India's all-rounder Axar Patel had a tough moment on Sunday when he dropped an easy catch during the second ODI against England at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack. While Axar could only chuckle at his blunder, bowler Hardik Pandya and the rest of the Indian team were visibly disappointed.

The incident occurred on the last ball of the sixth over, with England racing ahead after choosing to bat first. Opener Ben Duckett was on fire, racking up 34 runs off just 24 balls, marking his sixth fifty in ODIs. His partner, Phil Salt, who had a quieter start with only six runs from 11 balls, tried to up the ante by going for a big hit off a shorter delivery from Hardik.

Captain Rohit Sharma had Axar positioned at third man, and it seemed like they were about to snag their first wicket during the powerplay. Axar was ready for the straightforward catch, but the ball slipped through his fingers and hit the ground instead. The Indian camp was left deflated, and Hardik was in disbelief, throwing his hands up in shock before collapsing to the ground. Meanwhile, India's fielding coach T Dilip, who was near the boundary, could only watch with a resigned smile as the camera caught his reaction.

“Even the best fielders can drop catches. But there it is. It was a simple catch, but the ball bounced out. There's no explanation for that,” former India captain Sunil Gavaskar remarked on commentary after one of the replays of the dropped catch.

A little while later, Axar was caught chuckling about his missed chance after one of his teammates, who the broadcasters didn’t show, made a gesture at him.

Former India cricketer Murali Kartik commented, “He’s smiling on the outside, but deep down, he’s probably fuming, wishing the ground would just open up and take him in.”

Varun Chakravarthy gets India on the board first

England kicked off with a solid 75-run partnership during the powerplay, with Duckett hitting his fifty along the way. But right after the celebration, debutant Varun Chakravarthy struck for India, taking out his old KKR buddy Salt for 26 off 29 balls. Salt misjudged the flighted ball, and Ravindra Jadeja was there to grab the easy catch at mid-on.

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