Former player Nick Knight highlighted two positives for England from the first T20I defeat against India. After getting dismissed for 132 runs in 20 overs, the visitors conceded 133 in just 12.5 overs, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 79 runs off 34 balls. The young Indian batter hit 8 sixes and 5 fours at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
England were in the back foot from the first over of the match when Arshdeep Singh dismissed Phil Salt. Jos Buttler played a captain’s knock, with 68 runs off 44 balls, packed with 8 fours and 2 sixes. He didn’t get support from the other end as other batters were dominated by Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel.
In the bowling department, Jofra Archer bowled with aggression and speed. He kept beating the Indian batters and managed the wickets of Sanju Samson and India captain Suryakumar Yadav in one over. Archer could have added a few more but luck didn’t favour him during an ordinary day for his team.
Nick was impressed with the way Buttler and Archer performed. “If I have to look for positives, I think Jos Buttler’s batting and Jofra Archer’s bowling would be on my list. A day that belongs to India saw Buttler coming on top as a batter for England and Archer was brilliant in the bowling department. They were the best performers of England,” he said on Star Sports.
The second contest of the five-match series will be played on January 25 in Chennai.
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