IND vs ENG: "They started well but the way we came back was superb" Rohit Sharma hails bowlers for win in 1st ODI

Rohit Sharma managed only two runs with the bat but India won by four wickets.

India captain Rohit Sharma has heaped praise on the bowlers and credited them for victory in the 1st ODI against England.

India kicked off the three-match IND vs ENG ODI series with a four-wicket win in Nagpur. That was despite England getting off to a strong start with both bat and ball.

After Jos Buttler won the toss and elected to bat first, Phil Salt and Ben Duckett smashed 75 runs off 8.4 overs. But, once Salt got run out, England suffered a slide.

They slipped from 75/0 to 77/3 and then kept losing wickets as the Indian bowlers squeezed from both ends. Even as Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell recorded half-centuries, they could only take the total to 248, which India chased down with more than 10 overs to spare.

Ravindra Jadeja (3/26) and Harshit Rana (3/53) returned with terrific figures, while Axar, Hardik and Kuldeep took one wicket each.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Sharma said, “Pretty happy. We all knew we are playing this format after a long time. I thought right from the beginning we played as per expectation. They did start well but the way we came back was superb.”

Rohit Sharma reveals why Axar Patel was promoted ahead of KL Rahul

In the chase, India were left in a precarious position when Shreyas Iyer was dismissed for 59 after a 94-run stand with Shubman Gill with the scoreboard reading 119/3.

Instead of KL Rahul, Axar Patel walked in at No. 5 and plundered 52 runs off 47 balls, forming a 108-run stand with Gill and effectively sealing the chase.

Rohit explained the reason for Axar’s promotion over Rahul was to have a left-hander at the crease to target Adil Rashid.

“We wanted a leftie in the middle. It is as simple as that. We know they will spin it back into the left-handers so we wanted a leftie. Gill and Axar batted brilliantly out in the middle,” Sharma added.

The second ODI will be played in Cuttack on Sunday.

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