One of the finest white-ball batters in the world, Jos Buttler, was undone on the very first delivery he faced in the first T20I against India. ‘Swing King’ Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the ball to drift inside, shattering Buttler’s stumps.
The spectacle didn’t just sent waves of jubilation among Indian cricket fans but Buttler himself also admitted being impressed by Bhuvi’s delivery.
Speaking after the conclusion of the 1st T20I, Buttler conceded that England were completely outplayed by India. While it was Hardik who emerged as the pick of the bowlers for the Men in Blue, it was Bhuvi’s ability to swing the ball in batting-friendly conditions that impressed the England skipper.
“We were outplayed today. India bowled fantastically well, we couldn’t get back from there. Thought we came back well with the ball in the second half. They were a little bit above bar, but their ball swung quite consistently early on and got wickets,” Buttler had said after the match.
“Chris Jordan to come away with figures like that – he did fantastically well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar can swing it on most places. It swung more than usual, we probably had to hit one to the stands to reduce the swing (smiles),” he stated.
England will welcome a number of first-team players for the second and the third T20I against India. The likes of Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes, etc. were not eligible for selection in the first T20I because of a schedule clash.
“There are a number of guys out due to schedule or injuries and given some boys some chances. Parkinson stood up to the challenge of bowling late in the innings,” Buttler added.
The second T20I between India and England will be held on Saturday at Edgbaston. For the second and third T20I, even the Indian team would welcome back a number of star players like Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, etc.
