IND vs ENG: 1st T20I – Talking points from India’s startling defeat
England thrashed India by eight wickets in the first T20I on Friday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Asked to bat first, India could only score 124 for 7 in the allotted 20 overs. In reply, England comfortably chased down the total inside 16 overs by losing just two wickets.
For India, Shreyas Iyer was the top-scorer with his 48-ball 67-run knock. England never let India dominate the game as they walloped the hosts with a dominating victory. Jason Roy was the chief destructor with the willow as he smacked a 49-run knock.
Here are the main talking points from the game:
England’s pacers make the difference:
England’s pace trio of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Chris Jordan played a key role in their team’s triumph. Archer gave the visitors the early breakthrough by dismissing KL Rahul for just 1 before dismissing Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur towards the end. Mark Wood dismissed Shikhar Dhawan for just 4 and conceded just 20 runs off his four overs. Jordan, on the other hand, dismissed Iyer while giving away 27 runs.
India’s failed experiments:
India’s experiment with the opening pair backfired in the series-opener. The decision to rest Rohit Sharma failed completely as India’s top-order failed. In the absence of the in-form senior batsman, the likes of KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan failed to impress at the top and were out for just 1 and 4 respectively.
Shreyas Iyer impresses at No.4:
Indian batsmen tonight:
Shreyas Iyer 67 off 48 balls, 8 fours, 1 six, SR 139.58
All others: 55 off 72 balls 4 fours, 2 sixes, SR 76.38#INDvENG #ENGvIND— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) March 12, 2021
Shreyas Iyer has further strengthened his No.4 spot in the T20I team with his latest knock. On a pitch where most of his teammates failed to get going with the bat, Iyer came up with a fine fighting knock of 67 off 48 balls with the help of eight fours and six.
