India defeated England by seven wickets in the first T20I at Eden Gardens, with a dominant performance led by Abhishek Sharma. Abhishek’s explosive 79 off just 34 balls guided India to chase down England’s total of 132 with 43 balls to spare.
Abhishek’s knock was the highlight of the match, marking his third fifty-plus score in T20 internationals. India’s bowlers also played key roles in restricting England’s total.
Arshdeep Singh took 2 wickets for 17 runs in the early overs, while Varun Chakravarthy followed up with 3 wickets for 23 runs in the middle overs, dismissing England for just 132. England’s attempts to mark Brendon McCullum’s first match as coach with an attacking approach fell short.
Jos Buttler was the standout for England, scoring 68 runs from 52 balls, his 26th T20I half-century. Without Buttler’s contribution, England’s score could have been much lower. England’s innings started poorly when they lost the toss to Suryakumar Yadav. The conditions in Kolkata were moist with dew setting in early, and both captains wanted to bowl, but only India had the chance.
Arshdeep made the most of the early conditions, removing both England openers—Phil Salt and Ben Duckett—in his first 11 deliveries. This took Arshdeep’s career T20I wicket tally to 97, making him India’s top wicket-taker in the format, surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal.
By the time Buttler was dismissed in the 17th over, he had scored 68 of England’s 109 runs, with only Harry Brook reaching double figures before Jofra Archer added 12 runs from No. 9. Buttler and Brook formed a partnership of 48 runs to rebuild England’s innings, but Varun broke it up with his googlies.
Varun dismissed Brook and Liam Livingstone in quick succession, and his third wicket was Buttler, who was caught in the deep square leg.
When India began their chase, England briefly seemed to have a chance after Archer removed Sanju Samson and Suryakumar Yadav for ducks in the fifth over. Archer, who bowled all four of his overs in a row, was the best of England’s bowlers, taking 2 wickets for 21 runs.
However, Abhishek Sharma was not deterred. Though he was dropped on 29 by Adil Rashid, he reached his half-century just four balls later. Rashid eventually dismissed him, but India was well on their way to securing a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The final blow came when Tilak Varma hit a top-edged four off Mark Wood’s bouncer, sealing the win for India.
