India defeats England by seven wickets in first T20

Kolkata: India secured a convincing seven-wicket victory against England in the first T20 of the five-match series at Eden Gardens. Chasing a target of 133, India achieved the score in just 12.5 overs with the loss of three wickets.

Sanju Samson contributed 26 runs off 20 balls before being dismissed with India at 41/1. Suryakumar Yadav fell for a duck after facing three deliveries.

The standout performer, Abhishek Sharma, powered India’s innings with an explosive 79 off 34 balls. Tilak Raj and Hardik Pandya completed the chase, remaining unbeaten on 19 and 3 runs, respectively.

Earlier, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and opted to bowl. England were bowled out for 132, with Jos Buttler scoring a valiant 68 off 44 balls. The rest of the English batting lineup struggled, failing to build partnerships.

India’s bowlers delivered a stellar performance, with Axar Patel (2/22) and Varun Chakravarthy (3/23) leading the charge. Ravi Bishnoi bowled economically, conceding just 23 runs in four overs.

Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya also chipped in with two wickets each.

India now leads the series 1-0, with the next match set to be a crucial test for England.