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IND vs ENG, 1st T20I: Twitter Erupts As Kuldeep Yadav & KL Rahul Help India Crush Hosts In Series-Opener

By Prince

Updated - 04 Jul 2018, 03:23 AM

England vs India, 1st T20I: India Thrash England Courtesy Heroics from Kuldeep Yadav and KL Rahul

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After Kuldeep Yadav’s five-fer, KL Rahul scored a sensational century as India started the tour of England on a stunning note by dismantling the hosts by 8 wickets in the first T20I.

Shikhar Dhawan began the chase on a perfect note, dispatching David Willey’s first ball for a four. But four balls later, Willey castled Dhawan to put India under pressure. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul, however, did not let England capitalise on the good start. The dup mixed caution with aggression as India strengthened their grip on the game. At the end of the powerplay, the Men in Blue were comfortably placed at 54 for 1.

Rahul was the aggressor during the stand while Rohit played the role of the second fiddle. The Karnataka star completed his fifty off just 27 balls when he hit Adil Rashid for a four in the ninth over. At the halfway stage, India were at a commanding 103 for 1. The stand was finally broken when Rashid dismissed Rohit for 32. Prior to that, Rohit and Rahul had added 123 runs for the second wicket.

Rohit’s dismissal did not affect India’s charge as Rahul and Virat Kohli kept the chase well on track. Kohli could not play his usual flowing game but it did not do much harm to India’s chances. Rahul, on the other hand, went on to complete his second T20I hundred off 53 balls. India eventually reached the target in the 19th over with Kohli hitting the winning six.

Earlier in the game, Kuldeep Yadav’s maiden 5-wicket haul in T20Is helped India restrict the hosts to a modest 159 for 8. Put in to bat first, the hosts were off to a solid start before the Indian bowlers tightened things up.

Jason Roy and Jos Buttler started the proceedings on a bang, adding 50 runs off just 29 balls before Umesh Yadav struck. The right-arm pacer castled Roy who smashed 30 off 20. Jos Buttler and Alex Hales then took the inning forward. While Buttler batted in his usual manner, Hales departed. The duo added 45 runs for the second wicket before Kuldeep Yadav ended Hales’ painful stay at the crease. Hales scored 8 off 18 balls.

Prior to that, Buttler had reached his fifty off just 29 balls. England reached the three-digit mark in the 12th over before Kuldeep turned the match in India’s favour. The chinaman spinner dismissed Eoin Morgan (7), Jonny Bairstow (0) and Joe Root (0) inside an over to leave England reeling at 107 for 5. 10 runs later, Hardik Pandya sent back Moeen Ali to pile more misery on the hosts.

David Willey then hit Bhuvneshwar Kumar for two fours and a six in the 17th over to ease the pressure off. However, in the very next over, Kuldeep dismissed the dangerous Buttler to put England firmly on the backfoot. The keeper-batsman scored  69 off 46 balls. England never managed to recover from those setbacks and were eventually restricted to a modest total.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the innings:

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KL Rahul Kuldeep Yadav

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