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Suryakumar Yadav praised youngsters after India’s dominant 7-wicket win over England in the first T20I.
IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Suryakumar Yadav celebrates with Hardik Pandya (AP)
Suryakumar Yadav was full of praise for his young side after India’s dominant 7-wicket win over England in the first T20I of the five-match series, between India and England, at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Suryakumar said Inda’s energy right from the beginning set the benchmark and that helped the team get the victory. The India captain went on to appreciate the bowlers by saying that they executed the plans well, adding that the way the batters went was the icing on the cake.
SKY reserved special praise for Varun Chakravarthy, saying that the mystery spinner is clear in his mind and his preparations are getting better. On Arshdeep Singh, he said that the young Indian pacer took responsibility of bowling with the new ball, adding that having Hardik Pandya bowl with the new ball, allowed them to have that extra spinner in the side. He signed off by revealing that the Indian T20 side has been given a lot of freedom by head coach Gautam Gambhir to express themselves.
India vs England – 1st T20I: HIGHLIGHTS
“The energy after we won the toss set the benchmark. Bowlers had plans, executed, and the way we batted was icing on the cake. We did the same in South Africa, Hardik had responsibility to bowl new ball so cushion to play the extra spinner. Varun’s preparations are on point, and Arshdeep is taking the extra responsibility,”
“There’s a lot of freedom being given by Gauti bhai, we want to play a bit different. The fielding is one area we’ve been working really hard. Let’s take those half chances and make a difference,” he added.
Abhishek Sharma struck a magnificent 79 off 34 balls after Varun Chakravarthy’s three wickets helped the hosts take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Chasing a paltry 133 for a win, India overhauled the target with 43 balls to spare as they reached 133 for 3 in just 12.5 overs. Abhishek made England pay for a dropped catch as he hit five fours and eight sixes during his hurricane 34-ball innings. His opening partner Sanju Samson made 26 off 20 balls.
Earlier, India bowled England out for 132 in 20 overs after the visitors were asked to bat. Varun (3/23) was the most successful Indian bowler while seamer Arshdeep Singh (2/17), Axar Patel (2/22) and Hardik Pandya (2/42) chipped in with two wickets apiece. For England, captain Jos Buttler played a lone hand with 68 off 44 balls.
The second T20I is in Chennai on Saturday.
(With inputs from Agencies)
