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IND vs ENG T20I: Abhishek Sharma Powers India To 1-0 Series Lead

Abhishek continued to dominate, bringing up his fifty with a six, before he was dismissed for 79 off 34 balls after being dropped twice. Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma then guided India to victory with over seven overs to spare.

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IND vs ENG T20I: Abhishek Sharma Powers India To 1-0 Series Lead

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India registered their first T20I victory of 2025, defeating England by seven wickets in the series opener at Eden Gardens on Wednesday, thanks to a stellar performance from Abhishek Sharma. Chasing a modest 133-run target, India, after facing high-scoring matches in South Africa, adopted an aggressive approach despite the low total.

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Sanju Samson, who initially struggled against Jofra Archer, quickly found his rhythm, hitting consecutive boundaries and a six over the covers. Abhishek Sharma, at the other end, joined the attack, striking a boundary and a six off Archer. However, Archer responded with a brilliant delivery, dismissing Samson (26) and India's captain Suryakumar Yadav for a two-ball duck, leaving India at 41/2. Despite the setbacks, India pressed on.

Abhishek continued to dominate, bringing up his fifty with a six, before he was dismissed for 79 off 34 balls after being dropped twice. Hardik Pandya and Tilak Varma then guided India to victory with over seven overs to spare.

Earlier, India won the toss and elected to field. Arshdeep Singh made an immediate impact, dismissing Phil Salt for a duck in the first over, leaving England at 0/1. Despite a few boundaries from Jos Buttler, Arshdeep claimed another wicket, removing Ben Duckett, which saw him become India's leading T20I wicket-taker with 97 wickets, surpassing Yuzvendra Chahal.

Buttler and Harry Brook steadied England's innings, but India’s spinners, led by Varun Chakravarthy, took control. Chakravarthy dismissed Brook (17) and Liam Livingstone (0) in quick succession, reducing England to 65/4. Buttler reached his fifty off 34 balls, but England continued to lose wickets. Axar Patel and Chakravarthy took further wickets, and despite Buttler's resilient knock of 68 off 44 balls, England was reduced to 109/8 in 16.2 overs.

In the final over, Jofra Archer was dismissed by Pandya for 12, and England ended their innings at 132/10, with Mark Wood run out on the last ball.

India England IND vs ENG T20I series Abhishek Sharma