India v England, 1st ODI: 5 Talking Points

The first India v England match of the series has already been one of those matches that has set the tone for the rest of the series. Of course, it was played on a drab and a dry track at the International Stadium in Pune on a warm evening, but the fact is that the high-scoring encounter would ensure that the ticket sales are at a maximum. Just the way players from both sides batted, many would leave their work just to come out and watch the match the next encounter.

The fact was simply that the Indians were on the backfoot for the most of the encounter. Until Kedar Jadhav and Virat Kohli made their way out to bat, it was England all the way. The duo also exhibited an impressive show of character before the likes of Hardik Pandya ensured that the victory was indeed the home sides. While there were a lot of talking points on the day, here are five of the most prominent talking points on the day.

Roy and Root decimate Indian bowling attack

While Alex Hales simply could not fire on the day, it was his opening partner Jason Roy who went the full monty by smashing the ball to different parts of the Pune stadium. It was important for the England openers to ensure that they did not get bogged down by the England bowlers. However, despite all of this, there was a massive requirement for the top-order batsmen as they went ahead and ensured that the Brits had indeed laid the foundation to ensure a massive launching pad for England. Jason Roy and Joe Root slammed impressive 70’s as the Britons would eventually go on to post 350.

Ben Stokes makes death overs count

The southpaw Ben Stokes and his batting game are something that is tailor-made for the death batting. His left-handed swing of Stokes came to good effect as Stokes went ahead and simply decimated the Indian bowlers with some terrific batting. His blitz of 62 from just 40 deliveries ensured that England did indeed power into the impressive 350 score that they could defend to say the least.

England seamers crack the whip on Indian top-order

The England pace attack is one that has been honed for a few years. While their talent was shown in the World T20 last year, it was quite clear that they had a job at hand in the opening series of overs especially with bowling to a batting unit that had names such as MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli on it. David Willey, Chris Woakes, and Jake Ball ensured that the Indians would lose most of their top order in the opening parts of their innings. KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, and former skipper MS Dhoni would lose their wickets before making any or no starts. England were well and truly on top at the time as well.

Kohli and Jadhav play the famed ‘messiah role’

At 63/4, it was well and truly England’s game to lose. However, it was the brilliance of Virat Kohli, now the captain of the side as well as he would go on to smash the ball to various parts as well play some audacious shots as well. He was joined in his winning crusade by Kedar Jadhav who would go on to impress with some fantastic batsmanship as well. While Kohli’s innings was something that he usually plays, the batting of Kedar Jadhav was something that caught the eye of one and all. Playing in his home ground and with somewhat of a cramp, it seemed quite clear that his character was there for all to see. He was also suitably named as the man of the match.

Pandya, Ashwin, and Jadeja ensure India coasts to victory

Virat Kohli’s first win as captain came from the likes of himself and Kedar Jadhav. However, when he eventually lost his wicket, it was the lower middle-order that would eventually ensure that the Indians would have their win. The lower-middle order essentially comprises of Hardik Pandya, Ravi Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja who would go on to ensure the win with some impressive batting in the last 10 overs.

Here is the winning shot of the game:

That is how you finish things off. In style! #TeamIndia go 1-0 up in the series @Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/BAAtZemVtG

— BCCI (@BCCI) January 15, 2017