Hardik Pandya may have taken home the player of the match award for his record-breaking all-round performance in India's 50-run win over England in the first T20I on Thursday but the visitors' sensational performance was aided by a number of star performers in both batting bowling departments. Pandya scored his first T20 international century and then followed that up with a four-wicket haul to lead India to a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
However, Pandya's wickets came after India had managed to keep England quite in the first four overs. It was Bhuvneshwar Kumar and debutant Arshdeep Singh who did this job for them, with the former dismissing the dangerous Jos Buttler for a golden duck in what was his first match as England's full-time white-ball captain.
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Bhuvneshwar was able to generate prodigious swing which helped them dominate the England batters. “That's the perfect display by India. With the bat there was aggression and they got to a good number. Then with the ball in the hand, the skill. The conditions can't change so much within an hour or so. I don't think that's possible, it was just outstanding skill. Bhuvneshwar is up there with the great swing bowlers. He just got it hooping,” said former England captain Michael Vaughan on Cricbuzz.
Vaughan said that India's performance in Southampton is the blueprint they should follow for T20 cricket. “Hardik bowled quick. Some of those balls were fizzing past the England batters. Brilliant from India. That is the blueprint, that is their mental storage of how you play T20 cricket,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Vaughan said that India's performance in Southampton is the blueprint they should follow for T20 cricket. “Hardik bowled quick. Some of those balls were fizzing past the England batters. Brilliant from India. That is the blueprint, that is their mental storage of how you play T20 cricket,” he said.
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