Jos Buttler's England national cricket team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the Indian national cricket team in the first T20I of the five-match series. series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22.
Jos Buttler-led England lost the match against Suryakumar Yadav's side by 7 wickets to go down 0-1 in the series, with the next match scheduled to be played in Chennai on 25 January.
England face a crushing defeat in the Kolkata T20I
The Three Lions lost the toss and were invited to bat first in the match. They got off to a bad start as they quickly lost both of their openings. Things only got worse for the visitors as the game progressed further as they continued to lose wickets at regular intervals.
Only captain Jos Buttler made a good knock as he slammed 68 runs off 44 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes. In the end, the visiting team was bowled out for 132 runs.
With the ball in the second innings, the English bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the Indian openers. The bowlers tried their best but could not do any major damage as India completed the run-chase in 12.5 overs.
Jofra Archer is a superstar – Jos Buttler
Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, England skipper Jos Buttler said the surface came in handy for the bowlers in the first innings and they lost wickets quickly.
Jos Buttler also said that Jofra Archer is a superstar and expressed his excitement to see Archer acting alongside Mark Wood. He added that working with Brendon McCullum was a good experience for him.
“He was a bit in the wicket early and we lost a few wickets. He (Jofra Archer) always looks good, he is a superstar. To see him and Wood working in tandem is exciting,” Jos Buttler said.
“From venue to venue, you have to assess the conditions quickly and play well. I really enjoy the environment. I've always been a fan of Brendon McCullum, great to work with him,” added Jos Buttler.
How did England perform in their previous T20I match against India?
England's performance in the semi-final match against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 was disappointing as they lost the match by a huge margin of 68 runs. Chasing a target of 172, England's batting line-up struggled against the Indian bowlers, managing to score just 103 runs in 16.4 overs before being bundled out.
England's chase got off to a rocky start as they lost early wickets. Captain Jos Buttler (23 off 15 balls) and Phil Salt (5 off 8 balls) were dismissed cheaply, followed by a quick succession of wickets. Jonny Bairstow (0), Moeen Ali (8) and Sam Curran (2) all fell before England could build any momentum. Harry Brook was the top scorer with 25 points, but even he couldn't provide the necessary acceleration.
The turning point came with an incredible bowling spell from India led by Axar Patelwho took 3 crucial wickets for just 23 runs. Kuldeep Yadav also contributed significantly with 3/19 while jasprit bumrah2/12 added more pressure on the English batsmen. England's batsmen struggled badly on the Guyana pitch and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
In the end, Jofra Archer (21 off 15 balls) tried his best by cracking some boundaries but it was not enough for the win. Indian bowlers kept the intensity high and England's batting crumbled under pressure, losing the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final.