IND vs ENG: From Abhishek and Arshdeep shining to Pandya and Surya underwhelming, India's hits and misses in 1st T20

India pummeled England into submission in the first T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, thereby fashioning a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. Abhishek Sharma was the star of the batting show and blitzed his way to 79 off 34. Sanju Samson also contributed to India’s brisk start, mustering 26 off 20, with Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma remaining unbeaten at the end.

Earlier in the evening, India had won the toss and had inserted England in. India made early inroads, with Arshdeep Singh removing Phil Salt in the first over before returning to dismiss Ben Duckett.
Jos Buttler, who had walked in at three, forged a partnership with Harry Brook but once Varun Chakravarthy began weaving his magic in the middle overs, it was a long way back for England, and they fell well short of a total that would have tested India’s powerful batting unit, despite Buttler’s heroics.

Here is a look at how the players fared:

Aced the test: Abhishek Sharma, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Varun Chakravarthy

Abhishek was a joy to watch. He smashed the bowlers to all parts and when England tried to crank up the pace, the ball flew just as quickly or perhaps even quicker.

This was also a vital knock for him personally. There were a few murmurs around the tenability of his boom-or-bust approach, having only managed a solitary twenty-plus score ( although that was a hundred) in his first nine innings. But he has three consecutive thirty-plus scores since then and all of them have come against either England or South Africa. And at a strike-rate of 200 or more.

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From India’s swashbuckling opening batter to their new-ball wizard and now, their leading wicket-taker in T20I history. It seems incredible that Arshdeep has scaled that peak in just two and a half years of cricket, and while that is partly down to how much T20I cricket India have played, it largely hinges on Arshdeep’s brilliance.

It was on full display during a new-ball spell that asked England all sorts of questions. Salt was undone by a brutish delivery that reared up out of nowhere, and Duckett was deceived by a beautiful out-swinger. It may not be long before Arshdeep is considered as indispensable in this format as a certain Jasprit Bumrah.

Speaking of indispensable cogs…

Chakravarthy is slowly establishing himself as one of those in India’s machinery. He came in to bowl when England were threatening a counter-punch courtesy Buttler and Brook. But across three balls in the eighth over, Chakravarthy had swung the pendulum completely in India’s favour. And if that was not enough, he also got rid of Buttler later, ensuring that England could not get anywhere near a par total.

Varun Chakaravarthy scalped 3⃣ wickets & bagged the Player of the Match Award! 👌 👌

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/4jwTIC5zzs#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/QqqC6Sz1e1

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 22, 2025

Chakravarthy finding form and confidence is vital from an Indian perspective. Especially because of the mystery element and the three-pronged spin attack he could form at next year’s T20 World Cup in India, alongside Kuldeep Yadav and…

Axar. His stock has grown and grown in recent times. He was appointed vice-captain for this series and showed just why the selectors have entrusted him with that responsibility. This was a typical Axar Patel performance. Not too flashy, but doing the right things at the right time. And doing them so repeatedly that it feels like a habit now.

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Nitish, in contrast to the aforementioned, did not bat or bowl. But he was outstanding in the field. And with the way he was moving around, he might have even caught a cold in the desert.

Partially met expectations: Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Ravi Bishnoi

On most days, Samson leaves you wanting more. And that is entirely down to the mercurial ability he possesses. Even when he scores 50 off 25, there’s a feeling that he could have made it, say, an 80 off 35.

A 20-ball 26, which included him tearing Gus Atkinson apart, most certainly qualifies then. While he was at the crease, he looked a million dollars, especially when he danced down the track and creamed Atkinson over cover. Unfortunately, it only lasted only 4.2 overs.

Tilak did not do a lot wrong either. He walked in and had the best seat in the house as Abhishek ripped England to shreds. He was perhaps not as free-flowing as he was in South Africa and did not get a chance to climb higher in this list because Abhishek barely left any runs for him to get.

Bishnoi endured a wicket-less spell but he kept things tight, which was probably the need of the hour, considering the damage that was being caused at the other end. He is still a very good option to have in most conditions, although with the spinners at India’s disposal currently, he may need to do a little more to truly cement a spot.

Rinku did not bat or bowl and was not as eye-catching in the field as Nitish. But when a chance came his way, he grabbed it with both hands (literally and metaphorically).

Did not meet expectations: Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav

Hardik ended up picking two wickets, but also conceded 42 runs in his four overs. This is now the fourth time in his last twelve T20I spells – where he has bowled a minimum of two overs – that he has gone at nine runs per over or more.

His overall value, of course, offsets it more often than not. But if India are really looking to cultivate this bowling combination, of having three front-line spinners and just one front-line pacer, Hardik might have to buckle down on the run-concession part.

Suryakumar, meanwhile, captained the side well. He shuffled his bowling pack and his players felt liberated enough to express themselves. But Suryakumar is also India’s most belligerent (and arguably best) T20I batter ever, meaning that he will always be gauged by the runs he scores. And he didn’t score any on Wednesday.