India thrashed England by 50 runs in the first T20I in Southampton on Thursday. Men in blue dominated throughout the match to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. All-rounder Hardik Pandya was the hero of the night as he starred with bat and ball. Pandya was the stand-out bowler, having bagged four crucial wickets. Pandya became the first Indian to score a half-century and take four wickets in a T20I match.  

After deciding to bat first, India skipper Rohit Sharma gave his side a brisk start by scoring quick runs. But Rohit (24) lost his wicket to Moeen Ali, who also dismissed Ishan Kishan for just 8-runs in his next over. However, Suryakumar Yadav (39) and Deepak Hooda (33) took the responsibility to steady the Indian ship.

Both played some flamboyant shots to set the tone for their side. Pandya played counter-attacking innings and blasted six fours and one towering six. The Right-hand batter hit his maiden T20I fifty and helped his side to post 198/8 in 20 overs.  

In response, Bhuvneshwar Kumar stunned England by bowling out their captain Jos Butler for a golden duck. Bhuvneshwar and debutant Arshdeep Singh never allowed England batters to get away in the powerplay while Pandya came in and dismissed Dawid Malan (21) and Liam Livingstone (0) in the same over.

England never recovered from their early loss of wickets. India took regular wickets to bowl out England for 148 in 19.3 overs. Arshdeep and Yuzvendra Chahal picked up two wickets each.