NEW DELHI: India’s decision to bat first in the opening T20I against England surprised many. With overcast skies and rain around, most teams would have preferred to bowl first after winning the toss at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.However, India captain Shreyas Iyer chose to bat, and former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes there was one major reason behind that decision – the recent 2-0 T20I series defeat against Ireland.
‘Ireland hangover was there’
India had opted to field first in both T20Is against Ireland but failed to chase down the targets. They lost the first match by 34 runs and the second by just one run.Karthik feels those defeats influenced India’s thinking against England.“India, choosing to bat, was a good decision, even though, obviously, there was a bit of weather around the corner constantly… The general tendency is to chase down totals,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.“It was a bit of an awkward evening here because rain was always looming around the corner, but I do think the Ireland hangover was there a bit. So, India decided, ‘let’s not chase and bat first’,” he added.
Match abandoned after rain
India’s plan looked promising as they posted a competitive 189/7 in 20 overs before heavy rain brought the match to an early end.Rain started towards the end of India’s innings and only became heavier. With just over 40 minutes remaining before the cut-off time for a five-over game, the umpires called off the match.Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a 47-ball 68, while opener Abhishek Sharma scored 59. All-rounder Shivam Dube provided the late flourish with an unbeaten 42 off just 21 balls.The second match of the five-match T20I series will be played in Manchester on July 4.
Iyer crosses 5,000 international runs
The match also turned into a personal milestone for Shreyas Iyer, who completed 5,000 international runs for India during his knock of 68. He reached the landmark with an innings that included six fours and a six at a strike rate of over 144.So far, Iyer has scored 5,031 runs in 147 international matches at an average of 39.61 and a strike rate of 96.06. His tally includes six centuries and 37 half-centuries, with a highest score of 128 not out.In Tests, he has scored 811 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36.86, including one century and five fifties.ODIs remain his most successful format, with 3,035 runs in 79 matches at an average of 45.98, including five centuries and 23 fifties.In T20Is, Iyer has scored 1,184 runs in 54 matches at an average of 30.38 and a strike rate of over 135, with nine fifties and a highest score of 74 not out.
