Rain Washes Out First England-India T20 After India Post 189-7

Sports Correspondent: Imran Sohail

The opening match of the three-game T20 International series between England and India was abandoned due to rain after India posted a competitive total of 189-7 in their allotted 20 overs.

Persistent rain throughout the evening prevented England from beginning its run chase, forcing officials to call off the match without a result.

India recovered strongly after a difficult start thanks to impressive half-centuries from Abhishek Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer.

The visitors lost two early wickets and were reduced to 6-2 inside the opening two overs. Sanju Samson was dismissed after a sharp catch by Tom Banton, while Ishan Kishan was run out following a mix-up between the batters.

Despite the early setbacks, Abhishek Sharma responded with an aggressive innings, striking consecutive sixes and several boundaries to put pressure on the England bowlers.

The left-handed batter scored 59 runs from just 24 deliveries and became the fastest player to reach 100 sixes in T20 Internationals, achieving the milestone in only 785 balls.

England fought back through Sam Curran, who dismissed Sharma, before Saqib Mahmood claimed three wickets to finish with figures of 3-33.

Shreyas Iyer anchored India’s innings with a composed 68 from 47 balls, while Shivam Dube provided a strong finish by remaining unbeaten on 42 from 21 deliveries.

India’s total of 189-7 appeared to set up an exciting chase, but increasing rain prevented England from facing a single ball in reply.

The series will now move to Manchester, where England and India are scheduled to play the second T20 International on Saturday.