“No fascination for individual 50s” - Sanjay Manjrekar lauds Indian youngsters’ performance in IND vs ENG 2025 1st T20I

Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar hailed the approach and mentality of the new-look T20I side under Suryakumar Yadav after they notched a dominant seven-wicket win over England in the first T20I. The Men in Blue outplayed Jos Buttler and co. at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22, initially using spin bowling before the batters took over.

After putting the visitors to bat, the spin trio of Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy, and Ravi Bishnoi ran the show to restrict the first innings score to just 132. The Indian opening combination of Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma took on the England pacers with the new ball.

While Jofra Archer started the proceedings with a tight over, Samson broke the shackles by scoring 22 runs off the next over by Gus Atkinson. Abhishek Sharma soon joined from the other end as India posted 63 runs in the powerplay.

Although India were in a slightly delicate spot after Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed for a duck, the team went ahead with the same aggressive approach despite the required run rate being well under control. The hosts wrapped up the run chase with more than seven overs to spare, and the manner of their win drew praise from Sanjay Manjrekar and plenty of others.

"Loving this from New India! No fear cricket. No fascination for individual 50s etc. Selfless cricketer always a dangerous cricketer in T20s," Manjrekar posted on X

India revamped its T20 outfit after the 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. Senior players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja bid farewell to the format, leading to a new-look top order and several other significant changes to the personnel and approach.

"We are going ahead in the right direction" - Team India captain Suryakumar Yadav

Team India have been on a dominant run under Suryakumar Yadav's captaincy. A clean sweep against Bangladesh, and a series win over South Africa away from home, have revealed the team's intention to align with the modern-day approach.

"There is a plan to get things moving along, and it's working. We are going ahead in the right direction, the team is clicking well as a unit and well may it continue that way," Suryakumar Yadav said during the post-match presentation after the 1st T20I

The second T20I between India and England is scheduled to take place on Saturday, January 25 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The Men in Blue have a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.