India’s opening T20I against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street was abandoned without a ball being bowled in the second innings as incessant rain left the outfield unfit for play.After winning the toss, India elected to bat first and recovered from the danger to post 189/7 in the allotted 20 overs, thanks to a 50-year blast from Abhishek Sharma and a captain’s knock from Shreyas Iyer. However, the weather had the last word as incessant rain prevented England from chasing 190.India’s innings got off to a rocky start as Saqib Mahmood struck early to remove Sanju Samson, while Ishan Kishan was dismissed after a mix-up, leaving the visitors struggling at 6/2.With India under pressure, Abhishek Sharma launched an impressive attack. The left-hander took England’s players apart with a fearless display, scoring fifty in just 20 games. Along the way, he also became the fastest batsman from a Full Member country to complete 100 sixes in T20 Internationals.
Abhishek and Shreyas alliance
Abhishek and Iyer added 82 runs for the third wicket to regain control of the innings. The opener eventually scored 59 off 24 balls, an innings studded with two fours and a six, after being caught lbw by Sam Curran.Following Abhishek’s dismissal, skipper Shreyas Iyer took charge between the overs. Combining calculated brutality with the right spin, the right-hander made 68 from 47 deliveries, including six boundaries and a six. In his innings, Iyer also crossed the 5,000 international innings mark, becoming the latest Indian batsman to achieve the feat.Although Saqib Mahmood returned to remove Iyer and finished with impressive figures of 3/33, India got a late friendly run through Shivam Dube. Both players remained unbeaten on 42 off just 21 balls, hitting three sixes and four fours to take the visitors to 189/7.
Rain played the game of spoils
England did not have the first opportunity to respond. Heavy rain arrived just after the break and continued throughout the evening, with the ground crew unable to prepare the playing area before the deadline. As a result, the match was abandoned without a bowl in one of England’s innings, forcing both teams to settle for a draw.Summary Scores: India 189/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 68, Abhishek Sharma 59, Shivam Dube 42*; Saqib Mahmood 3/33).
