India ease home in opening ODI after below-par England look short of ideas | Cricket

A different format, a much-changed India, but the same result. England fell to a four-wicket defeat in the opening one-day international at Nagpur, Shubman Gill top-scoring with 87 in a successful chase of 249.

Gill, who did not play in the preceding Twenty20 series, was backed up by half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel in what was no straightforward reply. England’s spinners found assistance, with India requiring technique and ticker to take the lead in the three-match series.

Ravindra Jadeja led with the ball earlier in the piece, three wickets from his tight nine, the visitors unable to bat out the 50 overs. Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell were half-centurions but neither could advance past 52, the final tally never seeming enough. England are still waiting for a commanding display with the bat on this tour. “We were probably another 40 or 50 runs [short] on that total,” said Buttler, England’s captain.

Their innings had begun with potential, Phil Salt rejuvenated after a speedy half-century in the T20 series finale. The rollicker was brutal with the ODI debutant Harshit Rana, taking 26 runs off the quick’s third over, but miscommunication would end the opening stand at 75. Salt wanted three after a slap behind point, Ben Duckett two, negotiations brought to a halt by KL Rahul completing the run out.

“We really had the momentum at that point and absolutely once we’ve got it, we need to continue to keep putting the opposition under pressure for longer,” said Buttler.

Salt was gone for a 26-ball 43 and Duckett departed to Rana four balls later as Yashasvi Jaiswal pulled off a catch reminiscent of Travis Head’s stunner in the 2023 World Cup final. Harry Brook fell without scoring to the bustling pace of Rana with a glove down the leg side. England had closed the powerplay by losing three wickets for just two runs.

There was a brief throwback to brighter days as Joe Root started knocking it around with Buttler. But Jadeja emerged for the first time on this tour having retired from T20Is last year, using his stump-to-stump havoc to trap Root in front for 19. Buttler did find a willing protege in Bethell to get through the chores of the middle overs.

Buttler had spoken on Wednesday about how ODIs can excite top-six batters because of the opportunity to hit hundreds. With extra space on the canvas, Buttler reached his half-century in the 31st over, the acceleration approaching, two years having passed since his last international hundred.

But a Patel delivery died off the surface as Buttler miscued, the shape of the innings drastically altered. Liam Livingstone nicked off for five from a wild leg-side swing and Jofra Archer’s unbeaten and powerful 21 was the only significant lower-order contribution. Bethell showed grind to grow his reputation but fell lbw to Jadeja while trying to launch.

It was a big ask for England’s bowlers but Archer and Saqib Mahmood delivered early blows. Jaiswal, a nemesis in the Test series between the two teams last year but a debutant in this format, edged Archer behind for 15 before Rohit Sharma’s misplaced whip left India 19 for two. With Virat Kohli missing due to a knee injury, Iyer and Gill had to bear the brunt of Archer’s pace, the quick’s first three overs conceding just two runs.