England's Strong Start Ends in Defeat as India Take 1-0 Lead
A strong start but a weak finish – what went wrong for England?
England lost their advantage after a promising start and fell to India in the first match of the ODI series in Nagpur. Despite a blazing start from Phil Salt (43 off 26 balls), a series of quick wickets prevented the visitors from regaining momentum.
Captain Jos Buttler (52) and Jacob Bethell (51) attempted to steady the innings, but a total of 248 in 47.4 overs proved insufficient. India responded with a dominant performance from Shubman Gill (87), who, alongside Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar Patel (52), secured victory for the hosts.
Ravindra Jadeja (3/26) and debutant Harshit Rana (3/53) stifled England’s hopes, and despite the absence of Virat Kohli, India calmly sealed the win—though the final moments were slightly tense.