Kolkata: The Indian cricket team is all set to take on England in the first T20I of the five-match series on Wednesday. The opening fixture of the series will be played at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. India will play an international fixture in the shortest format for the first time since February 2022. The Men in Blue will be aiming to take revenge of the defeat they conceded against England in 2011. Interestingly, it is the only loss India has suffered at this venue in the T20Is.
England won by six wickets
India opted to bat first in the one-off T20I against England. The hosts opted to bat after winning the toss but their batters struggled from the start. Suresh Raina was the highest run-scorer with a knock of 39 runs while MS Dhoni amassed 21 runs during his stay at the crease. Steven Finn picked three wickets while Tim Bresnan and Ravi Bopara picked a couple of wickets.
England then hunted down the target with eight balls to spare and at the loss of four wickets. Kevin Pietersen was the star of the show as he knocked 53 runs from 39 deliveries. None of the Indian bowlers were able to restrict the English outfit from chasing the target.
India’s record at the Eden Gardens
India have played a total of seven T20Is at the venue. They won six of them and lost only one match which was against England in 2011. India have won four T20Is against West Indies at the venue while other victories were produced against New Zealand and Pakistan.
Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter for India at the Eden Gardens with 139 runs from four matches which includes two half-centuries. Amongst the active cricketers, Suryakumar Yadav has racked up most runs by scoring 107 runs from four matches.
