Tests over, England finally found the game to test India. And India failed the test.
Disciplined bowling, sharp fielding and intelligent captaincy from Eoin Morgan saw England first restrict India to 124/7 in 20 overs in the opening T20I of the five-match series at the Motera stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. World No.1 England then swiftly wrapped up the chase in 15.3 overs to complete an eight-wicket win over No.2 India.
Openers Jason Roy (49 off 32 balls) and Jos Buttler (28 off 24 balls) swatted away the Indian bowlers as if they were hopeless flies, hitting fours and sixes almost at will. By the time Buttler departed, trapped LBW by Yuzvendra Chahal, England had reached 72 in the eighth over.
Roy, ignored by IPL franchises, seemed a man on a mission, hitting four boundaries and three sixes. Jonny Bairstow (26 not out off 17) and Dawid Malan (24 not out off 20) then completed the formalities without much trouble.
While England reaped runs with ease, the Indians found the pitch challenging — “uneven bounce” and “two-paced”, according to Shreyas Iyer, who stood tall as an exception, top-scoring with 67 off 48 balls. The 26-year-old displayed superb temperament under pressure and it seems Suryakumar Yadav will have to wait longer to find a way into the Indian playing XI.
Shreyas’s 54-run partnership with Hardik Pandya (19) was the backbone of the Indian innings.
It was nothing short of a nightmare start for India. After being invited to bat first, they were powerless in the Powerplay, crawling to 22/3 in six overs.
The way the hosts, who chose to rest top opener Rohit Sharma for the game, lost their first three wickets, it appeared as if they were a half-baked cookie, crumbling under the slightest of pressure.
Shreyas Iyer during his 48-ball 67, in the first T20I at the Motera stadium on Friday. PTI
KL Rahul (1) was the first to walk back, as early as in the second over of the innings. Trying to drive a wide delivery from Jofra Archer without moving his feet, Rahul dragged the ball on to the stumps instead.
Virat Kohli (0) fell rather uncharacteristically. After his gloves were rattled by one Archer delivery that rose sharply from the pitch, the India captain looked a bit unsettled. He was consumed by unnecessary urgency when he stepped away from the line of the ball and tried to launch leg-spinner Adil Rashid over the ring on the off side, only to be caught by Chris Jordan.
Shikhar Dhawan (4) was completely undone by Mark Wood’s pace. He troubled Dhawan for a few balls before the Indian lost patience and swung his bat across the line. He missed and the ball hit the stumps.
From 20/3, India never really recovered, even though Rishabh Pant (21) tried to force things with his brand of outrageous strokeplay. He even gave Archer the James Anderson treatment, reverse-scooping him for a six over third man.
The hosts were thoroughly outplayed at home in every department. But it would be too early to judge this Indian team as in the recent past they have lost the series opener only to bounce back soon after.
