India v England LIVE: T20 result and latest cricket reaction as Sharma blasts hosts to victory
England face the world champions in Brendon McCullum’s first match in charge of the white-ball side
England suffered a heavy defeat to India in the first of a five-match T20 series in Kolkata as Jos Buttler’s side paid for a subpar batting effort.
The captain was a lone ranger as the rest of his teammates succumbed to a scintillating spell of new-ball bowling from Arshdeep Singh and the wiles of India’s spin trio. A total of 132 all out was never likely to be enough at Eden Gardens with the outfield rapid, the surface true and dew descending - and so it proved as the hosts blasted to victory. Abhishek Sharma was the star, showing off his range of hitting with a 34-ball 79 that included eight sixes with Gus Atkinson taking particular punishment.
The match was England Test coach Brendon McCullum’s first in charge since taking the white ball reins. Yet more struggles against the turning ball for his side will be reason to fret both with the rest of the series to come and the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which begins on 19 February and will be held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
Re-live all of the action from Eden Gardens below:
Is India vs England on TV?
When is India vs England?
The first T20I between India and England is due to begin at 1.30pm GMT on Wednesday 22 January at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the action live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage on the channel from 1pm GMT. Subscribers can stream via discovery+.
England embark on a new era in white ball cricket as Brendon McCullum takes the reins at the start of the T20 series against India
Already coach of England’s Test team, McCullum has assumed duties in the shorter format and will hope to form a winning partnership with captain Jos Buttler, who retained his role despite a difficult World T20 last year.
They take on the reigning champions in this format as the two sides begin their preparations in earnest for the Champions Trophy, which begins in a month’s time.
The 50-over event, returning to the calendar for the first time since 2017, will be hosted in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, after India refused to travel to their neighbours for the tournament.
India vs England LIVE
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s T20 match between England and India.
England face the world champions in Kolkata in the first of the five-match series, in what marks Brendon McCullum’s first match in charge of the white-ball side.
We’ll have all the latest build-up and updates here.