Birmingham, July 15 (IANS) England captain Harry Brook felt the pitch became easier to bat on in the second innings after his side suffered a six-wicket defeat to India in the opening ODI at Edgbaston but admitted that his team’s middle-order collapse ultimately proved decisive.

After opting to bat first, England slumped from 61 without loss to 80/5 after losing five wickets for just 20 runs. A fighting 121-run stand between Joe Root (76 not out) and Liam Dawson (68) lifted the hosts to 258 before Axar Patel claimed the last four wickets to finish with figures of 4-62.

India chased down the target in 45.2 overs through Shubman Gill’s fluent 80 before he retired hurt, while Axar Patel (57 not out) and Washington Sundar (52 not out) shared an unbroken 102-run partnership to seal victory and give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Reflecting on the defeat, Brook believed the surface behaved differently in the chase. “Today, there was a poor period when we lost five for 20 runs, which has obviously made a massive difference in the game, really. I think the pitch changed a little bit from the first innings to the second innings, which made it easier for them to chase down what we thought at the halfway line was a decent score,” Brook told reporters after the match.

The England skipper acknowledged that the batting collapse hurt his side more than anything else, despite Root and Dawson rescuing the innings. “Their partnership was vital. I thought they played it perfectly for the situation. Very risk-free, didn’t really hit the ball in the air much, and got us up to what we thought was a total that we could defend,” he added.

Looking ahead, Brook insisted England would continue building towards the 2027 ODI World Cup while focusing on improving in the ongoing series.

“Obviously, the focus, the 2027 World Cup, comes into view quite heavily. There are always areas you want to get better at in any format. The World Cup’s a long way away, and hopefully we can come back stronger in Cardiff,” he said.

Brook also welcomed the return of all-rounder Brydon Carse to the squad, saying the all-round seamer adds aggression and balance ahead of the remaining two ODIs.

“He’s been a very good bowler in all formats for England. He’s aggressive, wears his heart on his sleeve, always comes back for more and never drops his pace. He can open the bowling, he’s handy with the bat as well and a very good fielder. He fits what we ask for in the side,” Brook said.

The second ODI of the three-match series will be played in Cardiff on Thursday, where England will look to level the contest after India’s convincing victory at Edgbaston.

–IANS

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