India hammer England in 1st T20I at Eden Gardens: Stats
What's the story
India hammered England in the 1st T20I at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on January 22.
The Men in Blue successfully chased down 133 after bowling out the Englishmen. Abhishek Sharma led the charge with a blistering half-century.
Earlier, a concerted bowling effort helped India restrict England even though Buttler slammed a solid 68. Varun Chakravarthy took three wickets.
Here are the key stats.
Summary
A look at match summary
England had a horrible start after they were invited to bat, losing Philip Salt and Ben Duckett.
Although England recovered, Indian spinners ignited their collapse. Buttler's single-handed effort took England to 132/10 in 20 overs.
In response, Abhishek and Sanju Samson added 41 runs before the latter departed. Suryakumar Yadav also departed soon after, but Abhishek's assault handed India a comfortable win (12.5 overs).
Abhishek
Abhishek's 79(34) powers India to win
While Samson looked after the first few overs, Abhishek joined him in the attack eventually.
Although Jofra Archer and Mark Wood tested Abhishek with a few spicy bouncers, the Indian opener displayed his audacious strokes. Even his footwork against senior spinner Adil Rashid was top-notch.
Abhishek finished with a 34-ball 79, a knock laced with 5 fours and 8 sixes.
Information
Second T20I fifty for Abhishek
Rashid, who conceded quite a few boundaries to Abhishek, finally dismissed him. The left-hander raced to his second half-century. Abhishek now has 335 runs from 13 T20Is at an average of 27.91. His strike-rate has shot to 183.06.
Charavarthy
Charavarthy stars with three-fer
Despite receiving early blows, England raced to 46/2 after six overs. They further attacked Axar Patel after the Powerplay.
However, Chakravarthy removed Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in the next over to get India back. Chakravarthy finally dismissed Buttler in the 17th over, which was the final nail in the coffin for England.
The leg-spinner conceded just 23 runs in four overs.
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Chakravarthy races past 20 wickets
As mentioned, Chakravarthy has now raced past 20 wickets in T20I cricket. In 14 T20Is, the leg-spinner now owns 22 scalps at an incredible average of 16.63. He is one of the few Indian players with a five-wicket haul in the format.
Buttler
A fine knock from Buttler
Buttler truly made a statement despite India's dominance. On a wicket where all of his compatriots struggled, he led from the front.
He was devoid of a well-deserved century only because of the pressure to score from one end.
Buttler hammered a 44-ball 68, a knock laced with 8 fours and 2 sixes. Chakravarthy dismissed him in the 17th over.
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Buttler gets past Rizwan in terms of T20I runs
Buttler raced to his 26th half-century in T20I cricket. The England captain surpassed Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan (3,414) to become the sixth-highest run-scorer in the format. In a career spanning over a decade, Buttler has slammed 3,451 runs from 130 T20Is at an average of 36.32.
Arshdeep Singh
India's most successful T20I bowler
Arshdeep didn't let India feel the absence of Mohammed Shami, who wasn't picked for the Kolkata T20I.
The left-arm seamer bowled in right areas, conceding just 17 runs in his four overs (two wickets).
By dismissing Duckett, Arshdeep became India's most successful bowler in T20I cricket. He surpassed Yuzvendra Chahal to attain this feat.
The latter has 96 T20I wickets to his name.