The first T20I between England and India at the Riverside Ground in Chester-Le-Street on Wednesday was abandoned due to rain. Weather forecasters had already warned of frequent showers, and play was eventually called off after repeated interruptions.
Ahead of the match, much of the attention was on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. He had been tipped to make his senior India debut in the recent T20I series against Ireland, but that did not materialize. He was also not named in the India playing XI for the first T20I against England.
India post 189/7 from 20 overs
The toss took place on time, with Shreyas Iyer winning the toss and opting to bat first. The match, too, got underway on time.
India, however, got off to a forgettable start with Sanju Samson (1) and Ishan Kishan (0) being dismissed within the first two overs, with England pacer Saqib Mahmood striking on both occasions.
In the second over, Mahmood got rid of Samson, who went for an uppish drive but was caught by Tom Banton at the right of backward point.
A couple of deliveries later, Kishan was dismissed after a delivery toward mid-wicket and immediately set off for a quick single. However, England fielder Harry Brook quickly intercepted the ball. Seeing Brook clean up the ball, Abhishek stopped and decided against the run, sending Kishan back.
Kishan put in a diving effort to return to the crease, but he fell short of safety. Iyer walked out to bat at No 4, and played a captain's knock, scoring 68 runs from 47 balls, hitting six fours and one six.
He was involved in an 82-run partnership with Abhishek Sharma, who slammed 59 runs from 24 balls. While many would have thought that the partnership was the breakthrough for India, the Men in Blue continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and were down to 124/4 in the 14th over.
While he kept losing partners, Iyer stood firm and went on to forge another productive stand, a 41-run partnership with Shivam Dube for the fifth wicket. Dube did his bit with a knock of 42 runs from 21 deliveries, with two fours and three sixes to his name.
The visitors went on to post a total of 189/7 from 20 overs, but shortly after, rain played spoilsport. An hour later, the match was abandoned due to rain, with England's run chase not even starting.
The two teams will next travel to Old Trafford in Manchester to face off in the second T20I on Saturday.
