"They have 3 lions on their jerseys but they are meowing like a cat" - Aakash Chopra criticizes England's batting in IND vs ENG 2025 1st ODI

Former India player Aakash Chopra criticized England's batting in the first ODI against the Men in Blue in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. While noting that the visitors have three lions printed on their jerseys, he pointed out their performance was as timid as a cat.

India bowled England out for 248 after Jos Buttler won the toss and opted to bat first. The hosts achieved the target with four wickets and 68 deliveries to spare to start the three-match series with a win.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra', the former India opener opined that England's batting performance wasn't as ferocious as the symbol on their jerseys.

"You opted to bat first after winning the toss and you are unable to score runs. Jos Buttler, of course, scored runs. Jacob Bethell scored runs, which is good news for RCB, but (Harry) Brook is still unable to see the ball," he said (14:15).

"Harshit Rana concedes 26 runs in an over but he comes back and bowls very strongly. However, England's batting is a problem. They do make up for it in bowling, although I felt they were playing with a pacer short. The team is ordinary. They have three lions on their jerseys but they are meowing like a cat," Chopra added.

Phil Salt (43 off 26) and Ben Duckett (32 off 29) gave England a flying start, adding 75 runs for the first wicket in 8.5 overs. However, they kept losing wickets at regular intervals, with Jos Buttler (52 off 67) and Jacob Bethell (51 off 64) being their only batters to reach the half-century mark and the much acclaimed Harry Brook failing to open his account.

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"You will be surprised if I tell you their situation" - Aakash Chopra on England's performance in recent India tours

India beat England 4-1 in the preceding T20I series. [P/C: Getty]

In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that England have struggled with the bat in their last three tours to India across all formats.

"You will be surprised if I tell you their situation. On their last three tours, which includes Tests, ODIs and T20Is, they have been bowled out 19 times in 25 innings. Good batting surfaces. They are not playing on any turning pitches," he said.

The cricketer-turned-commentator added that England's inability to bat the full quota of overs in white-ball cricket is concerning.

"They are playing on good batting surfaces in Tests, ODIs and T20Is. In the remaining six innings, they have lost nine wickets. How are you batting? If you are unable to bat the entire quota of overs on these pitches, then you have a problem. In ODIs and T20Is, you last 50 overs or 20 overs, but you don't," Chopra observed.

Jos Buttler and company were bowled out thrice in the preceding five-match T20I series against India. They lost nine wickets in the other two games, including their 26-run win in the third T20I in Rajkot.