India seemed to have tinkered their line-up in just in the first game of the 5-match series and eventually they had to pay the price for it. A strong England team thumped India by a margin of 8 wickets in the first T20I to go 1-0 up in this series. Visitors got their plans to perfection after winning the toss and bowling first.
England bowlers backed the decision of bowling first by dismissing the Indian top three inside the powerplay overs. On the other hand, India’s top 3 in this game (Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul & Virat Kohli) collectively scored just 5 runs with Kohli bagging a 5-ball Duck. Shreyas Iyer (67 off 48) scored a half-century while Rishabh Pant (21 off 23) and Hardik Pandya (19 off 21) provided him the support. However, it wasn’t enough as India managed to only get to a below-par total of 124/7 in 20 overs.
It was a collective effort from the England bowlers. Jofra Archer was the pick of their bowlers with bowling figures of 3/23 in his 4 overs including a wicket-maiden over. Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Ben Stokes & Chris Jordan all bagged a wicket each. Rashid’s only wicket in this match is the prized wicket of Indian captain Kohli who departed for a 5-ball Duck!
During the chase, England did not waste time as their openers added 72 runs in 8 overs – Jason Roy – 49 & Jos Buttler – 28. Once both these batters departed, David Malan (24*) and Jonny Bairstow (26*) shared an unbeaten 41-run stand for the third wicket to take England over the line with 8 wickets in hand. Indian spinners Yuzvendra Chahal (1/44) and Washington Sundar (1/18) are the wicket-takers for India in this match.
England pacer Jofra Archer (4 – 1 – 23 – 3) has been adjudged as the ‘Player of the Match’ for his brilliant bowling figures. His wickets in this match include KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur. With this clinical victory, England go 1-0 up in the 5-match series. The 2nd T20I of the series is scheduled to be played at the same venue – Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad – on Sunday (Mar 14).
Brief Scores: England – 130/2 in 15.3 overs (Jason Roy – 49, Jos Buttler – 28, Washinton Sundar – 1/18, Yuzvendra Chahal – 1/44) defeated India – 124/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer – 67, Rishabh Pant – 21, Jofra archer – 3/23, Adil Rashid – 1/14) by a margin of 8 wickets
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