India started their campaign on a solid note as Kuldeep Yadav castled the Englishmen in style. The left-arm wrist spinner bagged a five-for at Manchester to hand India a crucial win. In-form England batsman Jos Buttler ended up on the losing side even after scoring a 46-ball 69.
The hosts lost wickets in quick succession. They could manage to score 159/8 in their allotted 20 overs before KL Rahul helped India chase down the total convincingly. Buttler feels his side will have to counter the spin threat sooner than later.
Buttler reflects on the defeat
He feels they will come back stronger and the side is much better than the performance they put up in the opener. England were at 106/2 at one stage but lost wickets in a hurry. “[Left-arm wristspin] is very rare and he’s a very good bowler,” he added.
Kuldeep causes trouble
“It’s now down to the guys to gain an understanding. You see it a lot in international cricket that guys burst onto the scene and then people get a handle on them. It’s getting used to the angle, wrist-spin is usually right-arm. He’s a good bowler and, as we have seen, wrist spinners have been a big weapon in T20. We know we are a lot better than we showed during that little phase of the game. We just didn’t manage to capitalise on the start.” he said.
Buttler also feels it is important to play in all conditions. The pitch was a bit on the dryer side and the humid temperature didn’t help matters either for the hosts. For India, it was a much-needed win as it will give them confidence going forward. The visitors will look to put pressure on the opposition with their variety of spin and that is where Buttler and co. have to negotiate.