3 players who flopped in the 1st ODI between India and England
A measured 98 from Man of the Match Shikhar Dhawan and vital contributions from many other players helped India take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series with a 66-run win in the 1st ODI against England in Pune. Krunal Pandya and Prasidh Krishna had ODI debuts to remember, while KL Rahul returned to form.
However, a number of players didn't have memorable outings in the 1st ODI. Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer failed with the bat and suffered injuries, while the likes of Tom Curran didn't contribute in either department.
Here are the 3 biggest flops from the 1st ODI between India and England.
#3 Adil Rashid (England)
Adil Rashid has had his fair share of success against Indian skipper Virat Kohli and vice-captain Rohit Sharma, even as recently as the T20I series. Playing as the specialist spinner in a pace-heavy England XI, the leggie was expected to deliver in a similar fashion.
However, Rashid had a disappointing day in the field in Pune. He created a chance by forcing Dhawan into a slog-sweep, only to see Moeen Ali shell a straightforward catch in the deep. The 33-year-old also saw a close LBW call against Dhawan turned down as the opener went on to make 98 priceless runs.
Rashid finished his 9-over spell with figures of 0/66, but had the chance to hang in there with Tom Curran during the chase and give England a brief glimmer of hope. But he nicked off for a duck, bringing a forgettable outing to a close.
#2 Kuldeep Yadav (India)
With Yuzvendra Chahal struggling to find his bearings for the country at the moment, Virat Kohli and the team management opted to give Kuldeep Yadav a go in the ODI format.
The left-arm wrist-spinner didn't have a great introduction to the attack, as Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow were going all guns blazing. But once the dust settled, he had the opportunity to repay the trust shown in him by the support staff.
Sadly, Kuldeep was easily the worst Indian bowler on display. He dished out freebies on a regular basis, and never really looked like picking up a wicket. The 26-year-old's performance was eerily reminiscent of his showing in India's 2019 World Cup encounter against the same opposition, the game which saw his partnership with Chahal broken permanently.
Finishing with figures of 0/68 in 9 overs, Kuldeep is clearly low on confidence and is running out of time to impress.
#1 Jos Buttler (England)
Jos Buttler bats in the middle order for England in ODI cricket, and on this occasion, he came in at No. 5 with the required run rate well within his team's reach. Entrusted with the finisher's role in the format, he would've wanted to get his eye in before taking his side over the finish line.
However, Buttler found himself trapped in front of the stumps by Shardul Thakur, and a review couldn't prevent him from making the long walk back to the pavilion for just 2. This isn't the first time that he's been adjudged out LBW to an inswinger, and he needs to iron out that kink in his technique at the earliest.
Buttler even had a few overs as stand-in captain when Eoin Morgan was off the field with a split webbing, and he had no answers to the explosive shot-making of Krunal Pandya and KL Rahul. Overall, England's wicket-keeper will want to forget this match in a hurry.