Ind vs Eng 1st T20 Highlights: India cruise to convincing win at Eden Gardens, 1-0 in 5-match series

Perfect combination of power and precision! Given a hint of width, Buttler unleashes a hard, flat drive, threading the gap at wide long-on with impeccable timing.

Jacob Bethell’s struggle ends as Hardik Pandya gets his man. Bethell, looking to break the shackles, went deep in his crease and tried to launch a delivery over deep midwicket. However, he failed to get full extension on the pull shot, and Abhishek Sharma made no mistake in the deep. England‘s innings takes another hit, sinking further into trouble.

Ravi Bishnoi keeps things tidy, giving away just six runs in the over. Jos Buttler edges closer to his half-century, unbeaten on 49 off 33 deliveries, while Jacob Bethell cautiously progresses to 5 off 10 balls. England‘s current run rate dips slightly to 7.27 as they look to accelerate in the upcoming overs.

Varun Chakravarthy continues his impressive spell, conceding only five runs in the over and maintaining his stranglehold on England‘s middle order. Jos Buttler inches closer to a half-century, unbeaten on 47 off 29 balls, while Jacob Bethell remains cautious at 3 from 8 deliveries. England’s run rate stands at 7.40 as they approach the halfway mark, needing a strong finish in the second.

Ravi Bishnoi delivers a tidy over, conceding just four runs and maintaining the pressure on England. Jos Buttler continues to lead the charge with an unbeaten 44 off 27 balls, displaying his usual flair. Jacob Bethell is settling in at the other end, unbeaten on 2 from 4 balls. England’s run rate dips slightly to 7.66 as they look to rebuild after the loss of key wickets.

A tight over from Varun Chakravarthy shifts the momentum in India‘s favor as England loses two quick wickets. Chakravarthy, with his impeccable variations, picks up both Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone, leaving England reeling. Jos Buttler remains the key, anchoring the innings with a fluent 42 off 24 balls, including six fours and a six. Jacob Bethell joins him at the crease with England at 65/4 and a current run rate of 8.12.

Varun Chakravarthy continues his magic with the ball, delivering an absolute beauty to dismiss Liam Livingstone. The ball not only drifts in but also zips through, surprising Livingstone with its pace and lack of turn. Attempting a drive, Livingstone misjudges the line, leaving his stumps shattered. A masterclass in spin bowling from Varun!

Varun Chakravarthy delivers a stunning comeback to dismiss Harry Brook. Bowling a beautifully disguised wrong’un, the ball drifts in, rips back sharply, and sneaks through the gap. Brook manages a faint inside edge onto his pad before the ball crashes into the stumps. It promised to be an exciting knock, but Brook’s stay at the crease ends prematurely.

Harry Brook: b Varun 17 (14b, 2×4, 1×6) | SR: 121.42

6.1: No run. Axar drifts in a full delivery from around the stumps, and Brook pushes it gently to cover.

6.2: SIX! Brook showcases brilliant footwork, stepping down to the pitch and lofting Axar cleanly inside-out over deep cover. A top-class shot with minimal turn from Axar.

6.3: No run. Another full delivery from Axar; Brook steps out but drives it straight back to the bowler.

6.4: 1 run. Brook uses his wrists to guide the ball to deep square leg for a single.

6.5: SIX! Buttler capitalizes on a short delivery from Axar, rocking back quickly to dispatch it over deep midwicket with immense power.

6.6: 2 runs. Axar offers a hint of width, and Buttler slashes through the covers. Excellent fielding from Arshdeep at deep cover, diving to save a boundary and parrying it to Rinku.

End of Over 7:

ENG: 62/2

CRR: 8.86

Jos Buttler: 42 (25b, 6×4, 2×6)

Harry Brook: 13 (11b, 1×4, 1×6)

Axar Patel: 2-0-19-0

Axar Patel to Brook, SIX runs: Brilliant footwork from Harry Brook as he charges down the track to meet the ball at its pitch. With precision, he lofts it cleanly inside-out over deep cover for a magnificent maximum. Axar found little turn on this occasion, and Brook capitalized with a top-notch shot.

End of over 6: England reaches 46/2 with a current run rate of 7.66. Jos Buttler remains steady at 34 off 22 balls, including 6 boundaries, while Harry Brook has moved to 6 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name. Varun Chakravarthy bowled his first over, conceding 8 runs, while Arshdeep Singh continues to shine with figures of 3-0-10-2.

