India will have a chance to wrap up the three-match ODI series against England on Sunday when the sides head to the Barabati Stadium in Odisha for game two.
The Men in Blue continued their white-ball dominance over the Three Lions on Thursday by winning the first ODI by four wickets in Nagpur to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
Match preview
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After a dominant 4-1 win over England in the recent T20 series, India eased to a comfortable victory at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium last week, finishing the match with 68 balls to spare as they continued their preparation for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Despite Phil Salt and Ben Duckett giving the visitors a solid foundation with a 75-run partnership at the top of the order, the Men in Blue's spinners once again proved too good for the English batting lineup once they were introduced to the attack.
Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were tidy and ended with figures of 1/38 and 1/53 in seven and 9.4 overs respectively, but the pick of the bowlers was Ravindra Jadeja, who was almost unplayable at times, picking up three wickets for just 26 runs in nine overs.
Harshit Rana also made an impressive 50-over debut, knocking over Duckett, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in seven overs, helping his side bowl out the Three Lions for 248 in the 48th over.
While there was plenty to like about the Indian's bowling performance, the standout performance came from the batting lineup, where a returning Shubman Gill scored 87 and put on a 108-run partnership with Patel, who was promoted up the order and got a half-century at better than a run a ball.
All in all, it was a near-perfect performance for the hosts, and what is perhaps the most concerning factor for the visitors is that they did it without the likes of Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, who missed the match due to injury.
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Meanwhile, the result in Nagpur meant that Brendon McCullum's first one-day international in charge ended in defeat, and the series can now be decided unless the New Zealand legend can orchestrate a better showing from his side this weekend.
England entered the match following three straight ODI series losses, and the latest defeat revealed the recurring issues that have plagued their 50-over game since their 2019 World Cup win at Lord's.
After a brief cameo, Salt, Duckett, and the struggling Brook were dismissed in quick succession, and with regular wickets continuing to fall, including Joe Root's return for just 19, they were unable to recover, bowled out for the 21st time in 44 ODIs since the start of 2022.
With ball in hand, Jofra Archer started well, conceding just two runs and dismissing Yashasvi Jaiswal in his first three overs, but his next two overs went for 23, while India managed 71 runs from the first 10 overs, despite Rohit Sharma's dismissal off Saqib Mahmood to mid-wicket for two.
While there is no doubting the talent this England team possesses, what has been lacking is the in-game intelligence required when going up against a team as dominant as India, especially in the sub-continent where tactics sometimes need to be changed by the over.
Team News
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Virat Kohli was seen in the dugout with heavy strapping on his knee during the first ODI and his exclusion from the team was a last-minute decision, though the former skipper is expected to return to the lineup this weekend.
That could mean that Shreyas Iyer, who despite delivering an impressive knock of 59 runs in just 36 balls at number four, will be the one to make way in what is otherwise a settled Indian top order.
For England, veteran spinner Adil Rashid was once again the pick of the bowlers, notching up 2/49 in his 10-over allotment, but outside of that, there was very little for the visitors to get excited about.
Brydon Carse went for over 10 runs per over and ended wicketless, while Mahmood shipped 7.05 runs per over, which could see McCullum turn to speedster Mark Wood for this weekend's match.
India squad: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja
England squad: Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jamie Overton, Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Philip Salt, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Mark Wood
Series so far
ODI 1 of 3: India won by 4 wickets
England - 248 (47.4)
India - 251/6 (38.4)
We say: India to win
India delivered a commanding performance in the first ODI, and did so without two of their best players in Kohli and Bumrah, though the former is expected to return to the lineup for this match.
The hosts seem to be improving with each match leading up to the Champions Trophy, and we feel they will put this series to bed with another victory this weekend.
Devesh Jaganath
