 "IND vs ENG: Gill heaps praise on Iyer after pair help India recover from wobbly start en route to victory in Nagpur ODI")
Shubman Gill heaped praise on Shreyas Iyer while captain Rohit Sharma hailed his team for their superb fightback after India defeated England by four wickets in Nagpur to go 1-0 up in the three-match ODI series on Thursday. Gill (87) and Iyer (59) brought up half-centuries and stitched together a crucial 94-run partnership for the third wicket after the Men in Blue were reduced to 19/2 in their chase of the 249-run target set by Jos Buttler and Co.
Speaking to the broadcasters after winning the ‘Player of the Match’ award in the post-match presentation ceremony, Gill revealed that it was Iyer’s counter-attacking approach that not only put the Englishmen under pressure, but also helped him settle down at the crease.
“Trying to be positive. There was a little in it for fast bowlers. Idea was to not to go too much on the back foot, play good cricketing shots. When a player (like Iyer in Nagpur) comes like that, the opposition also goes on the back foot. Good decision on his part, also helped me,” Gill said during the post-match presentation ceremony at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur.
While Rohit carried his horrid red-ball form to the white-ball arena as well by departing for 2, opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal was dismissed by express pacer Jofra Archer for 15 after collecting three boundaries.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIyer, however, eased the nerves in the Indian dressing room by hitting pacer Saqib Mahmood for a boundary three balls after he induced a miscued pull by Rohit in the sixth over. That was followed by back-to-back sixes off Archer in the following over. India ended up reaching 71/2 at the end of the first powerplay and it was the Iyer-Gill stand that turned the tide in their favour.
Picked 🆙
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 6, 2025
..and DISPATCHED Twice 💥💥
Shreyas Iyer gets going in the chase in some style 👌👌
Follow The Match ▶️ https://t.co/lWBc7oPRcd#TeamIndia | #INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @ShreyasIyer15 pic.twitter.com/eGsvGSZVSN
Gill later added 108 for the fourth wicket with Axar Patel (52), who also scored a fifty to put India on the brink of a comfortable victory.
The hosts suffered a wobble close to the finish line, losing three quick wickets for just 14 runs with Gill as well as Axar heading back to the pavilion, but the mini collapse only delayed the inevitable as all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja (12 not out) and Hardik Pandya (9 not out) helped India get over the line with more than 11 overs to spare.
Rohit, meanwhile, acknowledged that the Men in Blue were playing the ODI format after a long time, and wanted to quickly regroup ahead of the all-important ICC Champions Trophy, which gets underway in Pakistan and UAE later this month. The ‘Hitman’ also credited his team to fighting back with bat as well as with ball.
Watch | Yashasvi Jaiswal dives full length to take a spectacular catch in his debut ODI game
Ravindra Jadeja (3/26) and debutant Harshit Rana (3/53) had earlier collected three wickets each as England were bowled out for 248 after racing to 75 for no loss following skipper Buttler’s decision to bat.
“Pretty happy because we knew we were coming after a long time to this format. We wanted to quickly regroup and understand what is to be done. Didn’t start off well with their openers putting pressure on us, but the way we came back was superb. This is a slightly longer format where you have time to come back. When things start to go away from you, it doesn’t mean it will keep going away.
“Credit to the bowlers, everyone chipped in. It was important for us to keep us going, we took wickets at crucial time, the energy on the field was brilliant as well,” said Rohit, who is under immense pressure to regain his form in the one-dayers against England as well as in the Champions Trophy.
The two teams travel to Cuttack where the second game of the three-match ODI series will take place at the Barabati Stadium. Having won the T20I series 4-1, Team India will be aiming to clinch the 50-over series as well with a game to spare.
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