Not Varun Chakravarthy, Abhishek Sharma! Suryakumar Yadav credits Gautam Gambhir for victory in 1st T20I vs ENG

Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian National Cricket Team defeated the England National Cricket Team at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in the first T20I of five matches series on Wednesday, January 22.

Suryakumar Yadav’s Indian national cricket team won the match by 7 wickets with 43 balls remaining to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Also read: Suryakumar Yadav’s ‘Era of Fall’ – Indian captain branded a ‘fraud’ after failure in 1st ENG T20I

India took down the Three Lions in Calcutta

Team India played a fantastic type of cricket in the T20I series opener. Winning the toss and bowling first, they restricted the opposition to a paltry total of 132 runs.

Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya took two wickets each, while Varun Chakravarthy gave an outstanding performance with three wickets.

The running was quite easy for the hosts Abhishek Sharma presented a batting master class and won by 79 runs. Sanju Samson and Tilak Varma also chipped in with runs as the run was completed in 12.5 overs.

All the bowlers had their own plans and they executed them -Suryakumar Yadav

Speaking at the presentation ceremony after the match, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav praised the bowlers for executing their plans really well. He stated:

“The energy, the way we started, that set the bar. All the bowlers had their plans and they executed them.

“(Selecting three spinners) We wanted to stick to our strengths. All three are doing a great job.”

Suryakumar Yadav further praised Varun Chakravarthy and Arshdeep Singh for their consistent good performance. He also singled out head coach Gautam Gambhir, saying that he gives a lot of freedom to the players. Suryakumar Yadav explained:

“(About Varun) He keeps things very simple, his preparations are on point.

“He (Arshdeep) has taken responsibility and is doing it consistently. Gauti bhai is giving a lot of freedom. We have been working hard with the outside coach.

India vs England Penalty Play Difference vs T20 World Cup 2024 Semi Final Teams

The difference in penalty kicks between India and England in the 1st T20I against each other at the Eden Gardens since the semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 reflected the transition phase in both teams.

In the semi-final, India saw Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant in the top order, while Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya were in the middle order, the latter also offering his bowling services.

All-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja provided stability with ball and bat. India’s bowling department included Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah, who offered a potent combination of pace and spin.

Meanwhile, in the T20I match against the Three Lions, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma were the openers – replacing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from T20I cricket after the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Other batsmen in the line-up included Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav and Rinku Singh, while Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Axar Patel handled the all-round duties. Also, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakravarthy were the three clean bowlers in the XI.

On the other hand, England’s semi-final line-up had Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow leading the batting, while experienced all-rounders like Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran added depth.

The fast bowling attack consisted of Jofra Archer, Chris Jordan and Reece Topley s Adil Rashid handling rotation duties. In comparison, England’s squad in the first T20I against India included a different combination, with Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell and Jamie Overton making up the team alongside Gus Atkinson and Mark Wood, none of whom played in the semi-final.