India ‘far too good’ for ‘rusty’ England as tourists suffer ‘total destruction’ in first T20 of series – Alastair Cook

It was the first white-ball outing for Jos Buttler’s side since their tour of the Caribbean in November, and their first under new coach Brendon McCullum.

“Ultimately, England looked a little bit rusty,” Cook said on TNT Sports. “Almost just getting into the tour, which is kind of the modern way on these schedules.

“India were far too good and powerful for them.

“They will be better for the run out. I hate using that as a get out, and everybody seems to do it, because there is a lack of preparation time.”

England struggled to a total of 132 from their 20 overs, with Buttler the sole batter to pass 20.

His score of 68 accounted for more than half of the tourists’ score, while Harry Brook (17) and Jofra Archer (12) were the only other batters to reach double figures.

And India made light work of chasing down their target, reaching 133/3 with more than seven overs to spare.

Abhishek Sharma was the star of the show for the hosts, blasting 79 off just 34 balls, including five fours and eight sixes.

“It was total destruction,” Cook continued. “He [Sharma] did give a decent chance to [Adil] Rashid early on in his innings, but other than that, there was not much margin for error to bowl at.

“England have gone very pace heavy. [Mark] Wood, [Gus] Atkinson and [Jofra] Archer. If you can’t scare them, the ball travels miles on a small ground. A couple of the top edges went for six.

“The margin for error of a pace bowler is very small. You’ve got to be very accurate, even if you are bowling 90mph.”

Buttler admits England ‘didn’t expect’ pitch conditions

England’s issues against both spin and pace were exposed early on in their innings.

Phil Salt lasted just three balls before he was dismissed by Arshdeep Singh, who became India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals during the course of the match.

Ben Duckett (4), Liam Livingstone (2) and Jacob Bethall (7) were also removed for single-figure scores.

Captain Buttler, who crashed eight fours and a couple of sixes during his 68, admits the tourists were caught off guard by what the Indian bowlers were able to extract from the pitch.

“There was a little bit in the wicket early on, and we probably didn’t expect that,” he said. “It looked like a really good wicket.

“They found a little bit of movement and we lost a couple of wickets. But if you come through that phase, it’s a pretty good pitch and obviously a really fast scoring ground here.”

There were still some positives for England though, none more so than the bowling of Archer, who delivered figures of two for 21 off his four overs.

The 29-year-old is still being managed carefully, with an eye on making his return to Test cricket against India this summer.

But the 50 over game will soon take centre stage, with the ICC Champions Trophy just around the corner.

Archer is in the squad for that, meaning he could be involved in an ODI tournament for the first time since the 2019 World Cup, where he famously bowled the Super Over in the final as Eoin Morgan’s side lifted the trophy.

“He always looks good,” Buttler said of Archer. “He’s a superstar. He always looks threatening.

“I thought he could have had a few more wickets there. Mark Wood was bowling fast as well. To see the two of them operating in tandem is exciting.”

Buttler also discussed being part of a dressing room led by McCullum for the first time.

The Test coach has replaced Matthew Mott, who was relieved of his duties in the summer, while Marcus Trescothick had been in interim charge until January 1.

McCullum has been in his role with the red ball team since 2022, and is now charged with reviving England’s white ball fortunes.

“I’m really enjoying the environment,” Buttler concluded. “I’m a big McCullum fan. I always was when he was playing.

“It’s great to be working with him in the dressing room now.”

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