India had a great batting performance against England in the first T20I at Chester-le-Street, but incessant rain forced the game to be abandoned before the hosts chased down 190. The visitors posted a competitive total of 189/7 in 20 overs, thanks in large part to the blasts of Abhishek Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer, before the storm ended. India’s innings got off to a bad start when they chose to bat. Sanju Samson was dismissed just once, while Ishan Kishan suffered his second consecutive run in T20Is following a mix-up with fellow opener Abhishek Sharma, leaving India struggling at 6/2. However, Abhishek quickly turned the threat around and hit hard alongside Shreyas.
Abhishek Sharma makes history
Abhishek Sharma smashed 59 off just 24 balls, including a six and a six, to register the fastest T20I fifty by an Indian batsman in England. The left-hander reached the milestone in just 20 balls, surpassing KL Rahul’s record of 27 against England in Manchester in 2018.Abhishek and Shreyas put on a partnership of 82 runs in seven overs to revive the Indian innings. Abhishek led England’s chase, particularly Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood, to help India race to 61/2 in a power play before falling to Sam Curran.
Shreyas Iyer returns to form
After playing a supporting role early on, Shreyas dominated the innings and made 68 from 47 deliveries. The Indian captain registered his ninth T20I fifty and first as a captain, gaining much-needed form after a disappointing performance against Ireland. His innings had six boundaries and sixes before he was trapped lbw by Saqib Mahmood.Shivam Dube then provided the final score with an unbeaten 42 off just 21 balls, helping India add 54 runs in the last five overs and push the total to 189/7. Mahmood was England’s most popular bowler with figures of 3/33.However, the rain that started towards the end of India’s innings intensified during the break, and with less than 40 minutes to go before the match was cut to five overs, the umpires called off the match. The teams will now travel to Manchester for the second T20I match on 4 July.