ENG vs IND, 1st T20I: Match called off due to rain in Durham due to rain. India (189/7 in 20 ovs). Shreyas (68), Abhishek (59).
Rain had the final say as the opening T20I between India and England at the Riverside Ground in Durham on Wednesday was abandoned without a ball being bowled in England’s chase, despite impressive knocks from Abhishek Sharma and Shreyas Iyer.
The washout also meant Shreyas Iyer is still searching for his first win as India’s T20I captain. Having begun his tenure with a 0-2 series defeat to Lorcan Tucker’s Ireland, the skipper would have hoped to kick off the England series with a victory before the weather intervened.
India posted a competitive 189 for 7 after being asked to bat, with Abhishek blasting 59 off 24 balls and Iyer anchoring the innings with a fluent 68. Shivam Dube’s late cameo provided the finishing flourish, while Saqib Mahmood was England’s standout bowler with a three-wicket haul.
ABHISHEK, IYER POWER INDIA
Abhishek continued his rich vein of form with a breathtaking assault, shifting gears spectacularly in the powerplay. The left-hander took the attack to Saqib Mahmood in the fourth over, smashing two towering sixes and a boundary in a 21-run over that swung the momentum firmly in India’s favour.
During his explosive knock, he also became the fastest batter to reach 100 sixes in T20 internationalseclipsing West Indies opener Evin Lewis’ record.
Iyer, meanwhile, produced a captain’s knock, rotating the strike smartly before accelerating through the middle overs to keep England’s bowlers under sustained pressure.
Dube then provided the finishing touches with some clean hitting at the death, although Mahmood and the experienced Adil Rashid pulled things back with disciplined spells to prevent India from crossing the 200-run mark.
RAIN HAS THE FINAL WORD
England never got the opportunity to begin their chase as persistent rain continued to lash Durham. The umpires waited until the 9 pm local cut-off time for a possible five-over contest, with England’s revised DLS target set at 64. The target would have risen to 74 in six overs, 85 in seven overs and 94 in eight overs.
However, the weather showed no signs of relenting and the players eventually emerged only to shake hands as the match was officially abandoned.
England were also handed an injury scare after Phil Salt jarred his shoulder while fielding, although the hosts later confirmed it was an external blow and that the opener would have been fit to bat.
With the series getting off to an anti-climactic start, both teams will now turn their attention to the second T20I at Old Trafford in Manchester on July 4, with four matches still left to determine the winner.
– Ends
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