Jos Buttler defeats England in India’s 1st T20I at Eden Gardens

Jos Buttler’s England national cricket team suffered a heavy defeat against the Indian national cricket team in the first T20I of the five-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22.

England, led by Jos Buttler, lost the match against Suryakumar Yadav’s team by 7 wickets and won the series 0-1.The next match will be played in Chennai on January 25.

Also Read: Hardik Pandey overtakes Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah in legends list after taking 2 wickets against England

England suffered a heavy defeat in the Kolkata T20I.

The three lions were invited to play early in the game. They were off to a poor start as they lost both their openers quickly. Things got worse as the game progressed as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Only Jos Buttler was able to knock better, hitting 68 runs off 44 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes. In the end, the visiting team was bowled out for 132 runs.

In the second ball of the innings, the English bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the Indian openers. The bowlers tried their best but did not do any major damage as India completed the run in 12.5 overs.

Jofra Archer is a star player – Joss Butler

England captain Jos Buttler said at the post-match presentation ceremony that the surface helped the bowlers in the first innings and they lost quick wickets.

Joss Buttler went on to say that Jofra is a star player in Archer, and expressed his delight at seeing Archer work with Mark Wood. He added that working with Brendon McCullum was a great experience for him.

“He was a bit early in the wicket and we lost a couple of wickets. He (Jofra Archer) always looks good, he is a superstar. It will be interesting to see him and Wood perform in similar conditions,” said Jos Buttler.

“From position to position you have to assess situations quickly and play well. I’m really enjoying the environment. I’ve always been a fan of Brendon McCullum, it’s great to work with him,” added Jos Buttler.

How did England perform in their previous T20I match against India?

England’s performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final against India was abysmal, losing by a huge margin of 68 runs. Chasing a target of 172, England’s batting line-up struggled against the Indian bowlers and managed to score just 103 runs in 16.4 overs before being bundled out.

England’s chase got off to a flying start as early wickets were lost. 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 Brooke was the top scorer with 25 runs, but even he couldn’t get the necessary acceleration.

The turning point came with an amazing bowling spell from India, led by Axar Patel, who took 3 crucial wickets for just 23 runs. Kuldeep Yadav contributed heavily with 3/19, while Jasprit Bumrah’s 2/12 added more pressure on the English batsmen. England’s batsmen have been struggling badly on the Guyana pitch and keep losing wickets regularly.

In the end, Jofra Archer (21 off 15 balls) tried his best to break some boundaries but it was not enough for the win. India’s bowlers kept the momentum high, and England’s fightback crumbled under pressure, losing in the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.