England suffer historic India defeat in shoddy start to so-called ‘new era’ under Brendon McCullum
England’s new era under head coach Brendon McCullum began with a crushing defeat as India dominated the first T20 international in Kolkata, winning by seven wickets with 43 balls to spare.
The visitors were bowled out for just 132, with captain Jos Buttler’s 68 from 44 balls the only significant contribution in a batting display that crumbled against India’s spinners.
India’s response was swift and decisive, as Abhishek Sharma smashed 79 from just 34 balls to guide the world champions to a comfortable victory.
The defeat, England’s heaviest in T20 cricket in terms of balls remaining, highlighted familiar weaknesses against spin as McCullum’s multi-format coaching tenure got off to a nightmare start at Eden Gardens.
England suffered a thrashing at the hands of India in Kolkata
Reuters
After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, India struck early through seamer Arshdeep Singh, who removed Phil Salt for a three-ball duck and Ben Duckett in his first two overs.
England’s middle order then collapsed against India’s spinners, falling from 65-2 in the eighth over as wickets tumbled regularly.
Buttler stood alone in the wreckage, striking eight fours and two sixes in his classy 68, while Harry Brook’s 17 was the next highest score.
The lower order offered little resistance, with Jacob Bethell struggling to seven from 14 balls, Jamie Overton making just two, and Gus Atkinson managing only two from 12 deliveries.
India’s three spinners – Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel and Ravi Bishnoi – combined for impressive figures of 12-1-67-5 on a decent batting pitch.
Chakravarthy proved particularly devastating for England, finishing with figures of 3-23 in a masterful display of mystery spin.
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The Indian spinner struck a crucial double blow in the eighth over, first bowling Brook with a googly that came via inside edge and pad.
Two balls later, Livingstone was bowled through the gate by another googly, leaving England’s inexperienced lower order exposed.
Chakravarthy saved his final blow for England’s captain, returning in the 17th over to have Buttler caught at deep square leg just as the visitors harboured hopes of a strong finish.
Left-arm spinner Axar Patel provided excellent support with 2-22, including the wickets of Overton and Atkinson, as England’s batsmen struggled to pick India’s varied spin attack.
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India’s use of spin bamboozled England
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In contrast to India’s spin-heavy attack, England opted for pace, with Jofra Archer providing early hope through figures of 2-21.
Archer struck twice in his third over, removing Sanju Samson and India captain Suryakumar Yadav to briefly silence the Kolkata crowd.
However, Abhishek Sharma, the 24-year-old left-handed opener, dominated proceedings with a blistering innings that included eight sixes.
Sharma was particularly severe on England’s quicks, pulling them over fine leg and peppering the off side with powerful strokes.
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England were all out for 132 before India surpassed their score with 43 balls to go
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He was dropped by Adil Rashid on 29 and immediately punished the error by hitting the next three balls for four, six and six.
Atkinson bore the brunt of the assault, conceding 38 runs from just two overs as India raced towards their target.
The second match of the five-game series takes place on Saturday in Chennai at 13:30 GMT, with England seeking to level the series.
England captain Jos Buttler acknowledged the difficult start, saying: “There was a little bit in the wicket early on and we probably didn’t expect that. We wanted to enforce the game we want to play.
England had heralded a ‘new era’ – but issues remain largely the same
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“We were not quite capable of doing that against good bowlers but we are better for the run out and look forward to the next one.”
India’s dominance continues their impressive run since winning last year’s T20 World Cup, with this victory marking their 15th win from their last 18 matches under Yadav’s leadership.
The result emphasised India’s fearsome depth following the T20 retirements of several stars including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja.
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