Team India all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy took a stunning diving catch to end Jos Buttler's vigil in the first T20I against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Wednesday, January 22. The England skipper scored 68 runs off 44 deliveries to single-handedly hold the visitors' innings after being put into bat first.
Buttler was left stranded at one end as England batters were trapped against the Indian spin trio of Ravi Bishnoi, Axar Patel, and Varun Chakravarthy. The right-handed batter, coming in at No.3, scored a fifty but lacked support from the other end.
He opted to take on Chakravarthy's mystery spin in the 17th over and began proceedings with a six. The skipper attempted another aggressive shot on the leg side off the very next delivery against a short-pitched delivery. However, the delivery rushed onto him, leading to an imperfect connection.
The ball flew towards the deep square leg area, where Nitish Kumar Reddy had to dive forward to clinch the ball inches from the ground to complete a brilliant catch.
Have a look at the all-rounder's take right here:
England were reduced to 109/8 after 16.2 overs following the skipper's departure. The visitors never found any momentum after losing the toss, with Arshdeep Singh striking twice in his first spell in the powerplay.
Jos Buttler scored more than half of England's total in the first T20I
The England captain continued his rich vein of form, and settled well into his new role at No.3. He found little support in Harry Brook for a while, but Varun Chakravarthy's double-strike in the eighth over depleted England of all the little momentum they had.
Buttler's knock comprised eight fours and two sixes, and came at a strike rate of 154.55. As of writing, England are placed at 120/8 after 18.4 overs in the first innings.
This marks the first of the five T20I matches that these two sides will play over the next couple of weeks.
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