England vs India 2018, 1st T20I: 5 Unnoticed things from the match

After a scintillating performance against the Irish in the 2-match T20I series, Indians were up for a tough English challenge for a long and gruelling season that lies ahead of them. The tour’s inception saw the two sides lock horns in the shortest version of the game with the first T20I scheduled to be played at Old Trafford in Manchester.

India won the toss and Virat Kohli decided to chase on a wicket that had just runs on offer. But devoid of the services of their reliable T20 asset in Jasprit Bumrah, India looked a weaker bowling side in the powerplay before Kuldeep Yadav weaved his magic to allow the hosts to settle at just 159 runs in their 20 overs.

Chasing a below par 160 on a batting paradise, India lost Shikhar Dhawan early but it was KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma who steadied the ship to see their side cruise towards victory. In the end, it was skipper Virat Kohli who came to finish the job as India registered an emphatic win by 8 wickets in the tour opener

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#1 Yuzvendra Chahal gives Jos Buttler a life

Jos Buttler has been in the form of his life especially after a successful IPL season that even saw him get a Test call-up. The England wicket-keeper batsman has taken apart bowling attacks at will. His innovative shots and the out of the box thinking keeps opponents on toes to set plans against the mighty Englishmen.

With such destructive credentials against his name, none would love to be in the shoes of Yuzvendra Chahal especially after the leggie failed to judge a high ball to perfection.

In the penultimate over of the powerplay, Umesh Yadav bowled a short delivery to surprise the batsman, who top-edged it but safely landed ahead of the fine leg fielder. It was Chahal who couldn’t make enough ground to give Jos a real chance in his innings. Buttler made full use of this missed opportunity and went onto to stroke fluent runs to take his side to a respectable total.

#2 MS Dhoni now has most stumpings in T20Is - 33

It was one of those days at the office when most of the things went as per plan for Virat Kohli and co. It was a display of tremendous bowling from the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav to help India restrict the hosts at a score well under par. In due course, MS Dhoni added another feather to his cap as he registered the feat of having most stumpings to his name in T20 Internationals.

A usual busy customer behind the wickets, it was no different for Dhoni, who inflicted two stumpings off successive deliveries by Kuldeep Yadav to send Bairstow and Root packing before they could trouble the scorers. It was his 33rd stumping in the T20Is when he saw Root move out of his crease.

This way he went past Pakistan’s Kamran Akmal, who had 32 victims against his name. MS has always been praised for his lightning quick hands behind the stumps as it was yet another display of his skills in today’s game.

#3 Kuldeep becomes the first Chinaman to get a five-wicket haul in T20Is

In the much-anticipated faceoff between the two top sides, if anything that edged India ahead of England was the presence of two quality wrist spinners in their side. There’s no denying the fact that players these days fail to pick spinners from their hands and the visitors were well aware of the advantage which it sets in their favour.

The inability of the England batsmen came to the fore when they struggled to get going against India’s wrist spinners and especially against Kuldeep Yadav.

The Chinaman bowler was effective with his variations and bowled a pretty Test match length to see the opponents off guard. In due course, he registered his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is to also become the first left-arm leg-spinner to achieve this feat. His figures of 5 for 24 were enough to set a template for the rest of the tour with something uneasy coming the English way.

#4 Jos Buttler hits third consecutive fifty as an opener in T20Is

The England wicket-keeper batsman is going through an absolute purple patch in his life. He has carried his form as an opener for Rajasthan Royals from the IPL and is by far the most destructive batsmen in this England limited overs side. His ability to hit gigantic sixes and muster runs at a quick pace makes him a very reliable option in the white-ball cricket.

In just his third innings as an opener for the national side, Buttler smashed third consecutive 50+ score. He became only the second player to do so after Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardene.

This was Jos Buttler second-best tally as an opener after his previous best score of 73* against Sri Lanka in 2016. His innings of 69 gave his England the much-needed impetus at the beginning and even held the innings after a flurry of wickets from the other end.

#5 Virat Kohli becomes first Indian to muster 2000 T20I runs

Arguably the world’s best batsman across formats currently, Virat Kohli has led by example when it comes to his skills with willow in his hand. The Indian skipper has been a revelation in Indian cricket merely with his ability to win matches for his side. A pure match-winner in all sorts, Kohli has been instrumental in breaking most of the records and is on his way to set new landmarks in international cricket.

It was just a matter of time when he was about to become the first Indian to muster 2000 T20I runs. He was just eight runs short before the game to achieve the feat to enter the illustrious club of players with more than 2000 runs in T20Is. He became only the fourth player after Shoaib Malik, Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill to enter the 2000 run club in T20Is.