India has won the toss and elected to bowl first in the series-opening T20 against England's cricketers in Kolkata.

Abhishek Sharma's stunning knock in the T20I series opener against England made Aakash Chopra draw a slight parallel to Rohit Sharma, highlighting the belief fans are showing in the young opener as he silences critics with a defining performance.

Abhishek Sharma deserves a longer rope in the T20I side, said spinner Piyush Chawla after the batter's incredible 79-run knock against England. Abhishek lit up the Eden Gardens in the 1st T20I match vs England and scored a match winning innings laced with 8 sixes and 5 boundaries.

Abhishek Sharma scored a 20-ball half-century as India beat England by seven wickets on Wednesday in the first T20 of their five-match series. In the process, he etched his name in history

Abhishek Sharma put on a splendid job with the bat, scoring 79 off just 34 balls to help India gain a 1-0 lead in the T20I series against England.

Piyush Chawla and Parthiv Patel heaped praise on Abhishek Sharma after the southpaw smashed a sparkling half-century against England in the first T20I on Wednesday, January 22. Find out more, only on.

Sharma got to his 50 in 20 balls, only bettered by his mentor Yuvraj Singh, who owns the record of the fastest 50 by an Indian in T20Is. Singh had reached the milestone in just 12 balls during a match in Durban in 2007.

Abhishek played second fiddle at the start of the innings as fellow opener Sanju Samson took the aggressive route against the England fast bowler. But after the successive dismissals of Samson, for 26 off 20, and captain Suryakumar Yadav for a duck, Abhishek took off in the final over of powerplay, smashing back-to-back sixes against Mark Wood.

Before the historic feat in Kolkata, the fastest successful chase in India with the most balls left was in 2012. When India set out to chase the 158-run mark in Pune, the hosts had already reached it

Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in three deliveries, shifting the momentum in India's favour

England 's top-order batter, Harry Brook, has stressed on the need for his side to put constant pressure on the Indian bowling attack in the second T20I. The strategy comes after England's seven-wicket loss in Kolkata, which has put India ahead in the five-match series (1-0).