The second One Day International (ODI) at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack witnessed an early fielding lapse for the Indian side as all-rounder Axar Patel continued to choke on a straightforward catch of England opener Phil Salt at the hands of Root.
Axar Patel’s Costly Drop in the Powerplay
This incident occurred on the last ball of the sixth over, which was bowled by Hardik Pandya. Salt was looking to score quickly as he tried to hit a ramp shot off a short-pitched delivery. The ball went straight to Axar Patel at third man, but surprisingly, he failed to hold onto the catch.
Axar, who is generally a reliable fielder, could only smile after the dropped opportunity. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya looked visibly frustrated, and other Indian players also expressed their disappointment.
Former India captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar reacted to the drop, saying,
“Even the best of fielders can drop catches. But there it is. It was a simple catch, but the ball bounced out. There’s no explanation for that.”
England Openers Get Off to a Flying Start
Phil Salt and Ben Duckett capitalized on the dropped opportunity, giving England a good platform. The couple put 81 runs in the first 10 overs, pushing the Indian bowling side on to the backfoot.
But in the form of debutant Varun Chakaravarthy, India could finally get England to make not so good use of the powerplay as the latter lost Phil Salt for 26.
Changes in the playing XI for 2nd ODI
Both teams significantly altered their playing XIs:
India:
Virat Kohli has been restored to the XI with Yashasvi Jaiswal’s drop.
Varun Chakaravarthy got his first ODI appearance replacing Kuldeep Yadav
England:
Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, and Jamie Overton were promoted
They replaced Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, and Jofra Archer.
The side also confirmed Tom Banton to replace Bethell, who picked up a hamstring injury. He will join India before the third ODI.
Captains React at the Toss
The England skipper Jos Buttler won the toss and decided to bat first and said:
“We are going to bat first today. We have been pushing in the right direction, play better for longer, and hopefully have a good day today. Looks a bit dry, with black soil. Looks a good wicket.”
India captain Rohit Sharma also spoke about his team’s approach:
“It was a good performance in the first game. That’s what I loved about it. The energy was very good despite not being on the field for a while. It was superb to watch after losing two wickets. Shreyas prides himself on that intent and attitude, and not to forget the contributions of Shubman and Axar as well.
Batting Performance by England After the Missed Catch
After the dropped catch, England continued their aggressive approach, but Indian spinners began to pull things back:
Ben Duckett reached a well-paced fifty, anchoring the innings.
Joe Root and Jos Buttler tried to consolidate after quick wickets.
Varun Chakaravarthy and Ravindra Jadeja kept England’s run rate in check with disciplined bowling.
Despite the initial fielding lapse, India managed to fight back with tight bowling and smart field placements.
Axar Patel’s dropped catch could have been a turning point as it gave England an early opportunity to make some runs. But India’s bowlers made sure that England didn’t capitalise much on the reprieve.
As the game went on, the pressure continued to mount on both teams to execute their plans well.
