IND vs ENG: 5th T20I Review – Abhishek’s carnage dismantles England in Mumbai

India dished out a hammering to England in the fifth T20I at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, February 2, to finish the five-match series with an outstanding 4-1 win.
Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to field first on what looked like a batting paradise. The surface lived up to the billing as it provided even bounce and the ball came on nicely onto the bat. Abhishek Sharma slammed 16 runs in the first over to make his intentions clear right from the onset.
Sanju Samson’s wretched run with the bat in the series continued as he was dismissed for 16 in the second over after a few crisp shots. Tilak Varma joined Abhishek in the middle and the duo took the English bowlers to the cleaners. Abhishek hogged the limelight, hitting sixes for fun as a staggering 95 runs came in the powerplay.
The partnership eventually ended at 115 off merely 43 deliveries when Tilak was dismissed for a 15-ball 24 after edging one behind. Suryakumar Yadav departed in quick succession before Shivam Dube, fresh off a blistering fifty in the last game, walked out to the crease.
Abhishek continued bludgeoning the ball all around the park as he brought up his century off a record 37 balls. Dube played a fine hand of his own, scoring 30 off just 13 deliveries. Hardik Pandya and Rinku Singh could not contribute too much as they departed cheaply. Abhishek, however, kept finding the boundaries. He was eventually dismissed in the 18th over after scoring a massive 135 off just 54 balls, helping India put on a mammoth 248/9 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Mohammed Shami got hit for 17 runs in the first over but he bounced back strongly to dismiss Ben Duckett. Phil Salt finally got back among the runs as he slammed a 21-ball half-century. However, England had already lost four wickets at that stage. Varun Chakaravarthy picked up a wicket each in his first two overs, continuing his stunning form.
Salt was eventually dismissed by Shivam Dube for 55 and the rest of the England innings was a mere formality. The Three Lions were bowled out for 97 in 10.3 overs, losing the match by a whopping 150 runs.

Top Performers of the match
Abhishek Sharma
Abhishek captivated the crowd with the ease with which he hit his sixes. He didn’t target the on-side to clear the boundaries and relied on playing orthodox cricketing shots. Abhishek was dismissed for a 54-ball 135 after he had hit seven fours and 13 sixes.

Brydon Carse
Brydon Carse used his variations commendably and eventually finished with figures of 3/38 in his four overs. He continued his purple patch in the tournament. He took the wickets of Tilak, Suryakumar, and Dube.
What’s next for the two teams?
India and England will now square off in a three-match ODI series. The first ODI will be played at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6.