Rohit Sharma-led India secured a four-wicket victory over England, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. However, despite winning the series opener, India captain Rohit Sharma was left disappointment with Indian batters. While chasing a target of 249 runs, the hosts faced some early setbacks, losing a couple of wickets at the beginning and then experiencing a few more towards the end. Despite these hiccups, Rohit expressed his satisfaction with the team's overall performance and encouraged them to maintain the same level of play in the remaining matches and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. During the post-match presentation, commentator Murali Kartik asked Rohit about specific areas where he saw room for improvement.
“I think we manage to tick all the boxes, and the players should keep doing the right things as long as possible. It was important to start on a winning note as we are playing ODIs after a long time,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation.
Rohit Sharma unhappy despite India's win over England in 1st ODI
Rohit then addressed one area of concern, expressing his disappointment while also defending his teammates.
“I feel we shouldn’t have lost those wickets in the end. But it happens as batters try to dominate the batters,” Rohit further added.
England posted 247 on the board despite half centuries from Jos Buttler (52) and Jacob Bethell (51). Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja remained India's wrecker-in-chiefs as they together notched six wickets for the team.
In reply, Shubman Gill led India's batting effort with a crucial 87 runs off 96 deliveries, which was decorated 14 boundaries. Gill formed crucial partnerships with both Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar Patel (52) which helped India overhaul England's target in just 38.4 overs. Gill's excellent performance with the bat earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match award.
India and England will now lock horns with each other in the second ODI which is scheduled to be played on February 9 in Odisha.