ENG vs IND 1st T20I was abandoned due to rain (Photo: BCCI)
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 after incessant rain left the pitch unplayable.After winning the toss, India elected to bat first and recovered from a disastrous start to post a competitive 189/7 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to an explosive half-century from Abhishek Sharma and a captaincy knock from Shreyas Iyer. However, the weather had the final say as persistent rain prevented England from starting their chase of 190.India’s innings got off to a shaky start with Saqib Mahmood scoring early to remove Sanju Samson, while Ishan Kishan was run out after an error, leaving the visitors struggling at 6/2.With India under pressure, Abhishek Sharma launched a stunning counter-attack. The left-hander dismantled the English seamers with a brave display of stroke, reaching his fifty off just 20 deliveries. Along the way, he also became the fastest batsman from a full-fledged nation to complete 100 sixes in a T20 International.
The partnership is for Abhishek and Shreyas
Abhishek and Iyer added 82 runs for the third wicket to regain control of the innings.
The opener eventually fell for a scintillating 59 off 24 balls, an innings studded with six fours and four sixes, after he was trapped lbw by Sam Curran.After Abhishek’s dismissal, skipper Shreyas Iyer took charge in the middle. Blending calculated aggression with sensible batting rotation, the right-hander compiled 68 off 47 deliveries, including six boundaries and a six. During his innings, Iyer also crossed the mark of 5,000 ODI runs, becoming the latest Indian batsman to achieve the feat.Despite Saqib Mahmood returning to dismiss Iyer and finishing with impressive figures of 3/33, India found valuable late deliveries through Shivam Dubey. The all-rounder remained unbeaten with 42 off just 21 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours to push the visitors to 189/7.
The rain played a spoilsport role
England never had the chance to begin a response. Heavy rain fell shortly after the innings break and continued throughout the evening, with the ground crew unable to prepare the playing surface before final time. As a result, the match was officially abandoned without any ball having been bowled in England’s innings, forcing both teams to settle for no score.Summary scores: India 189/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 68, Abhishek Sharma 59, Shivam Dubey 42*; Saqib Mahmood 3/33).