England captain Jos Buttler shared his thoughts on his team’s defeat to India in the fifth and final match of the series, expressing disappointment over the result.
India secured a commanding 4-1 series victory with a historic win at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, thanks to Abhishek Sharma’s outstanding all-round performance. The hosts had already sealed the series before this match.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Buttler acknowledged both the positives and areas for improvement for England while praising the Indian team.
“We’re disappointed to lose the series, but we’ve done some things well and some things we want to improve on. We want to keep committing to this style of cricket and execute better. India are a fantastic side, especially at home, and we’re better for the experience, the experience of great crowds like this at the Wankhede. Positives: Some of the guys’ bowling performances – even today, Brydon Carse and Mark Wood were outstanding. I’ve seen a lot of cricket, and I thought Abhishek’s innings today was one of the best,” Buttler was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying.
Match Recap
England won the toss and chose to bowl first, but Abhishek Sharma put on a spectacular show with the bat. He smashed 135 runs off just 54 balls, hitting seven fours and 13 sixes, powering India to a total of 247/9.
For England, Brydon Carse led the bowling attack with three wickets, while Mark Wood picked up two.
Chasing 248, England struggled against India’s bowlers. Opener Philip Salt (55 off 23 balls, 7 fours and 3 sixes) was the only batter to put up a fight. The rest of the batting lineup faltered, and England was bowled out for just 97, with nine overs still to spare.
India’s bowlers dominated, with Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Dube, and Varun Chakravarthy each taking three wickets.
Abhishek Sharma was named ‘Player of the Match’, while Varun Chakravarthy earned the ‘Player of the Series’ award.