India vs Eng, 1st T20I: Joe Root, Eoin Morgan guide England to comfortable win
Kanpur: England completed a comprehensive victory over India in the first T20I at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The Englishmen gained a lot of momentum from their first victory of their long and arduous tour to India, defeating the hosts by 5 runs at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, in the third and final ODI.
England skipper Eoin Morgan won the toss, and put India in to bat, a decision that paid instant dividends, as the three Lions kept picking up wickets at regular intervals.
Former India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni mounted a bit of a comeback towards the end of the innings to take India to a respectable score of 147 for 7, but it always seemed like India were 15-20 runs short.
Moeen Ali shone with the ball for England, picking up the two crucial wickets of Virat Kohli and Manish Pandey.
England openers Jason Roy and Sam Billings got the Three Lions off to a quick start, but the visitors suffered a setback, as India's debutant spinner Yuzvendra Chahal struck with two quick wickets to dismiss both Roy and Billings.
However, experienced batsmen Eion Morgan and Joe Root consolidated the innings from there on, take England to a comfortable win. Captain Morgan scored a well-paced 51 of 38 balls to keep the pressure on the Indian bowlers.
Although Parvez Rasool picked up Morgan's wicket, the England captain had already steered his ship into safer waters by then.
England: 148/3 from 18.1 overs
And England have done it! Root steers the ball away to the leg side to register England's second victory of the tour. However, the T20I series is a whole new ball-game, and the Three Lions have taken a 1-0 lead.
An unusual succession of events takes place. Bumrah hits Joe Root's stumps twice, but the first instance was a no ball, and the second one was a free hit.
England: 126/3 from 15.2 overs
WICKET! Rasool picks up the first wicket of his T20I career, and its Eoin Morgan, who he dismisses. However, it looks difficult for India to get back into a winnoing position from here, now.
England: 120/2 from 15 overs
Chahal completes his quota of overs, and the youngster has had a good debut. Raina did well to save a six in that over. England however, are in complete control.
England: 114/2 from 14 overs
Eion Morgan smashes Rasool into the stands, to ease the pressure on England. England in control now.
England: 103/2 from 13 overs
Hardik Pandya into the attack, and medium pacer proves to be a bit expensive. Gives nine off that over. Morgan is managing to hit one boundary every over.
England: 94/2 from 12 overs
England are trying to pick up the pace. Although the asking rate has picked up, the Three Lions still have it under control.
England: 82/2 from 11 overs
Hardik Pandya puts in another good over. Just 6 runs off it.
England: 76/2 from 10 overs
Morgan has decided to go after debutant Chahal in his third over. However, the Indian spinner came back well with a couple of good deliveries.
England: 64/2 from 9 overs
The spinners have done their trick, and Kohli now brings Bumrah back into the attack. the two wickets by Chahal have stemmed the flow of runs.
England: 57/2 from 7 overs
Another decent over by Rasool. Morgan and Root are looking to consolidate the England innings after the fall of the two quick wickets.
England: 48/2 from 6 overs
The Indian spinners are tightening the screws here. Chahal gives away only 2 runs off that over. the required run rate is climbing, but England still have it in control.
England: 46/2 from 5 overs
Indian spinners are mounting a comeback. Parvez Rasool gives just 3 runs off his 1st over.
England: 43/2 from 3.5 overs
Wicket! Chahal strikes again! Dismisses the big-hitting Billings in similar fashion.
England: 42/1 from 3.2 overs
WICKET! Chahal gets his first wicket of his T20I career. Danger man Jason Roy tried to cut the ball, but sliced it onto the stumps.
England: 36/0 from 3 overs
The Indian bowlers are being smashed all around the park. Sam Billings the perpetrator in chief.
England: 24/0 from 2 overs
Sam Billings is getting into the act. 20 runs from Bumrah's over.
England: 4/0 from 1 over
England have made a cautious start. Jason Roy and Sam Billings have come out to open the innings for the visiting team.
India: 147/7 from 20 overs
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has clobbered a few in the last over to take India to a respectable score of 147 for seven. The home side will feel that they are around 15-20 runs short.
India: 145/7 from 19.4 overs
WICKET! Dhoni hits it straight at cover, as Rasool sprints off for a single. But the ex-skipper wants to retain the strike and sends him back. However, Rasool had sprinted too far up the pitch by then. The Kashmiri has to sacrifice his wicket.
India: 135/6 from 19 overs
Another good over by Mills. Just seven off it. Dhoni needs to get the big shots out of his bag now. only one over to go.
India: 128/6 from 18 overs
Jordan gets in a good over, giving away only 6 runs. Dhoni and Rasool need to up the ante now. Only 2 over to go.
