“Indian bowlers held their lengths really well” - Eoin Morgan
England captain Eoin Morgan has credited the Indian bowlers for delivering the goods under pressure in the first ODI, resulting in a stunning batting collapse for the visitors.
Chasing 318 to win the first ODI in Pune, England got off to an incredible start, as openers Jonny Bairstow (94 off 66) and Jason Roy (46 off 35) pummelled the Indian bowlers in a blistering first -wicket stand of 135 in 14.2 overs. However, once the partnership was broken, it was India all the way.
Speaking at a virtual press conference post England’s 66-run defeat, Eoin Morgan opined that the line and lengths bowled by the Indian bowlers did not allow England to get away. He said in this regard:
“India held their own and held their lengths really well. I think that's evident in the way the guys got out. All our guys were playing attacking shots. I think if we were all getting out prodding and playing defensive shots, then it would have been an issue."
Bairstow top-scored for England with a scintillating 94 off 66 balls. He slammed six fours and seven sixes during his stay at the crease. Till he was out in the middle, England were in complete command of the proceedings.
However, apart from Bairstow and Roy, no other England batsman could stand up to the Indian bowling attack. Debutant fast bowler Prasidh Krishna picked up four wickets, while Shardul Thakur claimed three as England were bundled out for 251 in 42.1 overs.
The wicket we played on was outstanding: Eoin Morgan
Although England crumbled with the bat in the latter half of their chase, Eoin Morgan praised the wicket and described it as an outstanding one. According to the England captain, the wicket had something in it for the pacers, but once the batsmen got their eye in, it was excellent to bat on as well.
“The wicket we played on was outstanding. It had something for seamers and was beautiful if you managed to get yourself in,” Eoin Morgan said.
Analysing what went wrong for his team after a great start, Eoin Morgan pointed out that they did not build on the foundation provided by their openers. The England captain admitted:
“So when obviously Jonny and Jason established a partnership in the fashion that they did, the other players also tried to do that. We made mistakes; India bowled well. For the majority of the game, we played really well. It is a shame we could not build on the bowling unit's effort to restrict India to just 317, and our two fantastic openers, how they played up front. We failed to continue to build partnerships from there. That was what happened.”
On the personal front, Morgan’s poor run with the bat during the white-ball leg of the tour continued. He was dismissed for 22 by Thakur after failing to deal with a bouncer.