Follow UsHardik Pandya starred with bat and ball as India claimed a 50-run victory in the first T20I against England on Thursday at Southampton.
After electing to bat first, India was quickly off the blocks with Rohit Sharma (24 off 14 balls), Deepak Hooda (33 0ff 17) and Suryakumar Yadav (39 off 19) scoring at a brisk pace.
After Mooen Ali struck twice to dismiss Rohit and Ishan Kishan, Chris Jordan got the better of Hooda when Pandya joined Suryakumar in the middle.
The Baroda allrounder started dealing in boundaries and continued after Suryakumar got out to Jordan in the 12th over. Axar Patel (17 off 12 balls) added some quick runs as Pandya reached his maiden T20I fifty with a six and a single off spinner Matt Parkinson.
Dinesh Karthik added 11 off 7 balls at the end as India finished at 198/8 in 20 overs.
Chasing a stiff total, England suffered a huge blow in the first over when Bhuvneshwar Kumar castled new white-ball captain Jos Buttler for a first-ball duck.
Pandya, who came in to bowl in the powerplay, produced two excellent deliveries to send back Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone in the fifth over. He then got the better of struggling opener Jason Roy who edged it to Harshal Patel at third man to reduce England to 33/4.
Harry Brook (28 off 23 balls) and Moeen Ali (36 off 20 balls) survived multiple dropped chance as they added 61 off 36 balls. Yuzvendra Chahal sent back the pair in consecutive overs to keep England pegged down.
Pandya got his fourth wicket of the match, when he got Sam Curran to edge to keeper Karthik in the 14th over. England hung on till the last over thanks to Jordan's unbeaten 26 off 17 balls, but Harshal Patel and debutant pacer Arshdeep Singh removed the final three wickets to bring up the win in 19.3 overs.
India will face off England in the second T20I on Saturday (July 9) at Edgbaston.