Image: Buttler's 52 anchored the innings after an early England collapse / © Hindustan Times
England vs India in the first ODI of the series at Nagpur saw England opting to bat first after winning the toss. Despite a shaky start, losing four wickets for 36 runs in the middle overs, England managed to post a competitive total of 183/5 in 35.3 overs. Jos Buttler played a crucial role in their recovery, scoring 52 runs off 67 balls, which included four boundaries. His calm and steady knock helped stabilize the innings after early wickets.
Phil Salt (43 off 26) and Ben Duckett (32 off 29) also made valuable contributions. Buttler found support in Jacob Bethell (30* off 48) and Liam Livingstone (5* off 9) towards the end. England’s innings suffered from a collapse, with Joe Root (19 off 31) and Harry Brook (0 off 3) failing to make an impact. The fall of wickets was spread out, with Buttler being dismissed at 170/5 in the 33rd over.
India’s bowlers were disciplined, with Harshit Rana claiming two wickets for 52 runs in 6.3 overs, while Ravindra Jadeja (1/21) and Axar Patel (1/30) also made important breakthroughs. The match remains evenly poised with England’s total at 183/5 with 14.3 overs left.