Fifties from Jason Roy, Joe Root and Ben Stokes helped England score 350 for seven at the end of first innings against India in the first ODI at Pune.
Led by newly appointed skipper Virat Kohli, India won the toss and asked England to bat first. Visitors started off well as they pierced gaps early on, keeping the run-rate around six. The first breakthrough came by the end of seventh over when Jasprit Bumrah directly took an aim at stumps and dismissed Alex Hales on just nine.
The two J’s of England, Joe Root and Jason Roy, then carried the side’s innings forward. During the mid-overs, they found the gaps and hammered the bowlers all around the park. Going by his nature of play, Root was docile in the start but picked up pace later on.
Roy, who scored a well made 73, was stumped off Ravindra Jadeja’s delivery while Eoin Morgan followed him on 28. Wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler whacked a few deliveries but later found Shikhar Dhawan at mid-off on 31. Joe Root, who batted for 95 balls, found Hardik Pandya in the deep long-on on 78, giving Jasprit Bumrah his first wicket of the match.
Runs on the board by then did not seem to harm India’s chances, but when Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali entered the frame, equation appeared to change drastically. The hard-hitting all-rounder Ben Stokes wrecked havoc, flashing his skills on the ground. Taking on India’s best seamer Jasprit Bumrah, Stokes proved why his wicket would bring the hosts back in the game.
Moeen Ali too made bowlers go for a beating and Kohli did not seem to enjoy that. During the course of the match, Ali mistimed one to deep fine-leg which eventually fell short of KL Rahul. Missing out on an opportunity to pick him, Virat Kohli showed his aggressive temperament by lashing out on the fielder.
@imVkohli angry over @klrahul11 pic.twitter.com/h7uxIRRrhq
— Vinay mani tripathi (@eevinaymani) January 15, 2017
The pair was however dismissed during the end of the innings but the damage was done. Indian bowlers leaked 115 runs in last ten overs, which saw England score 350 for seven in 50 overs.