2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by India in the 1st T20I vs England ft. Nitish Kumar Reddy

Team India coasted to a comfortable seven-wicket win in the first T20I against England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22. The Men in Blue continued their excellent form in the shortest format under Suryakumar Yadav and Gautam Gambhir.

Suryakumar won an important toss for India which allowed them to unleash their spinners on the opposition without being worried by excessive dew. The visitors were restricted to a significantly below-par 132, a score that was chased down with more than seven overs to spare thanks to a blistering knock from Abhishek Sharma.

While it was a hugely encouraging win for the hosts, it wasn't a perfect game on all fronts. On that note, here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by India in the first T20I against England.

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#3 Mistake - India didn't use a sixth bowler

England Tour Of India : India Practice Session Ahead Of First T20 Match In Kolkata. - Source: Getty

India entered the first T20I with a strange bowling combination. Arshdeep Singh was picked as the sole specialist seamer, with Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy assisting him.

Despite that, however, Suryakumar didn't turn to a sixth bowler. Nitish, Abhishek and maybe even Tilak were options, and bowling them with an eye on the long run may have been a good idea. Even when England were reeling through the middle overs, India stuck to their five frontline options.

India have grown more comfortable with experimenting in bilateral series under Gambhir, but they should arguably be giving their fringe bowling options more chances.

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#2 Masterstroke - The Men in Blue picked both their spinners without compromising on depth

India v England - 1st T20I - Source: Getty

For India to put up a fight against England without Jasprit Bumrah, they needed to find X-factors in the bowling attack. Like they have done often in recent series, the hosts picked Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy in tandem to beef up the spin attack with eight quality overs.

That proved to be the difference between the two sides. Jos Buttler and Co. had no answers to Chakaravarthy's guile as he picked up three wickets, including two that broke the back of the English middle order. Bishnoi ensured that there was no respite in the second half of the middle overs, keeping things tight.

India did this without compromising on batting depth, with Axar Patel slated to bat at No. 8. That also allows a crash-bang-wallop approach at the top of the order, such as the one that was displayed in Kolkata.

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#1 Mistake - India have Nitish Kumar Reddy slated to bat at No. 6, below Hardik Pandya

India v England - 1st T20I - Source: Getty

This didn't matter in the context of the game, with Abhishek ensuring that the below-par total was scaled down easily. But with a few runs to get, Hardik came in ahead of Nitish, as the team sheet indicated post the toss.

Going forward, that might not be the best idea for India, who need some experience and finishing pedigree alongside Rinku Singh lower down the order. Moreover, Nitish is known to take some time to get set and hits spin well, two qualities that make him ideal for a role in the top five.

Hardik's pace hitting has been on an upturn in recent months, and India need to back him to get the tough job done lower down the order.