Before the first ODI match between England and India, there was a lot of talk about exciting cricket. However, India dominated in their ten-wicket hammering of England on Tuesday at The Oval, with Jasprit Bumrah tearing through the top-order and finishing with 6-19, his best-ever ODI performance.
India will be aiming to end the series fast in the second ODI at Lord's on Thursday after putting on a strong performance at The Oval, just like they did in the last T20I series, which they ultimately won 2-1.
Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna gave Bumrah plenty of support, allowing India to bowl out England for just 110 despite being 26-5 at one point. Bumrah was at his frightening best in terms of skill and control on a greenish pitch offering seam, swing, and extra bounce.
Shikhar Dhawan, his longtime opening partner who was playing his first ODI since February of this year, was able to settle in and find his rhythm thanks to Rohit Sharma's brilliant batting performance. He hit the game-winning boundary. Rohit Sharma was at his brilliant best with the bat, using his pulls and hooks to precision against the England bowlers' short-ball strategy to remain unbeaten on 76.
After missing the first game owing to a groyne issue, Virat Kohli's participation in the second ODI is still uncertain. However, England's decision to include Ben Stokes, Joe Root, and Jonny Bairstow in the ODI lineup under Jos Buttler's first ODI as the skipper did not go as well as they had hoped, and they now face an uphill battle to maintain the series on the third anniversary of their thrilling World Cup victory at the same location.
Bairstow could only crawl his way to a single digit as Stokes, Root, Liam Livingstone, and Jason Roy were taken in by ducks. However, Buttler persisted and ended up scoring the most for England with 30, joining Moeen Ali, David Willey, and Brydon Carse as the only other batsmen to do so. England was just inefficient with the ball because they couldn't break up the duo of Sharma and Dhawan.
The bowlers at Lord's face a difficulty as they attempt to swiftly adjust to the pitch's inherent slope, which runs diagonally across it. India has the chance to rapidly adjust to the situation and perform at The Oval once more. By securing a victory at Lord's, England has the opportunity to force the series towards a decider at Manchester.
Predicted Squads:
England: Jos Buttler (Captain), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Craig Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley and David Willey
India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ishan Kishan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh.