India’s T20I opener against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street was abandoned without a ball being bowled in the second innings after persistent rain left the pitch unfit for play.After winning the toss, India opted to bat first and recovered from a disastrous start to post a competitive 189/7 in their allotted 20 overs, thanks to an explosive half-century from Abhishek Sharma and a captain’s knock from Shreyas Iyer. However, the weather had the last word as continued rain prevented England from starting their chase of 190.India’s innings began on a shaky note as Saqib Mahmood struck early to remove Sanju Samson, while Ishan Kishan was run out after a scramble, leaving the visitors struggling at 6/2.With India under pressure, Abhishek Sharma launched a breathtaking counter-attack. The left-hander took on England’s seamers with a fearless display of strokeplay, racing to his fifty in just 20 deliveries. Along the way, he also became the fastest batsman from a Full Member nation to complete 100 sixes in T20 Internationals.
Partnership for Abhishek and Shreyas
Abhishek and Iyer added 82 runs for the third wicket to regain control of the innings. The opener eventually fell for a scintillating 59 off 24 balls, an innings studded with six fours and four sixes, after Sam Curran trapped him lbw.After Abhishek’s dismissal, captain Shreyas Iyer took charge in the middle. Mixing calculated aggression with sensible strike rotation, the right-hander compiled a composite 68 off 47 deliveries, including six boundaries and a six. During his innings, Iyer also crossed the landmark of 5,000 international runs, becoming the latest Indian batsman to achieve the feat.Although Saqib Mahmood returned to dismiss Iyer and finished with impressive figures of 3/33, India found valuable runs late on for Shivam Dube. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 42 off just 21 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours to propel the visitors to 189/7.
Rain played spoilsports
England never got a chance to start their response. The rain came shortly after the innings break and continued throughout the evening, with the ground staff unable to prepare the playing surface before cut-off time. As a result, the match was officially abandoned without a single delivery being bowled in England’s innings, forcing both teams to settle for a no-out.Short Score: India 189/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 68, Abhishek Sharma 59, Shivam Dube 42*; Saqib Mahmood 3/33).