India: 122/6 from 17 overs
Good over by Mills. Gave away only 5 runs in that over, and took the first wicket of his T20I career.
India: 119/6 from 16.3 overs
WICKET! India just have not been able to get going in this game. Pandya slices one to the deep, where Billings takes an easy catch. Tymal Mills gets his first wicket of his T20I career.
India: 117/5 from 16 overs
11 runs came off that over, but Stokes could probably have done better there. He bowled three wides in that over.
India: 106/5 from 15 overs
The fall of wickets has stemmed India's run rate quite a bit, as Dhoni and Pandya try to consolidate the innings.
India: 98/5 from 13.2 overs
WICKET! Moeen Ali strikes again! He completely beat Manish Pandey with the flight of his ball, trapping him lbw in front of the stumps.
India: 95/4 from 12.3 overs
WICKET! Six and out! Stokes has out-foxed Raina this time. bowls a slower yorker aimed at the base of the leg stump. The change in pace completely fooled Raina, as the lit-up bails come off.
India: 88/3 from 12 overs
The entire stadium erupts into a united chant as MS Dhoni comes out to bat. The former skipper seems to be taking the safer options in his first few deliveries.
India: 76/3 from 10.3 overs
WICKET! Yuvraj singh mis-times a shot into the deep, as Adil Rashid takes a diving catch. There was some confusion with regards to how clean the catch was, but replays suggested that Rashid had his fingers under the ball when he caught it.
India: 75/2 from 10 overs
Yuvraj singh is also getting into the attack. plays a cracking boundary off Ali.
India: 68/2 from 9 overs
India are ticking the scoreboard over despite losing two early wickets. Raina has taken the charge over from Kohli.
India: 58/2 from 8 overs
Very good start by Moeen Ali. Gave just three runs off that over, and took the important wicket of Kohli.
India: 55/2 from 7.1 overs
WICKET! Morgan's plow of introducing spin into the attack has worled perfectly. Moeen Ali gets the danger man Kohli. England skipper Morgan with a brilliant catch.
India: 55/1 from 7 overs
Stokes into the attack. The all rounder has tightened the screws a little in thsi over.
India: 47/1 from 6 overs
Another big over, as India pick 11 runs off Chris Jordan. Suresh Raina, who has come out in place of Rahul, has gotten into the offensive straight away.
India: 34/1 from 4.3 overs
WICKET! Jordan back into the attack, and England draw first blood. The Englishman's extra pace surprised Rahul, who lobbed an easy catch to Adil Rashid.
India: 33/0 from 4 overs
Liam Plunkett into the attack, and Kohli welcomes him with a couple of boundaries. However, Plunkett showed good character to come back with a few good deliveries, tightening the screw on the Indian openers.
India: 22/0 from 3 overs
A good over by Mills. Gives only six runs away in that over. That could put some pressure on the Indians batsmen.
India: 16/0 from 2 overs
The skipper is taking the attack to the England bowlers. Hits another boundary off Jordan's bowling. He sliced his lofted shot a little, but got enough flight on the shot to clear the fielder over mid on, as the ball rams into the advertising hoardings after one bounce.
India: 9/0 from 1 over
Virat Kohli got off the mark in T20I cricket with a cracking boundary off Tymal Mills. Rahul also got off the mark with a four. Good start by the home side.
Toss: Eoin Morgan has won the toss, and has decided to field first
Starting XI:
India: KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Suresh Raina, Parvez Rasool, Y Chahal, Ashish Nehra, Jaspreet Bumrah.
England: Jason Roy, Sam Billings, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mils.
Preview:
After clinching Test series and ODI series against England, Virat Kohli will be eager to start his journey as India’s full-time T20 skipper on a winning note as the hometeam takes on England in the first game of the three-match T20 series at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur on Thursday.
Although Kohli did not start of a winning note as Test and ODI captain of the Indian team, he will aim to break that record in his first game as T20 skipper. While Indian middle order are in a good form, India are yet to sort out their opening problems as Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane were below-par in the ODI series. While Kohli has backed his openers, it will be a good move to pick young swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant, who can open the innings, in the playing XI. While India have struggled with their openers’ form, England, despite losing the ODI series, will be relieved to have Jason Roy, who scored three fifties in the ODI series, at the top.
Parvez Rasool will beplaying his first T20I for India, at the Green Park Oval in Kanpur. (Photo: PTI)
However, England will want to improve their bowling performance by leaps and bounds. The visitors allowed India to score big in ODI series despite having them in a spot of bother in all the games. The hometeam, who has brought back Ashish Nehra to partner Jasprit Bumrah, will look to contain Morgan and Co.
