakumar out with a leading edge.
Despite the serious pace, Abhishek Sharma handled Wood well, hitting back-to-back sixes. He had already scored off Archer earlier, helping India race to 63 runs in the powerplay. When Rashid missed a catch off his own bowling, Abhishek didn’t slow down, hitting 4, 6, and 6 in the same over. He brought up his half-century in just 20 balls.
Tilak Varma watched from the other end as India reached 100 runs in just 10 overs. Abhishek continued to hit big, taking on Atkinson before a googly from Rashid finally got him out just an over before India wrapped up the match.
Brief scores: England 132/10 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 68; Varun Chakaravarthy 3/23, Arshdeep Singh 2/17) lost to India 133/3 in 12.5 overs (Abhishek Sharma 79; Jofra Archer 2/21) by 7 wickets
Top Articles
See more
Shami, fully pain-free, aims to play domestic matches to prove his fitness for Australia
22 Oct 2024
New Zealand Fast Bowler Ben Sears Misses India Tour; Uncapped Jacob Duffy Added to Squad
15 Oct 2024
Sri Lanka Selects Former England Star Ian Bell as Batting Coach for Upcoming Test Series
14 Aug 2024
Get live cricket scores and insightful articles at Giritech Data Intelligence Pvt. Ltd. Follow your favorite matches and read expert analyses, player profiles, and more. Your ultimate destination for cricket updates and in-depth coverage.
Any Questions? Contact us at: contact@gamegiri.com
Copyright & Design By Giritech Data Intelligence Pvt. Ltd - 2025 All rights reserved.