IND vs ENG 2025, 1st T20I: India Player Ratings as Abhishek & Varun demolish England to give hosts series lead

India hammered England by seven wickets in the first T20I at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22. With the win, the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Captain Suryakumar Yadav won an important toss for India, who were on top of their game right from the outset. The Men in Blue restricted England to just 132, a target that was definitely going to be chased down with the dew setting in. India got over the line with more than seven overs to spare.

On that note, here are India's player ratings from the first T20I against England.

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IND vs ENG 2025, 1st T20I: Spinners choke England before openers thrive

India v England - 1st T20I - Source: Getty

Abhishek Sharma: 9/10

Abhishek played one of his best innings in an India shirt till date. While he survived a couple of close shaves, he was in his element against both pace and spin, clearing the boundary at will on both sides of the wicket. The opener is a serious talent.

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Sanju Samson: 7/10

Samson was challenged by the fiery Jofra Archer, and while he wasn't at his fluent best, he played a few delightful strokes to get India off to a good start. He was tidy with the gloves.

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Suryakumar Yadav: 4/10

Suryakumar was impressive as always with his captaincy but bagged a duck, outsmarted by Archer. His form over the last few months hasn't been entirely convincing.

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Tilak Varma: 7/10

Tilak tried to be positive after coming in and was there until the winning runs were hit. It wasn't his most stable innings.

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Hardik Pandya: 6/10

Barring an over where Jos Buttler carted him for runs through the leg-side, Hardik bowled decently despite not having much help from the deck. He was jumpy in the few balls he played, trying to get the chase done.

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Axar Patel: 8/10

Axar's first over saw the England batters hit two sixes, but he came back well after that to pick up two wickets and keep the runs in check. The left-arm spinner conceded just six runs in his last three overs.

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Rinku Singh: 7/10

Rinku, who took a good catch running back, wasn't needed with the bat.

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Nitish Kumar Reddy: 9/10

Not required with both bat and ball, Nitish found a way to impact the game. He took two important catches in the outfield, including a stunner to send back England's top scorer Buttler.

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Varun Chakaravarthy: 9.5/10

Chakaravarthy was at his best at a venue he knows well. He picked up three scalps, with his googlies and high pace proving tough to counter once again. His form augurs extremely well for India's T20I side.

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Ravi Bishnoi: 7/10

Bishnoi didn't pick up a wicket, but he bowled tight lines and lengths throughout. The England batters didn't take too many risks against him.

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Arshdeep Singh: 9/10

Arshdeep set the tone for the contest, dismissing Phil Salt and Ben Duckett inside the powerplay to put England on the back foot. The left-arm seamer finished as his team's most economical bowler.