England‘s score is 38/2 with a current run rate of 7.60. Harry Brook is on 1 off 4 balls, while Jos Buttler has played a blistering knock of 31 off 19 balls, hitting 6 boundaries. Arshdeep Singh has bowled a superb 3-over spell, taking 2 wickets

Hardik to Buttler, 1 wide – A zippy length ball angled down the leg side, Buttler misses the tuck off his hip, and the umpire signals it wide.

3.1 – FOUR runs – Buttler superbly works the ball off his hip with top-notch wrist control, sending it racing to the square leg boundary past the dewy outfield.

3.2 – FOUR runs – Buttler wrists the ball uppishly into the midwicket gap as Hardik tries to hit the deck hard, but the ball sits up nicely for a boundary.

3.3 – No run – Buttler gets a leading edge, but the ball drops short of Hardik on the follow-through.

3.4 – FOUR runs – Buttler premeditates the pull shot and hammers it in front of square, exactly where Hardik bowled to his liking.

3.5 – FOUR runs – Buttler finds the fine leg boundary, using the pace and angle to tickle the ball down leg side.

3.6 – 1 run – Buttler pulls the ball to deep midwicket, where there’s protection, and they take a single.

ENG are 35/1 after 4 overs

Hardik Pandya to Buttler, FOUR runs. Buttler delicately works the ball off his hips with excellent wrist control, sending it racing to the square leg boundary past the dewy outfield.

At the end of the third over, England stands at 17/2 with a current run rate of 5.66. Arshdeep Singh’s exceptional spell continues as he picks up two key wickets, conceding just 7 runs in his 2 overs. Jos Buttler is holding the fort with 12 runs off 10 balls, including two boundaries, while Harry Brook has just arrived at the crease, yet to open his account. Hardik Pandya has bowled one over for 9 runs without any wickets so far.

Arshdeep Singh strikes again! Ben Duckett departs after scoring 4 runs off 4 balls, including a boundary. Attempting to play a shot, Duckett ended up giving a simple catch to Singh, ensuring Arshdeep picks up his second wicket of the match. His current spell has put England on the back foot early in the innings.

At the end of the second over, England stands at 12/1 with a current run rate of 6.00. Jos Buttler has started strong with 11 runs off 9 balls, including two boundaries, while Ben Duckett is yet to face a delivery. Hardik Pandya conceded 9 runs in his first over, while Arshdeep Singh was impressive, giving away just 2 runs and picking up a crucial wicket.

ENG are 12/1 after 2 overs.

Arshdeep strikes straightaway! He bowls a short-of-length delivery that moves away sharply and rears up awkwardly on Salt. Attempting to work it to the leg side, Salt ends up with a leading edge, and Samson takes an easy catch. The extra pace and movement seemed to catch Salt off guard.

ENG are 3/1 after 1 over.

Arshdeep delivers to Salt, no run! Extra bounce and sharp inward movement from a short-of-length delivery on leg stump. Salt attempts to flick it square but is struck high on the thigh pad.

India: 1 Abhishek, 2 Samson (wk), 3 Tilak, 4 Surya (capt), 5 Hardik, 6 Nitish, 7 Rinku, 8 Axar, 9 Bishnoi, 10 Varun, Arshdeep

England: 1 Duckett, 2 Salt (wk), 3 Buttler (capt), 4 Brook, 5 Livingstone, 6 Bethell, 7 Overton, 8 Atkinson, 9 Archer, 10 Rashid, 11 Wood

The toss has been won by India, with Suryakumar Yadav opting to bowl first. “Dew could be a little heavier later on,” he explains. “It’s going to be great competition between both sides. The selection was a good headache, but we’re sticking to our strengths. Shami, Jurel, Washington, and Harshit are sitting out.”

England‘s captain, Jos Buttler, said, “Everyone’s in a good spot. Some of the boys have played franchise cricket. Baz takes charge, and there’s a lot to look forward to.” He added, “Incredible talent on both sides, and I’m sure both teams will be ultra-aggressive.” Carse, Smith, Mahmood, and Rehan miss out for England.

The first T20I between India and England is set to take place with the toss scheduled for 6:30 PM. Stay tuned for live score updates as both teams look to make a strong start in this highly anticipated five-match series.

