England captain Jos Buttler iterated the stance of his team that wants to become “aggressive” and “watchable”
Our Bureau
Kolkata
The calendar year changed, but India’s threatening approach in the T20Is remained the same. After ending 2024 on a high note, India picked up the momentum and kickstarted T20Is in 2025 with a bang. With ‘Bazball’ taking over white-ball cricket, India’s ‘Gamball’ ensured England’s new era began on a disappointing note. Brendon McCullum watched his side getting blown away by T20 World Cup champions in his first T20I as England’s white-ball head coach.
At Eden Gardens, where dew was always going to have its say, fortunes favoured India as Suryakumar won the toss and decided to put England to bat. The Indian skipper believes the energy after the toss had set the benchmark for the hosts.
With the amount of freedom that the Indian T20I team is being offered, captain Suryakumar Yadav said, his side wants to play a “bit differently” from the way they played in the T20 World Cup 2024. “We did the same in South Africa. Hardik had the responsibility to bowl the new ball so cushion to play the extra spinner. Varun’s preparations are on point, and Arshdeep is taking the extra responsibility. There’s a lot of freedom given, we want to play a bit differently from what we did in the 2024 T20 World Cup,” he added.
After a staggering bowling display, the stage was set for India’s flamboyant batters to raise the heat in Kolkata. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma didn’t stay quiet for long and went all guns blazing in the powerplay.
While Sanju’s time on the crease was cut short by Jofra Archer, Abhishek (79 from 34 deliveries) produced a fusillade of boundaries to knock England out of contention for victory.
While India stood out with the ball and the bat, the efforts involved in the field didn’t go unnoticed. Clinical catching display with dives intended towards saving a single run showed the amount of hard work the Indian team has put in to improve in this particular spectrum.
“The fielding is one area we’ve been working really hard. Let’s take those half chances and make a difference,” he concluded.
With a 7-wicket win in Eden Gardens, the T20I action will now shift to Chennai, where India will look to extend its hot streak in the format on Saturday.
After the white-ball era of ‘Bazball’ began with a shambolic performance at Eden Gardens, England captain Jos Buttler iterated the stance of his team that wants to become “aggressive” and “watchable”.
In the battle of heavyweights where a high-scoring run-fest looked destined, English batters came under the weather. India’s perfectly executed plan quickly overwhelmed England’s established stars in the T20I format.
Even though the toss fell in India’s favour, England were expected to hit the high 180s, considering the firepower they held within their arsenal. Buttler quickly identified the best possible route for picking up runs, but it wasn’t the case for the rest of his compatriots.
While England would certainly need to reflect on its batting approach, tearaways Mark Wood and Jofra Archer offered some reprieve with their scorching spells. “There was a little in the wicket early on didn’t expect that, but if you came through that phase, it was a good pitch and a fast-scoring ground. Some really good players in there, we’ll be better for the run-out. Jof (Archer) looked good, and Mark Wood bowled fast. It was exciting,” Buttler said in the post-match presentation.
Even though it wasn’t the start that England would have expected, Buttler didn’t shy away from expressing his admiration for new white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum.
“We want to be aggressive and watchable, but venue to venue got to assess conditions. Enjoyment of the game is always there. I’m enjoying the environment. I’m a big McCullum fan and always have been. Enjoying working with him,” he concluded.
After succumbing to a 7-wicket defeat in the series opener, England will aim to bounce back as the T20I action now shifts to Chennai.
