There was a lot of pressure on England and they knew that nothing short of a win would do so it was a good sign to see them perform so well. They will be delighted.
It was important they got off to a fast start to ease the nerves and Jason Roy, back from injury, did just that. He has been in great form and his aggression and attitude brings so much to this England team.
Overall, it was a really well-rounded performance. There were runs for quite a few players and then the bowlers came out and were excellent in restricting India’s batsmen from playing their shots.
The difference between the two sides was clear to see in the first 10 overs as India didn’t get many runs, whereas England got off to a great start and that eased the pressure on the middle order.
It did look like England might fall short of what we were hoping to get after making such a good start, so Ben Stokes coming in and providing that late impetus was absolutely key.
Had England finished on 312 or something like that then it would have been a completely different run chase as I think India would have felt that would have been get-able for them.
Stokes doing what he does best changed that and then England’s bowlers really stepped up. They kept changing the pace and India really struggled to maintain the run rate they needed.
Liam Plunkett has been unlucky to miss out in a few games but he was brilliant. He has been the key with his cutters and reads the wicket perfectly, so it was a great performance from him.
I was surprised MS Dhoni didn’t go for it more towards the end of the India innings but I think it was more because of the way England’s bowlers made it difficult than anything else. I think England will have to win against New Zealand to qualify for the semi-finals, so they have to be focused as there will be the same pressure they had against India.
They just need to take confidence from the way they played against India. I also expect Eoin Morgan will want to bat first again if he has the chance against New Zealand. Obviously, it depends on what the pitch is like, but England will not want the pressure of a run chase knowing that they need to win to avoid their tournament finishing early.
They just need to remain positive and I think having Roy in the team helps with that as he exudes positivity. He has a really bubbly nature and his aggression rubs off on the rest of the team.
It certainly helped Jonny Bairstow and once they built yet another 100 partnership together at the top of the innings, you always felt that England were in command from there.
I’m now preparing for the start of the women’s Ashes and I’m really excited. We’ve had a few days off following the West Indies series and now looking forward to getting started.
It’s a massive series between the top two sides in the world at the moment and hopefully it will be a good one for us, but it will be important to get off to a good start.
We are in a good place at the moment, with a string of 14 wins in a row, but it’s all about the next game and maintaining that winning mentality.
This column was first published in the International Cricket Council media zone.
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