The Rohit Sharma-led India National Cricket Team and Jos Buttler-led England National Cricket Team went head-to-head with each other in the ODI series opener at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Jamtha, Nagpur on Thursday, February 6.

Rohit Sharma’s Team India delivered a brilliant performance in the game and clinched a 4-wicket win with 68 balls remaining to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Also Read: Harshit Rana achieves unbelievable feat that even Jasprit Bumrah couldn’t dream of

I thought right from the beginning, we were very much what it was expected from us – Rohit Sharma

In the bowling department, Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja shined for India as they bagged three wickets each, while Mohammed Shami, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav got one wicket each.

With the bat, Shubman Gill shined during the chase with his 87-run knock. Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel also hit brilliant fifties to help their team win.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Rohit Sharma said that he was happy with the performance of his team, especially with the way they made a comeback after struggling initially.

“Yeah, pretty happy. We all knew that we are coming off from a long time playing in this format. It was important for us to regroup as quickly as possible and try and understand what was required from each one of us. I thought right from the beginning, we were very much what it was expected from us. Obviously it did not start off well as their openers batted really well but I feel we have made a good comeback,” Rohit Sharma said.

“Yeah look, in this format, you will always have a chance to make a comeback. There will be phases when things will drift away from you but you need to have the skillset to pull things back. The credit goes to the bowlers with the way they bowled and we have done a brilliant job to pull things back. We were really good in the field as well.”

No look, we wanted a leftie in the middle order, it was pretty simple for us – Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was further asked to explain the thought process behind promoting Axar Patel to the No.5 spot in the batting order above the likes of KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. He replied:

“(On Axar Patel) No look, we wanted a leftie in the middle order, it was pretty simple for us. We wanted to take on the two spinners in that middle phase. We all know how good Axar has been with the bat.”

Rohit Sharma further lauded Axar Patel and Shreyas Iyer for their batting masterclass and said that they did a good job overall, but was disappointed that they lost wickets in cluster at the back-end.

“He has proved it time and again, really happy with his performance and also the partnership with Shreyas. Nothing specific. Overall as a team, I just want us to keep doing the right things as much as possible. We want to tick as many boxes as we can in all the departments. We did something similar today. Although I felt we shouldn’t have lost so many wickets in the backend but guys have been trying their best to put pressure on the opposition,” Rohit Sharma said.

How Did India Perform In The Previous IND vs ENG ODI?

India delivered a great performance in their previous ODI against England, which took place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow. The Men In Blue crushed the Three Lions to secure a dominant 100-run victory.

India batted first on a tricky pitch and they faced early setbacks. The ship was steadied by captain Rohit Sharma’s brilliant 87-run innings which came off 101 balls. Despite wickets falling around him, Rohit held the innings together and he was supported by Suryakumar Yadav’s 49-run innings. Eventually, India finished up with a score of 229 for 9 in their 50 overs, which was a good total looking at the conditions on offer.

Defending 230, Indian bowlers showcased a brilliant performance. Jasprit Bumrah (3/32) and Mohammed Shami (4/22) destroyed England’s batting unit and they received great support from Kuldeep Yadav (2/24) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/16). India bowled out England for 129 in just 34.5 overs, securing an amazing win.