NEW DELHI: India’s decision to bat first in the first T20I against England surprised many. With cloudy skies and rain, 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 selected batsman, and former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik believes there is one big reason behind the decision – the recent 2-0 loss in the T20I series against Ireland.
‘Irish hangover was here’
India opted to bat first in both the T20Is against Ireland but failed to chase down the targets. They lost the first game by 34 runs and the second game by just one run.Karthik feels that these defeats have affected India’s mindset against England.“India electing to bat was a good decision, although, obviously, there was always a bit of time around the corner… The general tendency is to chase the total,” Karthik told Cricbuzz.“It was a bit of an uncomfortable evening here as the rain was always looming around the corner, but I think the Irish hangover was there a bit. So India decided ‘let’s not chase and bat first’,” he added.
The match was suspended after rain
India’s plan looked promising as they posted a competitive 189/7 in 20 overs before heavy rain brought the match to a premature end.The rain started falling towards the end of India’s innings and only got heavier. With just over 40 minutes left in the five-goal game, the referees stopped the game.Shreyas Iyer led from the front with a 47-ball 68 while batting first Abhishek Sharma he scored 59. All-rounder Shivam Dube provided the late breakthrough 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 5000 international runs
The match also turned into a personal milestone for Shreyas Iyer, who completed 5000 international runs for India at the age of 68. He reached the milestone with an innings that included six fours and a six at a strike rate of over 144.So far, Iyer has scored 5031 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 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 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.
