The loss leaves the visitors needing a win in the second match in Cuttack to keep the three-match series alive
Jos Buttler
England captain Jos Buttler expressed disappointment after his team squandered two promising opportunities and fell to a four-wicket defeat against India in the first ODI on Thursday.
The loss leaves the visitors needing a win in the second match in Cuttack to keep the three-match series alive.
England started well, reaching 70 without loss in the Powerplay, courtesy of Phil Salt (43) and Ben Duckett (32). However, a mix-up led to Salt’s run-out, triggering a collapse that saw them bowled out for 248.
“That unfortunate run-out changed the momentum and we lost four wickets quickly, which set us back. We were probably another 40 or 50 runs [short]. With the way the wicket was turning at the end, we would have been in a good position to win,” Buttler said in the post-match presser while justifying his decision to bat first on a two-paced wicket.
Despite the sub-par total, England had India at 19-2, removing Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply. But Shubman Gill (87) and Shreyas Iyer (59) rebuilt with a 94-run stand followed by Axar Patel’s (52) counter-punching knock which all but sealed India’s win.
“At 20 for two in the Powerplay, one more [wicket] would have been great to put the opposition under pressure,” Buttler noted.
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