DURHAM: The first T20I of the five-match series between hosts England and India was completely abandoned by rain and the match ended in a draw.
Opener Abhishek Sharma and skipper Shreyas Iyer’s impressive half-centuries saw India post 189-7 in the full 20 overs.
Iyer scored 68 off 47 balls including 6 fours and a six while Sharma scored 49 off 24 balls with 6 fours and 4 sixes.
Shivam Dubey scored an unbeaten 42 off 21 balls with 2 fours and 3 sixes while Thilak Verma scored 13 off one ball including a four.
Opener Sanju Samson struggled with the bat and was dismissed cheaply in 7 balls, followed by wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan’s run out for a duck in the second ball.
Harshit Rana was also dismissed and Axar Patel scored just 3 runs.
Saqib Mahmood led the bowling for the hosts with impressive figures of 3/33 from four overs, while Adil Rashid and Sam Curran claimed a wicket each.
England could not continue chasing the target of 190 runs. Incessant rain prevented batting and the match ended in a draw.
For the uninitiated, the second T20I of the series will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday.