IND vs ENG: 1st ODI – Talking points from India’s sensational comeback win
Team India has finally managed to win the first game of the series. This win is certainly special as England had got off to a brilliant start courtesy of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy but the Indian bowlers came back superbly to skittle England and win the game by 66 runs. Earlier, the hosts started slowly but Shikhar Dhawan, Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul helped them cross the 300-run mark and post 317/5 in their 50 overs.
Here are the talking points:
1. Shikhar Dhawan’s 98
Coming into the ODI series, Shikhar Dhawan was under immense pressure after being dropped from the T20Is. But the southpaw didn’t look fazed with it. He started slowly but recovered well later to show his array of shots. Even after losing Rohit, Dhawan upped the ante and unfortunately missed out on a well-deserved ton. However, his 98-run knock that included 11 fours and two sixes laid the platform to post a big score for India.
2. Krunal Pandya’s knock
After batting well for the most parts of the innings, India lost their way by the time the last 20 overs began. From being 169/1, they were reduced to 205/5 and were in a spot of bother. But Krunal Pandya came out to bat at seven and counter-attacked superbly from the word go to catch England by surprise. He smacked 58 off just 31 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes while adding a crucial 112 with KL Rahul for the sixth wicket and helping India pot a huge total.3.
3. Bairstow-Roy partnership
England needed a good start to chase down 317 runs and their openers duly got the job done. Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy played some fearless cricket to shock the Indian bowlers who were left scratching their heads at one stage. The duo smacked 135 runs off just 14.2 overs to get the team off to a rollicking start. Bairstow scored 94 off just 66 while Roy mustered 46 off 35 but unfortunately, their efforts went in vain.
4. Thakur and Prasidh Krishna derail England
☝️ Eoin Morgan
☝️ Jos ButtlerTwo wickets in one over for Shardul Thakur ?#INDvENG | https://t.co/8Dw1dxYDEK pic.twitter.com/UfIbERoXFW
— ICC (@ICC) March 23, 2021
Shardul Thakur has made it a habit to turn the game on its head. After the debutant Krishna broke the opening stand, Thakur nipped out Bairstow, Morgan and Buttler to stun England. And then Prasidh Krishna did his job perfectly to derail the chase completely and end with the best figures on debut for India in ODI ever. While Thakur returned with the figures of 3/37, Krishna finished with 4/54 to seal a 66-run win for India in the end.
