Jasprit Bumrah’s career-best 6-19 put England on its knees, and Rohit Sharma’s half-century finished off India’s crushing 10-wicket win in their one-day international at the Oval.
India shredded a formidable batting order for 110 runs in just 25.2 overs then watched openers Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan knock off the target in 18.4, leaving the advertised day-night match barely stretching into early evening.
With muggy conditions and a green track, captain Sharma chose to bowl first and did not have long to wait for the seamer Bumrah to get things moving.
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Jason Roy dragged down his stumps, and Joe Root lasted two balls when he grazed a lifter from Bumrah for the first of three catches for Rishabh Pant.
In came Ben Stokes, no stranger to a crisis, but his first ODI innings in a year lasted exactly one delivery. Mohammed Shami attacked from round the wicket, jagged it in hard off the seam and clipped the inside edge. Pant made a sharp diving catch down the leg side.
The worst dismissal was Liam Livingstone’s. He tried to force his way through the tricky situation by charging Bumrah. He over-committed, over-balanced and left his stumps fatally exposed in an ugly exit.
Moeen Ali was spared the fate of becoming England’s fifth duck when a half-chance evaded the wicketkeeper, but it was not long before he fed a low return catch to Prasidh Krishna.
The four zeros on the scorecard told a sorry tale for England. The return of test captain Stokes and the in-form Jonny Bairstow and Root reunited five of England’s top six batters from the 2019 Cricket World Cup — the only absentee recently retired captain Eoin Morgan. But the lineup was blown away by India.
Bairstow, fresh from a career-best run of red-ball form, wafted at Bumrah and was gone for 7.
England was burning through its options in a hurry and lost its last best hope when Jos Buttler top-edged Shami to deep square. He had been relatively immune until then, top-scoring with 30 at almost a run-a-ball.
“It’s a very tough day, we really came third in a two-horse race,” said Buttler. “I thought we were undone by some fantastic bowling. Three of the top four are in the best form of their life, having played some fantastic Test cricket, and they are getting out.”
When Shami bowled Craig Overton to make it 8-68, a new record low appeared to be incoming, but David Willey (21) and Brydon Carse shared a risky stand of 35 to break a hundred.
Bumrah returned to see off both, leaving the India openers with a simple task.
They almost started with a run out off the first ball of the innings, but that was a red herring as Sharma and Dhawan progressed with ease.
Willey was pulled for an early six by the skipper, the first of five maximums launched over the ropes as England unwisely fed his favourite shot.
Reece Topley suffered after a change of ends, struggling to settle on a line or length and shipping 16 in his third over, while Overton’s tepid four-over spell cost 34.
Sharma was flexing now, easing Carse for 18 in an over as the bowler repeatedly dropped short and paid the price. Sharma ended on 76 not out and Dhawan 31 not out in a total of 114.
The second ODI is on Thursday at Lord’s, and the third and last on Sunday at Old Trafford.
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