IND vs ENG 1st T20 Match 2026 Live: India will lock horns with England. (Deepak Malik / CREIMAS for BCCI)IND vs ENG 1st T20 Match highlights: Shreyas Iyer’s 47-ball 68 has helped India to get to 189/7 from 20 overs. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first against Harry Brook’s England in the first of the five-match T20I series at the Riverside Ground in Chester-le-Street on Wednesday. The visitors are coming off an embarrassing defeat against Ireland, losing the series 2-0.
The harsh result has shown Shreyas Iyer and his team that there are no easy series in international cricket; complacency can lead to harsh results. Both India’s bowling and batting departments looked lacklustre.
England, on the other hand, played their last T20I against India in the semifinal in Mumbai, where they lost a close game. With Brook too fresh in his captaincy role, he will be looking to mould a side to his will and impart his captaincy style and imprint on it.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST OF IND vs ENG T20 MATCH UPDATES
Well, we have some bad news, folks: the match has been called off. The takeaways from the game, though for India. Shreyas Iyer's return to form and Shivam Dube's ability to finish games. If anything, India would want Sanju Samson to get among runs alongside Ishan Kishan. That's it from us for today, folks. Do join us for our next game.
19 overs - 183
18 overs - 176
17 overs - 169
16 overs - 162
15 overs - 154
“See, you never know what is going to happen. Our hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we are going to do. Because this is very private. This is something that we discuss in the team. We can’t let everyone know about what combination we are going to play and let the opponents know that this is going to happen. So, definitely, he is a brilliant prodigy. And whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do brilliant.”
“When there are talks about Gambhir, sometimes it comes out in a manner where we don’t get it in a way that he is trying to say it. I think he is a very misunderstood person. There could be personal things. In India and Indian cricket, it will take us time to realise that a difference in view or point of view does not mean that you don’t like the other person. It is okay to disagree. Like and point of view are very different,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
England (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
India (Playing XI): Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
We have some bad news, folks. Right now, it is raining, and we have a delayed start. It has been raining pretty heavily through the first innings, so even if the rain does stop, it is going to take a bit of time before we are back on the field.
Well, Shivam Dube has played a sublime cameo at the end to take India to 189/7. The visitors have slowed down in the second half of the innings, which is indicative of the nature of the wicket, which is dry, and the boundaries are long. It is a decent total by India, but they will still have to bowl well, as England, looking at how this surface has played, would have better plans.
India has lost two wickets since our last update. First, it was Shreyas Iyer who tried to whip the ball on the leg-side and missed it completely, and the ball hit his pads and was plumb before the wickets and Harshit Rana, who came into bat ahead of Axar Patel, got himself stumped trying to go after Adil Rashid, who is bowling the 19th over.
The rain has picked up quite heavily here. India will have to be cautious when they come to bowl, as all this rain will make the outfield greasy, and it will start to act as dew. But first things, though they need to put a total on the board and with Iyer set and Dube getting a couple of boundaries away, India are in a top position here.
Tilak Varma has fallen here. He tried to play a scoop shot against Saqib but did not get the timing on the ball and ended up giving a simple catch to the fine-leg. The ball was swirling a bit, but it was taken nicely. Post that, Shreyas Iyer has scored his first half-century after becoming the skipper, and it has come in 38 deliveries.
England have been quite judicious in the way they have used Adil Rashid here. We are 13 overs into the innings, and Brook has only given him two overs. He is experienced enough to bowl in the later part of the innings, but it is not something captains do with their wrist spinners; Brook has been brave enough to make that call.
We have gone past the water break. India did not start the game well, but they picked up thanks to Abhishek Sharma's blistering knock and Shreyas Iyer's calm presence. However, India will need a score here, given the start they have got and the batting which is yet to come. They should be targeting 220 from here, which should be a par score.
Sam Curran has come into the attack and picked up the wicket of Abhishek Sharma. It was a clever cutter from the bowler which skidded into the pad of Abhishek Sharma, who was batting like a dream still then, but was beaten all ends up. He was not given out on the field, but the decision was sent upstairs, where there were three reds.
Abhishek Sharma has got to his half-century here from just 20 deliveries. He has clearly changed the gear. The tactical error from Brook came in when he brought in Liam Dawson into the attack, which did ease a bit of pressure, and the over after against Mahmood Abhishek went full throttle, picking up 22 runs, which changed the momentum of the game.
Since the wicket of Ishan Kishan and the heated argument, Abhishek Sharma has changed gears here. The argument seems to have fired him up a bit more. Shreyas Iyer has come into the middle. India needs to stabilise a bit here. While Abhishek Sharma will continue to bat the way he does, Iyer needs to play the role of that modern anchor.
