India’s opening T20I against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street was left without a ball being bowled in the second innings after persistent rain left the outfield unfit for play.After winning the toss, India elected to bat first and recovered from a disastrous start to post a competitive 189/7 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to an explosive half-century from Abhishek Sharma and a captain’s knock from Shreyas Iyer. However, the weather had the final say as persistent rain prevented England from starting their chase of 190.India’s innings started on a shaky note as Saqib Mahmood struck early to get Sanju Samson, while Ishan Kishan was run out after a mix-up, leaving the visitors struggling at 6/2.With India under pressure, Abhishek Sharma launched an impressive counterattack. The left-hander took on England’s seamers with a fearless display of strokeplay, racing to his fifty in just 20 deliveries. Eventually, he also became the fastest batter from a Full Member nation to complete 100 sixes in T20 Internationals.
Partnership for Abhishek and Shreyas
Abhishek and Iyer added 82 runs for the third wicket to regain control of the innings. The opener eventually fell for a scintillating 59 off 24 balls, an innings that featured six fours and four sixes, after Sam Curran trapped him lbw.After Abhishek’s dismissal, captain Shreyas Iyer assumed the responsibility in the middle. Blending calculated aggression with sensible strike rotation, the right-hander compiled a comprehensive 68 off 47 deliveries, including six boundaries and a six. During his innings, Iyer also crossed the landmark of 5,000 international runs, becoming the latest Indian batter to achieve the feat.Although Saqib Mahmood returned to remove Iyer and finished with impressive figures of 3/33, India found crucial late runs through Shivam Dube. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 42 from 21 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours to push the visitors to 189/7.
The rain played spoilsports
England had no chance to start their reply. Heavy rain came shortly after the innings break and continued throughout the night, with the ground staff unable to prepare the field before the cut-off time. As a result, the match was officially abandoned without a delivery being bowled in England’s innings, forcing both teams to settle for a no-result.Short scores: India 189/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 68, Abhishek Sharma 59, Shivam Dube 42*; Saqib Mahmood 3/33).