India vs England 1st T20I abandoned due to rain in Chester-le-Street
Chester-le-Street, July 2
The first T20I match of the bilateral series between India and England was abandoned due to persistent rain after the first innings here on Wednesday.
India batted first in the series opener and set a big target of 190 runs for the hosts, but the Three Lions couldn't come out to bat due to rain, and after more than one and a half hours of waiting, the match was declared abandoned.
This is India's third international match which has been called off at this venue. Two ODIs - one in 2002 and the other in 2011 had been called off.
Now, India will take on the hosts in the second T20I in Manchester on Saturday.
Earlier, it was a mixed day for the visitors as they made 189/7 despite losing a few early wickets in the match.
After opting to bat first, India started with the same opening pair, as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi still had to wait for his international debut.
Sanju Samson couldn't score big and lost his wicket early after making just one run. Ishan Kishan couldn't open his run-account and went back after being involved in a run-out.
Abhishek Sharma added quick 82 runs for the third wicket with Shreyas Iyer and completed his half-century in just 20 balls.
He lost his wicket in the ninth over when Sam Curran trapped him with an LBW dismissal. He made 59 off 24 balls with the help of four sixes and six fours.
Iyer took his time and made 67 runs off 47 balls with the help of six fours and a six. He first added 36 runs with Tilak Varma and then 41 runs for the fifth wicket with Shivam Dube.
Varma made 13 runs off as many balls with the help of a four before losing his wicket to Saqib Mahmood, who finished his spell with the bowling figures of 33/3.
Shivam Dube played a crucial cameo of 42 runs not out off 21 balls with the help of a couple of fours and three sixes.
Harshit Rana was sent to bat above Axar Patel, and he lost his wicket by stumping by Jos Buttler off Adil Rashid's bowling.
Axar Patel made three runs before losing his wicket on the final delivery of the innings.
Adil Rashid and Sam Curran took one wicket each as Mahmood grabbed three wickets.
Brief Score: India 189/7 - Shreyas Iyer 68 (47), Abhishek Sharma 59 (24); Saqib Mahmood 33/3.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Three abandoned international matches at this ground - that's a statistical anomaly! 🏏 Maybe BCCI should avoid scheduling matches at Chester-le-Street for future tours. But on the bright side, Abhishek Sharma's performance is a huge positive - 6 fours and 4 sixes in just 24 balls! Hoping for better weather in Manchester on Saturday.
As an England fan, I'm disappointed too - would have loved to see our batting lineup chase that 190. Rashid and Mahmood bowled well in patches. But having the start of the series rained off is never ideal. On to Manchester!
Mixed feelings about this match. On one hand, 189 is a decent total, but I was hoping Vaibhav Sooryavanshi would finally make his debut - seems like the team management is being too cautious. Also, sending Harshit Rana above Axar Patel was an interesting move that didn't pay off. Still, Abhishek's knock was the highlight of the day! 👌
The rain was relentless today - saw it on TV, it was drizzling almost constantly after India's innings. Shame because both teams were really setting up for a competitive match. Shivam Dube's cameo was underappreciated - 42 off 21 in the death overs kept the momentum going.
Honestly, BCCI should have learnt from 2002 and 2011 - this ground has a bad record with rain. That said, India's batting performance was impressive despite early wickets. Sanju Samson and
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