Abhishek, Varun lead India’s demolition of England

India 133 for 3 (Abhishek 79, Samson 26, Archer 2-21) beat England 132 (Buttler 68, Varun 3-23, Arshdeep 2-17) by seven wickets

India brutally cast aside England in the first T20I at Eden Gardens, as Abhishek Sharma‘s 79 from just 34 deliveries munched a meagre target of 133 with 43 balls to spare.

Abhishek’s third fifty-plus score in the format capped off an accomplished all-round performance from the hosts. A combination of Arshdeep Singh‘s 2 for 17 up top and Varun Chakravarthy‘s 3 for 23 through the middle dismissed the tourists for 132, scuppering their attempts to mark Brendon McCullum’s first match in charge with the attacking verve he craves.

But for Jos Buttler‘s 68 – his 26th T20I fifty – things could have been worse. The 34-year-old’s evening had begun by losing a crucial toss to Suryakumar Yadav. With the 7pm start in Kolkata, moisture was in the air throughout, and dew a factor as early as the first innings. Both captains wanted to bowl, and only one got the chance.

Full report to follow…

Vithushan Ehantharajah is an associate editor at ESPNcricinfo