India defeated England by 7 wickets in the first T20I of the five-match series. The hosts completed the chase of 133 runs in 12.5 overs, with Abhishek Sharma scoring 79 runs with the help of eight sixes and five fours at Eden Gardens. Former England cricketer Nick Knight had slammed India captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir for leaving out returning Mohammed Shami. He was expecting to see Shami don the Indian jersey and take advantage of the wicket.
When Arshdeep Singh took two wickets in the powerplay overs, his criticism grew louder.
“Shami would be looking at his coach and asking why he was not given a chance. He would have loved to bowl on this pitch,” he said.However, he changed his stance after the Men in Blue’s comprehensive victory. “I was talking about Mohammed Shami’s absence and felt India made a mistake. But they played a team that would trouble England. Everyone contributed to India in the contest,” Nick Knight said on Star Sports.
He is still backing England to come back. “This is how England play, and they still have a chance to come back in the series,” he added.
Varun Chakravarthy was named the Player of the Match for taking three wickets.
