NAGPUR, India (Reuters) – India’s middle order batter Shreyas Iyer had to cut short a movie night and turn in earlier than planned on Wednesday but a match-defining half-century against England the next day made it all worthwhile.
Iyer’s belligerent 59 off 36 balls set up India’s comfortable chase of 249 in the one-day series opener, which the hosts completed inside 39 overs to go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
The previous evening, a call from captain Rohit Sharma informed Iyer he would be playing the series opener as Virat Kohli had been laid low by a knee niggle.
“I was watching a movie last night, I thought I could extend my night, but then I got a call from skipper saying that you may play because Virat has got a swollen knee,” Iyer told broadcaster Star Sports after India’s four-wicket victory.
“And then (I) hurried back to my room, went off to sleep straightaway.”
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal made his ODI debut in the match partnering Rohit at the top of the batting order.
Dropping down to number three to accommodate Jaiswal, Shubman Gill smashed 87, which earned him the player-of-the-match.
India appear keen to play Jaiswal as the lone left-handed batter in their top four for the Champions Trophy later this month.
The makeup of India’s batting lineup when Kohli returns for the second ODI against England on Sunday remains unclear.
India will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against neighbours Bangladesh in Dubai on Feb. 20.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)
