“I am pretty happy with how I am striking the ball” - Jonny Bairstow
England batsman Jonny Bairstow has said he is pretty with the form he has displayed in the limited-overs matches during the ongoing tour of India.
Jonny Bairstow had a horror run in the Test matches but has been impressive in the shorter formats. He smashed 94 from 66 in the first ODI even as England went down by 66 runs in a chase of 318.
Speaking at a virtual press conference on Wednesday, Jonny Bairstow said he is feeling good about the manner in which he is striking the ball. He stated:
"I'm pretty happy with it (striking the ball). I was happy in the T20Is, the runs I scored in there. Batting at No. 4 and being there at the end was really pleasing for me. First time since September, I batted in the top order. It would have been nice to get three figures. It also says where we are as a group. You are trying to take the game forward. On a personal level, I am happy with how I'm playing, moving and striking the ball as well as I have been. Hopefully that continues."
Despite Jonny Bairstow’s blistering knock in the first ODI, England folded up for 251. Along with his opening partner Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow added 135 for the opening wicket. But once the pair were separated, England crumbled under pressure.
Skipper Eoin Morgan (22) and Moeen Ali (30) got starts but could not convert them into substantial knocks. Debutant Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur ran through the England line-up, claiming four and three wickets respectively.
Knowing where you are going to bat definitely helps: Jonny Bairstow
Over the course of his limited-overs career, Jonny Bairstow has been constantly shunted up and down the order. He batted in the middle-order in the T20Is but opened the batting in the first ODI. The attacking batsman admitted that knowing where one is going to bat is definitely beneficial.
“Helps a lot (knowing where you are going to bat). Having some stability in where you are going to be batting is important. You are able to prepare for that and you are able to come into the one-day series knowing potentially a game plan - where you are going to be and how you go about the challenges the opposition may throw at you,” explained the 31-year-old.
He added that the ongoing series is another building block towards the T20 World Cup.
“We spoke about building blocks about the 2019 World Cup, putting ourselves in different circumstances and coming out of that being better players. It will test us again. We gonna come up again. We are missing a few of the guys. It is an opportunity for people to come in and play different roles and also implement the skills,” Jonny Bairstow said.
The second ODI of the three-match series will be played in Pune on March 26.