England 248 (Buttler 52, Bethell 51, Jadeja 3-26) vs India
India bowled out England for 248 in the first ODI in Nagpur, instilling themselves as favourites to take a 1-0 lead in this three-match series.
What began as a watchful start on this red soil pitch was taken up a few notches by Phil Salt, who smashed Rana’s third over for 26, including three sixes. The nature of those strikes – a top-edge, a slog-sweep off a slower ball and a heave over midwicket to finish the over – along with 15 taken off Axar Patel’s opening set of six suggested Salt and Ben Duckett were now at one with the surface.
Alas, the same could not be said of their running, as their opening stand was broken on 75 by a miscommunication, as Salt was sent back attempting a third. Shyreas Iyer effected the dismissal, chasing the ball to the point boundary before throwing to the striker’s end to find Salt comfortably short of his ground.
Back came Rana with a bang, with two wickets in the following over. Duckett clothed a pull shot that required a spectacular catch from Jaiswal, running back from midwicket before a well-judged dive. Harry Brook was then taken well down the leg side by KL Rahul, who had beaten Rishabh Pant to wicketkeeping duties, after a rising length delivery caught the bottom glove.
At 111 for 4 in the 20th over, Buttler carried on wary he needed to bat through the remainder of the innings. A 38th score of fifty or more came up off 58 balls – his first in India – featuring some nimble working around of India’s spinners. But nine deliveries after bringing up the milestone, a miscue off an Axar long-hop gave Hardik Pandya a simple catch at short fine leg.
Bethell assumed the responsibility of batting deep, though no one was able to offer him the same support he had provided his captain. Liam Livingstone (caught behind for Rana’s third) and Brydon Carse (bowled for Mohammed Shami’s first) were undone by the return of pace. And moments after Bethell had registered his second ODI half-century from 62 deliveries – featuring four boundaries, his first being a sharp pull off Rana for six – the 21-year-old was eventually adjudged lbw on review, attempting to find the midwicket boundary off Jadeja having initially been given not out.
Jofra Archer notched a brisk 21 not out, including a towering hook off Hardik which was sandwiched by two well-struck fours, to give England a chance of breaching 250. Kuldeep, though, had the final say with a wrong-un that beat the advancing Saqib Mahmood for a stumping to close the first innings with 14 deliveries remaining.
