England suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the first ODI against India.
Former England skipper Eoin Morgan, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, has backed current captain Jos Buttler to bounce back after the home side suffered a humiliating defeat to India in the first game of the three-ODI series at the Oval on Tuesday (July 12).
Buttler's tenure as England's white-ball captain hasn't gotten off to a good start. After losing the T20I series against India 2-1, the Men in Blue rolled over them by 10 wickets in the first ODI.
“I know what this feels like. It’s not nice — you focus inwards, not outwards. But, having had the experience both playing and leading previously that Jos has had, he will see this as an opportunity in that changing room to reiterate a very clear and strong message about where they are going and what they’re doing," Morgan said after the match on Sky Sports.
In the ODI series opener, the English side was on the verge of posting its lowest score ever at 68/8 when David Willey (21 off 26 balls) and Brydon Carse (15 off 26 balls) provided some fight and raised the team's total to 110.
Indian openers Rohit Sharma (76* off 58 balls) and Shikhar Dhawan (31* off 54 balls) saw the team cruised past the total with more than 30 overs to spare.
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The former captain continued by explaining how everyone pays close attention to what the captain has to say in the England dressing room after a defeat.
“People will be in that changing room wanting to flinch and wanting an out, but that is the time to lead. You can give the best possible message to somebody, and if they’re not listening it doesn’t go anywhere," Morgan said.
“But I can guarantee you that when you lose, everybody in the changing room listens. A clear-cut message from your leader at times like this, and for your senior players to embody it, is crucial," he added.
Eoin Morgan recalled occasions when, as captain, he wanted the team to continue their new approach in ODIs despite a few poor performances and hoped that Buttler and the head coach Matthew Mott would do the same.
“There were a couple of times early on in my captaincy and continued questions throughout. I look back at Lord’s, I think, against South Africa, and Adelaide where we were 8-5. Those are key moments where people are waiting to go ‘let’s be smarter, let’s pull back in a bit’.
“That’s not where Jos Buttler and his England team want to be. They want to be at the forefront of performance, win World Cups, and be considered to be the best side in the world. And I think that’s what he will be saying to his side." he remarked.
The second ODI will be played at Lord's on Thursday (July 14).
(SKY SPORTS INPUTS)