India’s white-ball tour of England got underway earlier this week with the first T20I of the five-match series. However, the contest failed to produce a result as rain had the final say after India posted a challenging 189/7 at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street.
Although India’s bowlers never got the opportunity to make an impact, the batting unit produced mixed returns. Three specialist batters enjoyed productive outings, while three endured disappointing performances.
Opener Sanju Samson was dismissed for a single-digit score yet again, becoming England pacer Saqib Mahmood’s first of three wickets in the match. Samson has now managed just six runs across his last three T20I innings, including a duck against Ireland.
Ishan Kishan‘s return
was even shorter as he was run out for a two-ball duck. His dismissal left batting partner Abhishek Sharma visibly frustrated, with the opener calling him out for not watching the fielder. India vice-captain Tilak Varma also struggled to find momentum, scoring 13 off 13 balls.
Abhishek, meanwhile, may have lost his top T20I ranking to Ishan, but he looks determined to reclaim it. The left-hander smashed a blistering half-century to spearhead India’s rapid recovery in the Powerplay, scoring 59 off just 24 deliveries with six fours and four sixes.
Captain Shreyas Iyer registered his first half-century as India’s T20I captain, making 68 off 47 balls before being dismissed. Shivam Dube then provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 42 off just 21 deliveries.
In a surprising move, India promoted fast bowler Harshit Rana ahead of Axar Patel in the batting order. The decision did not pay off, with Rana falling for a two-ball duck, while Axar managed three runs before being run out.
Should India Make Changes for the 2nd T20I?
It appears unlikely that India will make any changes for the second T20I, scheduled to be played in Manchester on Saturday evening, especially since the series opener turned into a damp squib.
That said, Samson will need to watch his back. Another low score could pave the way for the highly anticipated international debut of 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Apart from Sooryavanshi, Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Suryansh Shedge and Prince Yadav were also left out of the playing XI. While some of them are likely to get opportunities later in the series, there doesn’t appear to be a compelling reason to make changes for the second T20I, unless India springs a surprise by handing the batting prodigy his debut at Old Trafford.
India’s Likely XI for 2nd T20I: Sanju Samson/Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
