It was the moment that summed up this England white-ball tour of India: just as it appeared the world’s number one team were on the ropes, an error drastically altered the course of the contest.
At least England’s inquest into a 14th defeat in 21 one-day internationals, stretching back to the start of the World Cup here 16 months ago, has an obvious starting point.
It came in the ninth over, following a blistering start to the match in which Jos Buttler’s team raced to 75 without loss, when an horrific mix-up resulted in Phil Salt being run out.
Minutes later, England were 77 for three, all momentum ceded. They eventually folded for 248 – the target India set them in the fifth and final Twenty20 fixture between the teams last weekend.
Defeat by four wickets was confirmed later than it might have been due to a flurry of Indian dismissals with the finish line in sight, obscuring the margin between the two teams.
Things had been gong so well. Buttler won his third toss in a row and perhaps having learned a lesson from the 2023 tournament – when his England players frazzled in the Maharashtra heat, allowing South Africa to set them a notional 400-run target – opted against inserting the opposition.
England suffered a 14th one-day defeat in 21 international matches on Thursday in Nagpur
It was a cooler 31 degrees when Mohammed Shami sent down a maiden to begin the match, but a temperature nevertheless that had the Indians sweating in the early stages.
Arshdeep Singh and Varun Chakravarthy, India’s best two bowlers from their recent 4-1 win in the T20s, were conspicuous figures in their fluorescent bibs, scurrying around the boundary in the early stages to retrieve balls, thereby reducing the chases for their team-mates, or ferrying drinks.
After sending down his first three overs, Shami briefly left the field to take a breath and in his absence Phil Salt doubled the score by taking 26 off the sixth over, sent down by Harshit Rana, with an array of audacious shots.
Following Duckett’s back-to-back fours off Shami at the other end – the second of which ought to have been caught at mid-on by Hardik Pandya – Salt hit five boundaries of his own, anticipating Harshit’s switches in paces and lengths to devastating effect.
The 40,000 crowd were stunned into silence by the assault, but were awakened by a moment of madness from England’s opening partnership.
There was no apparent danger when Salt sliced Pandya square on the off side, until Shreyas Iyer slid and prevented it hitting the rope. Inexplicably, though, as Salt hurtled back for a third run, Duckett remained motionless.
Salt’s departure for a 26-ball 43 plunged England into the mire. This Indian team lacks the dynamism of their T20 equivalents but Duckett became the second victim of a spell of three for two in eight deliveries when Jaiswal produced a stunning over-the-head-shoulder catch to intercept a top edged pull and provide fellow debutant Harshit with a wicket.
Harshit had been withdrawn from the attack after an initial spell of 3-1-37-0, but when he struck for the second time, Harry Brook gloving one down the leg side for a second-ball duck, England had slumped to 77 for three – a position from which they never recovered.
Buttler and Jacob Bethell realigned the innings with a 59-run stand from 111 for four, the point at which Joe Root’s return was ended by a classical Ravindra Jadeja leg before dismissal, but each fell immediately after raising their bats.
And there were two overs unused when India’s sixth wicket with spin left Archer stranded on a cameo 21 not out.
India wheeled out a completely different batting unit for a series that will warm both sides up for the Champions Trophy, although a right knee injury incurred in training less than 24 hours earlier meant Virat Kohli, arguably the best 50-over player of all time, pulled out, allowing Jaiswal the chance to torment England as he has in last year’s Test series.
He did not take it, however, as Jofra Archer, defying a cut to his bowling hand, was rewarded for a high-quality new ball spell with an edge behind.
When India captain Rohit Sharma miscued off Saqib Mahmood, England had removed both India openers with the score on 19.
However, Shreyas Iyer’s response to Buttler posting himself at short leg was to launch a savage counter-attack, hauling Archer into the stand at deep midwicket, then using the bowler’s 90-mile-per-hour pace next ball, gliding another six over third man.
By the time Iyer was snared by left-arm spinner Bethell for 59 off 36 deliveries, India’s 50-over cast were well and truly up to speed.
Not even Brydon Carse, England’s bowling banker this winter, could stem the charge, conceding 10 runs an over as powered by a fourth-wicket stand between Shubman Gill and Axar of 108 in 18 overs, India got home with 68 deliveries unused.