England vs India 2018, 1st T20I: Hits and misses

India kickstarted their English summer on a positive note with a comfortable victory over England in the first T20I. The Englishmen were completely outplayed on their home turf.

Winning the toss, Virat Kohli decided to chase first. India didn’t start well with the ball as England openers scored 50 runs in the first 5 overs but things changed with the introduction of the young chinaman in the form of Kuldeep Yadav who broke the back of England’s middle order and took a mesmerizing fifer. The only positive for England in the first innings was Jos Buttler.

If it was Kuldeep show in the bowling then it was KL Rahul show in the batting. The Karnataka batsman and India’s new No.3 scored an amazing century which helped India register an easy win with 10 balls to spare. Rohit Sharma and Kohlii also chipped in with the 30s and 20s respectively.

Alongside the amazing performances of India’s two young and talented cricketers, let’s have a look at some of the hits and misses from the game.

#1 Hit: Kuldeep Yadav

The 23-year-old chinaman bamboozled the Englishmen on their own soil as he recorded his career-best figures, giving away just 24 runs in his four overs and scalping out five precious wickets. He also became the first ever chinaman to take five wickets in a T20I.

Kuldeep started the proceedings with the wicket of Hales but he ran havoc in the 3rd over of his spell in which he took all important wickets of Morgan, Bairstow and Root. He returned back in his 4th over to remove Buttler which eventually made a difference of a few runs to England’s total.

England looked all at seas against the magical spinner who weaved his magic and spun them in a web through which they couldn’t get through. Kuldeep led India’s comeback and was deservingly given the man of the match award.

#2 Miss: India’s fielding

India, one of the best fielding sides in the world at present, was not at its very best in the field in their first T20I against England as they dropped a couple of easy catches and also gave away some easy 2s and 3s.

It started with Chahal misjudging a ball that went very high, giving Buttler an early escape which proved to be quite costly for India. The second instance was KL Rahul dropping the same batsman. Indians also let a few slip through their hands in the ground fielding.

A lot is expected from this Virat Kohli’s lead side in the field. They set very high standards for themselves and are surely expected to show some improvement in upcoming games of the series.

#3 Hit: Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler did what was expected of him. Such has been the form of the man. He had already scored six fifties in his last seven T20I innings coming into this match and today was no different. He played his trademark scoop shot on the very 3rd ball of his innings and announced his arrival.

While wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Buttler stood solidly like a rock and kept hitting the Indian bowlers for boundaries all around the park. It was his innings of 69 of just 46 balls that helped England post a total of 159.

With this kind of form and talent, Buttler will be a constant headache for the Indian bowlers throughout the summer. They have to find a way to stop Buttler who is a vital cog in England’s plan of defeating team India.

#4 Miss: England’s middle order

The big question before the start of the game was how England’s middle order will handle India’s wrist-spinner duo. After getting a scintillating start from their openers, England were expected to register a big first innings score.

But their middle order came as a huge disappointment. Wickets fell in a cluster for England as none of them was able to handle the mystery of Kuldeep Yadav. A middle order failure resulted in England posting a below-par total.

If England have to have an impact in this series, their middle order has to find a way of playing out India’s spinners, otherwise, the writing will be on the wall for them.

#5 Hit: KL Rahul

There were some doubts over whether or not KL Rahul will make it to the starting eleven of this Indian team. All those doubts were put to rest when he walked in at 3 and smashed the English bowlers to all parts of the park.

He scored a spectacular century off just 53 balls that helped India cruise past England’s total. His knock was all about pure timing and it oozed class. Scoring majority of India’s run, Rahul played an innings of the highest quality and single-handedly hunted down England’s total.

With this knock, Rahul is now guaranteed a place in the Indian side for quite a few matches and with form on his side, he is definitely a player to watch out for.