England captain Jos Buttler expressed his satisfaction at having a full-strength T20I squad available for this series. The team has already named their XI, with Phil Salt taking the gloves and Ben Duckett opening the batting alongside him. Buttler will bat at No. 3, and England’s pace attack will be spearheaded by Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Despite Wood being the only player in the XI without a senior cricket century, he is still capable of hitting big shots, contributing to England’s status as one of the most formidable batting line-ups at present.

England’s XI:

Phil Salt (wk)

Ben Duckett

Jos Buttler (capt)

Harry Brook

Liam Livingstone

Jacob Bethell

Jamie Overton

Gus Atkinson

Jofra Archer

Adil Rashid

Mark Wood

On the other hand, India has a couple of key decisions to make regarding their line-up, particularly on how many spinners to play and the depth of their batting. With Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya as seamers, India could choose two spinners between Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel. The remaining spot could be filled by either seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar, or wristspinner Ravi Bishnoi. Given England’s right-handed batting-heavy lineup and struggles against finger spinners, India’s decision will be crucial.

India’s Probable XI:

Sanju Samson (wk)

Abhishek Sharma

Tilak Varma

Suryakumar Yadav (capt)

Hardik Pandya

Rinku Singh

Axar Patel

Nitish Kumar Reddy/Washington Sundar/Ravi Bishnoi

Mohammed Shami

Arshdeep Singh

Varun Chakravarthy

Jacob Bethell is one of the most exciting young talents in cricket right now. With a stunning debut in all three formats at the close of 2024, Bethell’s rise has been rapid. His time with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL and an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru—despite not playing a single game in India—has fueled his growing reputation. A powerful left-handed batter known for dominating spinners, a handy left-arm bowler, and an electric fielder, Bethell is quickly emerging as a perfect T20 cricketer. Positioned at No. 6 for the first T20I against India, his stock is soaring, and England sees him as one of their future stars. Now, he faces the challenge of proving himself against India.

On the other hand, Mohammed Shami, at 34, makes his return to international cricket after recovering from ankle surgery and a knee injury. Having not played since India’s loss in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Shami’s selection raises questions despite other fast bowlers being tested in his absence. Still considered India’s second-best seamer after Jasprit Bumrah, Shami is set to feature in next month’s Champions Trophy, and the upcoming T20Is and ODIs against England will be critical in determining how his body holds up. What better place for his comeback than his domestic home ground?

Mohammed Shami is poised to achieve a significant milestone in international cricket as he makes his return in the upcoming T20I series against England. With 448 wickets from 188 matches, Shami is on the verge of becoming the fourth Indian pacer to reach the 450-wicket mark in international cricket.

Here’s a look at the most wickets by Indians in international cricket:

India and England face off in a five-match series that promises to test the boundaries of the shortest format. As the distinction between T20Is and ODIs continues to blur, T20I specialists will have opportunities to make their case for future ODI spots, particularly after the conclusion of the Champions Trophy.

India – WWLWW (Last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
England – LWWWW

The highly anticipated five-match India vs England T20 series promises to be a showdown between two formidable teams. Both lineups are stacked with talent, featuring a left-hander and wicketkeeper at the top, followed by a T20 superstar captain, another left-hander, two powerful right-handed hitters, a finisher, all-rounders, and pace-heavy bowling attacks, along with one quality spinner.

Dream11 Team for IND vs ENG 1st T20I
Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, Sanju Samson (vc), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Harry Brook, Jamie Overton, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakravarthy (c), Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid

The 1st T20I between India and England is scheduled for January 22, 2025. The match will kick off at 7 PM IST, with the toss set for 6:30 PM IST.

The Eden Gardens pitch was a high-scoring haven during the 2024 Indian Premier League season. Last year, Punjab Kings made history by chasing down a massive target of 262 runs against KKR with 8 balls to spare. Likewise, Rajasthan Royals triumphed over KKR in the same edition, chasing down 224 runs.

This time, the pitch is expected to offer similar batting-friendly conditions. With the possibility of evening dew, bowlers could find it challenging in the second innings, as dew tends to favor the batsmen, particularly in the winter temperatures across India.

England playing XI: Ben Duckett, Philip Salt(w), Jos Buttler(c), Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

India probable playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rinku Singh, Axar Patel/ Washington Sundar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy/ Ravi Bishnoi