ENG vs IND 2022, 1st ODI | Bowling first was the right call to make, remarks Rohit Sharma

07/12/2022

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After a scintillating 10-wicket win over England, India captain Rohit Sharma has backed his decision of opting to field on Tuesday in the ODI series opener at The Oval. Rohit, at the post-match presentation, also lauded Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami for using overcast conditions upfront.

India continued to sparkle in the UK with a resounding 10-wicket win over Jos Buttler's England ion Tuesday in the first of the three-match ODI series at The Oval. After putting the hosts into bat, the Indian pace attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, tore the potent English batting unit apart, reducing them to 26/5 in 7.5 overs and then eventually bowled them out for a paltry 110 in 25.2 overs.

There were overcast conditions at The Oval during the initial phase of England's innings, and Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took every bit of advantage of that. India's magnificent pace duo, particularly Bumrah, was too hot for the English batters to handle on a day when he returned his career-best ODI figures of 6-19. Shami was impressive as well, taking three crucial wickets, while Prasidh Krishna had the other one. Then coming to see off the below-par target, Rohit Sharma (76* off 58 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (31* off 54 balls) left unharmed and got the job done in 18.4 overs.

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Notably, it was India's first 10-wicket win against England in ODIs. Simultaneously, it was the first instance that England lost by this margin at home.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, Rohit highlighted how his premier fast bowlers took all the advantage of the overcast conditions after he won the toss and asked them to deliver.

"Looking at the pitch and the overhead conditions, it was the right call to make. We never really worry about the conditions. We saw during the T20s as well when the pitch was flat; we came out and did the job. Today was more suitable for the fast bowlers. When you play in conditions like that, you need to understand what kind of assistance bowlers are going to get. We know the quality of the bowlers," Rohit said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

Further, when asked about his unbroken 114-run opening-wicket partnership with Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit heaped praise on his partner, saying Dhawan has got loads of experience and everyone knows what he can do at the highest level.

"[Dhawan and I] have played a lot of cricket together. We understand each other well, except for the first ball [when there was a run-out chance]... We know what he brings for us; very experienced player," Rohit added.

India will next play against England on July 14 for the second ODI at Lord's, London.