Southampton: India registered a comprehensive 50 runs win over England in the first T20I of the three-match series here on Thursday.
Chasing a total of 199 runs, England lost its first 4 wickets for just 33 runs. Opener Jos Buttler was cleaned bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a duck on his very first ball he faced.
Soon, all-rounder Hardik Pandya removed Dawid Malan (21) and Liam Livingstone (0). He also ended the struggle of Jason Roy who could score 4 runs off 16 balls.
Harry Brook and Moeen Ali gave some hope to England as they added 61 runs for the fifth wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal dismissed Brook for 28 runs.
England kept loosing their wickets and folded for 148 runs in 19.3 overs.
For India, Hardik Pandya was the pick of the bowlers as he took four wickets conceding 33 runs in four overs while Arshdeep Singh (2/18) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/32) also got two wickets each.
Pandya was adjudged player of the match for his all-round performance.
For England, Moeen Ali was the highest run-scorer with 36 runs.
Earlier, India skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and decided to bat first.
India scored 66 runs in the first 6 overs. Rohit Sharma was the first man to go after he was caught by Jos Buttler off Moeen Ali for 24. Soon, the spinner dismissed Ishan Kishan for 8, reducing India to 46 runs.
Deepak Hooda was dismissed for 33 runs off 17 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes, while Suryakumar Yadav made 39 off 19 balls.
Axar Patel and Hardik Pandya stitched a 45 runs partnership for the fifth wicket. Patel scored 17 runs in 12 balls. Pandya scored his first T20I fifty in the match. He scored 53 runs of 33 balls. His innings was decorated with 6 fours and one six.
In the last five overs, the English bowlers conceded just 41 runs. India scored 198/8 runs in the stipulated 20 overs.
For the host, Chris Jordan took two wickets in his 4 overs quota after conceding 23 runs while Moeen Ali also got two scalps in 2 overs. Reece Topley (1/34), Tymal Mills (1/35) and Matthew Parkinson (1/44) also got one wicket each. (UNI)
