Rain washes out India-England T20I opener after visitors Shreyas Iyer, Abhishek Sharma power to 189/7

ENG vs IND 1st T20I abandoned due to rain (Image: BCCI) India’s T20I opener against England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street was abandoned without a ball being bowled in the second innings after persistent rain left the outfield unplayable.After winning the toss, India elected to bat first and recovered from a disastrous start to post a competitive 189/7 in their allotted 20 overs thanks to an explosive half-century from Abhishek Sharma and a captain’s knock from Shreyas Iyer. However, the weather had the final say as continuous rain prevented England from starting their chase of 190.India’s innings began on a shaky note as Saqib Mahmood struck early to remove Sanju Samson while Ishan Kishan was out after a mix-up, leaving the visitors in trouble at 6/2.With India under pressure, Abhishek Sharma launched a breathtaking counter-attack. The left-hander dismantled England’s seamers with a fearless display of stroke play and reached his fifty in just 20 deliveries. Along the way, he also became the fastest full-member batsman to complete 100 sixes in T20 Internationals.

Partnership for Abhishek and Shreyas

Abhishek and Iyer added 82 runs for the third wicket to regain control of the innings. The opener eventually fell for a scintillating 59 off 24 balls, an innings littered with six fours and four sixes after being trapped lbw by Sam Curran.After Abhishek’s dismissal, skipper Shreyas Iyer took charge in the middle order. Mixing calculated aggression with judicious stroke rotation, the right-hander put together a knock of 68 off 47 deliveries, including six boundaries and a six. During his innings, Iyer also crossed the 5,000 international runs mark, becoming the latest Indian batsman to do so.Although Saqib Mahmood returned to dismiss Iyer and finished with impressive figures of 3/33, India found valuable late runs through Shivam Dube. The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 42 from just 21 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours to propel the visitors to 189/7.

The rain spoiled it

England never got the chance to launch their reply. Heavy rain arrived shortly after the innings break and continued throughout the evening, with the ground staff unable to prepare the pitch before the deadline. As a result, the match was officially abandoned without a single delivery being bowled in England’s innings, forcing both teams to settle for no result.Quick Score: India 189/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 68, Abhishek Sharma 59, Shivam Dube 42*; Saqib Mahmood 3/33).