Jos Buttler blames Eden Gardens pitch for England’s defeat against India in 1st T20I

Jos Buttler’s England national cricket team faced a crushing defeat at the hands of the Indian national cricket team in the first T20I of the five matches. series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22.

Jos Buttler-led England lost the match against Suryakumar Yadav’s side by 7 wickets to go down 0-1 in the series, with the next match scheduled for Chennai on 25 January.

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England face crushing defeat in Kolkata T20I

The Three Lions lost the toss and were invited to bat first in the game. They got off to a bad start as they quickly lost their first two. Things only got worse for the visitors as the match wore on as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Only skipper Jos Buttler had a good knock as he hit 68 runs off 44 balls, with 8 fours and 2 sixes. In the end, the visiting team was bowled out for 132 runs.

With the ball in the second innings, the English bowlers were taken to clean-up by the Indian openers. The bowlers tried their best but could not do any major damage as India completed the chase in 12.5 overs.

Jofra Archer is a superstar: Jos Buttler

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, England skipper Jos Buttler said the surface came in handy for the bowlers in the first innings and they lost quick wickets.

Jos Buttler further said that Jofra Archer is a superstar and expressed his excitement to see Archer perform alongside Mark Wood. He added that working with Brendon McCullum has been a good experience for him.

“There was a bit of wicket early on and we lost a couple of wickets. He (Jofra Archer) always looks good, he’s a superstar. To see him and Wood performing in tandem is exciting,” Jos Buttler said.

“From place to place, you have to assess the conditions quickly and play well. I’m really enjoying the environment. I’ve always been a fan of Brendon McCullum, great to work with him,” Jos Buttler added.

How did England perform in their previous T20I match against India?

England’s performance in the semi-final match against India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 was disappointing as they lost the match by a huge margin of 68 runs. Chasing a target of 172, England’s batting line-up struggled against Indian bowlers, managing to score just 103 runs in 16.4 overs, before being bundled out.

England’s chase got off to a rough start as they lost early wickets. Captain Jos Buttler (23 off 15 balls) and Phil Salt (5 off 8 balls) were dismissed cheaply, followed by a string of quick wickets. Jonny Bairstow (0), Moeen Ali (8) and Sam Curran (2) fell before England could build momentum. Harry Brook he was the top scorer with 25 runs, but even he couldn’t provide the necessary acceleration.

The turning point came with an incredible spell of bowling from India, led by Axar Patelwho took 3 crucial wickets for just 23 runs. Kuldeep Yadav also contributed significantly with 3/19, while jasprit bumrah2/12 added more pressure on the English batsmen. The English batsmen struggled a lot in the Guyana pitch and kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

In the end, Jofra Archer (21 off 15 balls) tried his best to break some boundaries but it was not enough for the win. Indian bowlers kept the intensity high and England’s batting crumbled under the pressure, losing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 semi-final.