India and England had to settle for a no result in the opening T20I of the five-match series after persistent rain prevented England from starting their chase at Chester-le-Street.
India had posted a competitive 189/7 after opting to bat first. England needed 190 runs to win, but continuous showers meant the second innings could not begin, forcing the match officials to call off the game.
The visitors recovered well after a shaky start, thanks to impressive knocks from captain Shreyas Iyer and opener Abhishek Sharma.
India's innings got off to the worst possible start as they lost Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan with only six runs on the scoreboard. Samson was caught at point off Saqib Mahmood, while Kishan was run out after a mix-up with Abhishek Sharma. It was the second straight match in which Kishan was dismissed through a run-out after a misunderstanding between the batters.
Having recently suffered a 2-0 T20I series defeat in Ireland, India could have been under pressure again. However, Abhishek had other plans.
The left-handed opener took the attack to England's pace bowlers from the very beginning. He punished Saqib Mahmood and Luke Wood with a series of boundaries, completely changing the momentum of the innings.
One over from Mahmood proved especially expensive as Abhishek smashed two sixes and a four, while Shreyas also found the boundary. India collected 21 runs from the over to put the pressure back on the hosts.
Mahmood tried using short-pitched deliveries to trouble Abhishek, but the youngster responded with confident pull shots that raced to the boundary.
Abhishek continued his aggressive approach during the Powerplay, hitting three consecutive fours off Luke Wood as India reached 61/2 in the first six overs.
He brought up a brilliant half-century in just 20 deliveries and looked set for an even bigger score. However, Sam Curran ended his innings by trapping him leg before wicket. Abhishek walked back after an entertaining 59 from only 24 balls, giving India the perfect platform.
At the other end, Shreyas Iyer played a more measured innings. The India captain focused on rotating the strike, finding gaps and building partnerships while also punishing the loose deliveries.
He produced some eye-catching strokes, including a powerful pull shot off Adil Rashid and a clean six over extra cover against Luke Wood. Shreyas completed his half-century in 38 balls, bringing up his ninth T20I fifty and his first as India's captain.
His innings ended on 68 when Saqib Mahmood trapped him in front of the stumps with India on 165.
In the closing overs, Shivam Dube added valuable runs with an unbeaten 42 from just 21 balls. His late hitting pushed India's total to 189/7, a score that looked competitive under the overcast conditions.
However, the weather had the final say. Rain continued to fall throughout the evening, delaying the start of England's innings before the match was eventually abandoned without a ball being bowled in the chase. Both teams were forced to share the points as the series moved on to the second T20I.