India-England T20I opener abandoned due to rain: The opening T20I between India and England at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street was called off without a ball being bowled in the second innings after persistent rain made the outfield unfit for play. India, batting first after winning the toss, recovered from a shaky start to post a competitive 189/7 in 20 overs.
India’s innings began disastrously as Saqib Mahmood dismissed Sanju Samson early, and Ishan Kishan was run out following a mix-up, leaving the visitors at 6/2. However, Abhishek Sharma launched a stunning counterattack, reaching his fifty in just 20 balls and becoming the fastest batter from a Full Member nation to hit 100 sixes in T20 Internationals. He fell for 59 off 24 balls after Sam Curran trapped him lbw.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer then took charge, scoring a composed 68 off 47 deliveries with six boundaries and a six, also surpassing 5,000 international runs. Shivam Dube’s unbeaten 42 off 21 balls, including three sixes, helped India reach 189/7. Saqib Mahmood finished with 3/33 for England.
Heavy rain arrived shortly after the innings break and continued until the cut-off time, forcing the match to be abandoned without England starting their chase. The India-England T20I opener abandoned due to rain meant both teams shared a point. Brief scores: India 189/7 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 68, Abhishek Sharma 59, Shivam Dube 42*; Saqib Mahmood 3/33).