Well, it has not even been 15 minutes into the game, and India has already lost two wickets. First, it was Samson who tried to play an uppish shot, which went to the third-man region, and the fielder took a sharp catch, and then Ishan got himself run out for the second, which was not there, while he tried to go back, there was just not enough time.
Luke Wood has taken the new ball for England, and there is a steady breeze across the ground, which is giving the left-arm seamer some moment in the air. This makes an even more interesting choice by both teams to play as many spinners as they have picked. Saqib Mahmood is the new bowler who has come into the attack for England.
Luke Wood has taken the new ball for England, and there is a steady breeze across the ground, which is giving the left-arm seamer some moment in the air. This makes an even more interesting choice by both teams to play as many spinners as they have picked. Saqib Mahmood is the new bowler who has come into the attack for England.
We are moments away from the action. It is a pretty interesting choice from Shreyas Iyer to bat first, given the way the weather looks and so does the pitch. One would hope that this is not a reaction to what has happened in Belfast in those two games. Regardless of the decisions at toss and playing XI selections, India and Iyer need a win.
“See, you never know what is going to happen. Our hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we are going to do. Because this is very private. This is something that we discuss in the team. We can’t let everyone know about what combination we are going to play and let the opponents know that this is going to happen. So, definitely, he is a brilliant prodigy. And whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do brilliant.”
Would've had a bowl, happy with that result. Looks like a good wicket. [On the challenge of switching from Test cricket to the shortest format and the mood within the England camp] The mood’s really good. We’re really looking forward to this series starting against a very strong Indian side, and, it’s good to be back with the lads. And that’s just part of cricket. You’ve just got to get ready for the next series as quickly as you possibly can, and try and make it as easy as you can for yourself. [On having an experienced squad to rely on during the series] Yeah, there’s a lot of experienced players, and that’s quite nice for me to be able to lean on them in the middle of the game as well. And having the likes of Jos Buttler and Phil Salt, Sam Curran out in the middle as well to lean on when I need some help, is really helpful. [On England’s playing XI and team combination] We are Jos Buttler, Salt to open the batting, me three, Bethell four, Livingstone five, Sam Curran six, Jacks seven, Dawson eight, Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, and Luke Wood nine, ten, eleven.
[On winning the toss and choosing to bat first at the start of the five-match series] We are going with bat first. Ireland is history. It’s a new series, five games, everything to play for. Certainly, this is a great opportunity for us. This is my first, second actually, second series as a captain. So, pretty much excited. We got what we wanted. We got a session of practice over here yesterday, pretty much acclimatized to the surrounding as well. So, looking forward for an exciting one. [On the mood in the dressing room after the Ireland series] It’s absolutely fine. To be honest, as you mentioned, Ireland series is history. We’ve got to learn a lot from that series. And coming over here, we know how England has been playing their cricket. So, definitely slightly upbeat, know their strengths and weaknesses, so looking forward to have a great one. [On his assessment of the pitch] There’s pretty decent amount of grass on the wicket. We practiced yesterday as well on the same one. So, can’t actually predict how the wicket’s going to play, but definitely the intent is going to be high. [On India’s team combination for the opening match] We are going with three spinners, with Axar being an all-rounder, and two seamers.
Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
Shreyas Iyer wins toss and opts to bat first vs ENG in Riverside Ground
"His identity has been decided for him by his own gift, the most involuntary thing a person can possess, before he has had much chance to explore alternatives. That is the quiet sadness beneath all the celebration. The boy becomes the legend before he has had the chance simply to become a man."
"He should be at home preparing for his exams, playing gully cricket with his mates, and being a young boy while he still has the chance. That does not mean ignoring his talent. It means understanding that the talent will only be truly served if the person carrying it is allowed to grow whole and he is physically allowed to develop without the risk of premature injuries," said Cullinan
"It is my sincere hope that he will turn to Tendulkar for guidance. He could not be more lucky than to have a mentor in a fellow Indian cricketer who has been through it all and seen it all, and who will have his best interests at heart."
"What we should hope for is that he retires at 40 and not washed up at 25. That's another 25 years of him! We should hope there are still parts of his life in which he can be ordinary and unobserved, in which he can fail quietly, laugh freely, finish his studies, play without a camera nearby, and digest all of what's happening."
"India played shockingly poor cricket. They've been dropping catches from the T20 World Cup to the IPL to yesterday. They seem to always drop high catches. In the IPL, you can just bat or bowl and hide your fielding because of the Impact Player option. But in international cricket, you've to be a good fielder to be in the 11. Many players escaped in the IPL because of the Impact Player rule by just batting."
