England’s stand-in captain Jos Buttler had led the team well in the second ODI against India on March 26 in Pune. Buttler, who is captaining in place of Eoin Morgan, who hurt his webbing and required stitches after hurting his hand during the first ODI on March 23 at the MCA stadium.
England won the second ODI to level the series 1-1, as they chased down 337 runs with ease and more than 6 overs in hand. Jonny Bairstow made 124, Ben Stokes made 99, and Jason Roy made 55 runs, as India failed to contain the batsmen right from the start.
Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes (Image Credit: Twitter)
India had fared well after they were put in to bat first as Jos Buttler won the toss. KL Rahul made 108, Rishabh Pant slammed 77 and Virat Kohli made 66. Hardik Pandya also contributed quick 30-odd runs to the Indian total of 336/6.
Talking about the upcoming third ODI match between India and England, Jos Buttler was asked about his counterpart Virat Kohli and he touched upon the spat two had during the 5th T20I at Ahmedabad.
Virat Kohli Is A Very Competitive Guy And All Of This Series Has Been Fiercely Competitive: Jos Buttler
During the series-deciding 5th T20I between India and England, a heated exchange between Virat Kohli and Jos Buttler happened. The duo exchanged some words as Virat Kohli followed Buttler after he was dismissed before umpires intervened. Buttler kept on walking towards the dugout before taking few steps back to confront the Indian skipper.
Virat Kohli Jos Buttler Fight.
“Someone like Virat is a very competitive guy and an emotional player, and he rides the emotions of the games. All of this series has been fiercely competitive,” England’s acting captain said about his Indian counterpart.
Myself And Eoin Morgan Have A Very Similar View On The Game: Jos Buttler
Another question that Jos Buttler was asked about how he feels standing in for Eoin Morgan as captain and whether his captaincy styles differ from that of the 2019 World Cup-winning Irishman.
“Myself and Eoin have a very similar view on the game and that runs throughout the team as well. It’s not just us as captain and vice-captain, it’s a lot of senior players, and anyone who really plays in the side, which is a big plus for English cricket,” the 30-year-old said about his leadership role.
“I was thinking yesterday, if I wasn’t ready to step into Morgs’ shoes when he’s not playing now, I never would be. He’s one of the best captains I’ve ever played under and a great friend and I’ve learned a lot from talking to him about leadership and how he captains. That’s certainly helped me feel more comfortable,” Buttler concluded.
The series is tied 1-1 and the third ODI will be the deciding one for both teams. For England it will be a chance to end their long tour of India on a high after losing the Test and T20I series; while for India, it will be a huge morale booster to beat the world champions in their own game on Sunday, March 28.
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