With Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Joe Root featuring in an ODI XI together for the first time since England's epic triumph in the 2019 World Cup final, this was supposed to be one big English batting party. Known for batting in ODIs and even Tests in cavalier fashion these days, England looked set to churn out the latest version of 'Bazball' when India won the toss and asked them to bat first in the first ODI at The Oval.
AS IT HAPPENED | SCORECARDExcept that the hosts didn't account for a 'perfect storm' in Jasprit Bumrah, which made a mockery of their ambitions and techniques against the moving ball. On a cloudy afternoon, on an unusually greenish pitch, which perhaps had been prepared to test India's batsmen, 'Boom Boom' Bumrah came down like a ton of bricks on England, and they had nowhere to hide but surrender to his class.
Returning career-best figures of six for 19 in 7.2 overs of top-class fast bowling, Jasprit Bumrah, with fine support from new-ball partner Mohammed Shami (3-31), sent England crashing to 110 all out in 25.2 overs. The old, reliable firm of skipper Rohit Sharma (76 not out, 58b, 7x54, 5x6) and Shikhar Dhawan (31 not out, 54b, 4x4) then completed the demolition job, crossing the puny target in just 18. 4 overs to ensure a 10-wicket romp for India. This is the first time that they have beaten England by that big a margin in an ODI.
Bumrah stars for India
England now just have a day to recover from this bruising defeat before the second ODI at Lord's on Thursday. Rohit and Dhawan's unbeaten 114-run opening stand was their 18th 100-run alliance in ODIs, and they have now also crossed 5,000 runs as a pair. However, the game and the day belonged to Bumrah, who made the ball talk and the batsmen dance to his tunes.
In a lethal first spell which read 5-1-9-4, the fast bowler, unleashing thunderbolts from wide of the crease, dislodged the entire England top-order -Jason Roy (0), Joe Root (0), Jonny Bairstow (7) and Liam Livingstone (0) - to send them tottering at 26 for five in the eighth over.
While Roy succumbed to an expansive cover drive off a ball outside the off stump which grazed his bat on its way to the stumps, Root was done in by extra bounce and edged the ball behind, where Rishabh Pant dived in front of first slip to pull off a fine catch. Bairstow edged behind a beauty which moved in just a bit outside off stump, and Livingstone, realizing he doesn't have the technique to cope with this level of fast bowling, charged down the wicket, miles away from an inswinging yorker which uprooted his stumps.
Bumrah then returned to take two more wickets and erased a bit of nostalgia, bettering the six for 23 by Ashish Nehra at Durban during the 2003 World Cup to finish with the best figures by an Indian bowler against England in an ODI. This is also the first time an Indian pacer has taken a six-wicket haul in England in an ODI.
Four of the top six English batsmen were out for ducks, a rare occurrence indeed. When they were in complete tatters at 68 for eight in the 17th over, England looked in danger of being bowled out for their lowest ODI total ever - 86 against Australia in Manchester in 2001. However, they avoided that ignominy and scraped past 100 thanks to a 35-run stand for the ninth wicket between David Willey (21) and Brydon Carse (15).
Kohli, Arshdeep sit out with injuriesAs expected, former India captain Virat Kohli missed out on the game due to a "mild groin strain," thus delaying his bid to find form soon. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh too was unavailable for the match due to a "right abdominal strain."