"Yes, even an elephant occasionally slips up. But how can it happen against an Ireland? This is a shocker, especially for a team whose last T20 match was the final of a World Cup. After a month of T20 cricket in the World Cup, all the Indian players played another 3 months of IPL. To play 4 months of continuous T20 cricket and then lose to Ireland is unexplainable," said Ramesh.
"Ireland deserve praise for using the bigger boundaries and testing the Indian batters out with the short delivery. It was clear that India played the match casually. They thought the Ireland series was a picnic tour, which they'll win easily and were serious only about the England series. But Ireland taught India a lesson by saying this is no picnic spot," Ramesh said on his YouTube channel.
“India under Gambhir values someone who can bat and bowl a bit as well, then you will be in. Sometimes I am not okay with this that all of this comes into Test cricket as well, which I am not agreeing with. In T20 cricket, if a batter who comes at 6 or 7 can give a bit of bowling as well, it lends a lot of balance to your team. Someone who can consistently finish innings for you at 5, 6, or 7, those should be valued and given a slightly longer rope,” Ashwin said.
"When there are talks about Gambhir, sometimes it comes out in a manner where we don't get it in a way that he is trying to say it. I think he is a very misunderstood person. There could be personal things. In India and Indian cricket, it will take us time to realise that a difference in view or point of view does not mean that you don't like the other person. It is okay to disagree. Like and point of view are very different," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
"It's important in terms of giving players confidence, and the message we're sending to players. We want to give guys a long run in the team. So, you know, as ready as Vaibhav is and as excited as we are and you are to see him play, he's going to have to go through the same process as everyone else and, you know, bide his time and wait. But certainly no questions about how good he is and how ready he is," he added.
"He's absolutely ready to play international cricket, there's no doubt about that," ten Doeschate said when asked how far Sooryavanshi was from making his international debut. "But also, I think it's not a question to say you can leave Sanju Samson out. A guy who went a long way to winning India the World Cup three months ago. A guy who's had a fairly good IPL," Doeschate told reporters.
"They were getting help up front at the start, and Shivam, he has bowled crucial overs in the past. So I always back him, and I’ve played with him in the domestic circuit as well. I know his strengths and weaknesses. And Harshit Rana, he bowled phenomenal. Coming out of an injury to perform at this level and showcase this sort of talent, it’s simply brilliant," Iyer said.
"I think you can’t take anything for granted. You can’t just turn up and win matches. You have to work hard and see to it that you’re in that moment. Like I mentioned earlier, you’ve got to stay in the present and see to it that if you’ve got that opportunity to squeeze the opponent, we’ve got to do that. And yeah, never take any moment or situation lightly," Iyer, who took over from Suryakumar Yadav said.
"We look to Durham in two days' time and we look at the workload that some of our boys have had in this Test and you work out what's the right balance and how do you manufacture it. You can't do anything about the scheduling, it is what it is. You've just got to operate around it. The good thing is we've got some good, strong options within our squads. When we get up to Durham, we'll make a plan and we'll look forward to the Indian series getting underway."
"See, you never know what is going to happen. Our hands are also tied at the moment in terms of what we are going to do. Because this is very private. This is something that we discuss in the team. We can't let everyone know about what combination we are going to play and let the opponents know that this is going to happen. So, definitely, he is a brilliant prodigy. And whenever he gets an opportunity to play, definitely, he will do brilliant."
Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Prince Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler(w), Harry Brook(c), Jacob Bethell, Tom Banton, Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Adil Rashid, Luke Wood
Hello and welcome to our live blog of India taking on England. It is going to be a cracking series in terms of power-hitting because the surfaces that will be on display will be flat to entertain the crowd. The onus, though, is on India to deliver the expectation of the promise of the series, as both batting and bowling looked flat against Ireland in the recently concluded series. Do stay with us to get all the live updates.
Hello and welcome to our live blog of India taking on England. It is going to be a cracking series in terms of power-hitting because the surfaces that will be on display will be flat to entertain the crowd. The onus, though, is on India to deliver the expectation of the promise of the series, as both batting and bowling looked flat against Ireland in the recently concluded series. Do stay with us to get all the live updates.
Following India's shocking 0-2 series defeat to Ireland caused by a batting collapse and a lack of control in the middle overs, captain Shreyas Iyer receives a vital bowling boost with the return of spinner Varun Chakaravarthy. Looking to bounce back as India begins a five-match T20I series against England this Wednesday at Chester-le-Street, Iyer will lean on Chakaravarthy, who was his dependable "go-to" bowler during their successful 2024 IPL title run with the Kolkata Knight Riders. (Read more from Venkata Krishna B)
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
