England go 1-0 up in T20I series with a comprehensive win

Scorecard

Sent in to bat, India got off to a shaky start. For starters, KL Rahul chopped one on to the stumps and went cheaply for 1. Virat Kohli came in at number three, but got caught for a duck trying to loft one over the in-field, leaving India on 3/2 in just 2.3 overs.

Rohit Sharma is being rested for the first two T20Is. Therefore, we saw Shikhar Dhawan (4) open this match alongside Rahul but couldn’t cash in as he got clean bowled by Mark Wood by a searing delivery.

Rishabh Pant (21) was given a promotion today as he walked in at number four. Pant’s purple patch transpired in a reverse sweep six off Jofra Archer to a ball bowled at 141 KPH sending cheers across 67,000 fans in the stadium.

Shreyas Iyer and Hardik Pandya stitched together a 54-run partnership to get India to a decent total. Jofra Archer got rid of Pandya (19) and Shardul Thakur who got out for a golden duck back-to-back.

Iyer played a resounding knock of 48-ball 67 but India could only manage a total of 124/7 which proved below par.

England openers Jason Roy (49) and Jos Buttler (28) were in good nick and made the small total look tiny as they powered England to a comfortable win.

Roy missed out on a fifty by a run while he was searching for a single on the leg side to Washington Sundar but missed the ball completely, getting out leg-before-wicket.

Dawid Malan (24*) and Jonny Bairstow (26*) did the final touch-up to complete the chase in the 16th over as Malan finished the game with a maximum hitting it straight down the ground.

Archer was adjudged the Player of the Match for his best figures in T20I of 3/23.

India is making a habit out of losing the series opener and winning the series thereafter. They will look to repeat the Test panache to square the series. With four matches still left, there is a lot to play for both teams with the goal to burnish the road to this year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup.