India presented a thumping performance against England in The Oval ODI on Tuesday. Here, we analyse the three takeaways that made the win special for India.
Team India was ruthless, to say the least, as it annihilated England by ten wickets in the opening One-Day International (ODI) at The Oval in London on Tuesday. Carrying its winning momentum from the just-concluded Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) against the side, which the visitors won 2-1, the Indians were deadly across departments, giving the English hardly any time to understand, plan and turn things around. The Men in Blue demoralised the Three Lions with the ball early in the match, leaving the latter clueless. On the same note, we present the three takeaways that made the win special for the former.
Jasprit Bumrah goes 'BOOM BOOM'
Undoubtedly, Bumrah terrorised the English batting line-up with his sheer pace and lethal seam movement throughout the match as he knocked out six of the hosts' batters to push them onto the back foot. After claiming four wickets in the opening ten overs of the innings, it was evident that he was on to something special.
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Bumrah clarified the same after being adjudged the Man of the Match, as he said, "When there's swing and seam movement, it is fascinating in white-ball cricket to get that opportunity because you have to be defensive with the kind of pitches we usually get. When I bowled the first ball, I found some swing, and we tried to exploit that. When it doesn't swing, I have to pull my lengths back. You don't have to try a lot when the ball is doing something. When the wicket is flat, your accuracy is tested. It is a good place to be when the ball is swinging."
English batters somewhat self-destructed themselves
Although the Indian bowlers were good at churning out the first four wickets, the English batters could have avoided the collapse from the fifth wicket onwards had the likes of Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and others batted a little more sensibly. The bounce and seam movement was wearing off as the innings progressed. However, England switched to panic mode too soon and gave away the wickets to become more creative.
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Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan are the ODI pair to watch for India
The conditions were not exactly ideal for India to bat either. However, the worst had passed, and the pitch was better suited to bat. Despite no scoreboard pressure, Rohit and Dhawan decided to start cautiously, unlike India's approach during the T20Is. Nonetheless, both batters displayed their flawless form and finished the job alone, proving they could be the pair to watch the 2023 ICC World Cup in India.