Jonny Bairstow explains his 'white' jersey in 1st ODI

Jonny Bairstow has opened up about his different jersey in the first ODI against India, explaining that it was a case of simple miscommunication.

While the rest of the England players in the first game in Pune had their names and numbers written in blue, Jonny Bairstow's had his details in white.

In a virtual press conference on Wednesday, the 31-year-old explained the anomaly, saying in this regard:

“It was purely because it got patched up over here rather than in England. It was a miscommunication. They patched it up, the number and lettering in the same colour as the T20 numbers. That was as simple as it was.”

Why is Bairstow's jersey name and no. colour as white? #INDvENG

— Sanchit 🔴⚪️ (@sanchitd43) March 23, 2021

Why is Bairstow’s name and number written in white on the jersey, and rest all of them have it written in blue

— Ank (@The2HundredMan) March 23, 2021

Jonny Bairstow was in sublime touch on Tuesday, with the opener narrowly missing out on a century. He scored 94 runs off 66 balls before getting dismissed by Shardul Thakur while attempting a pull.

He was one of the few England batsmen who got going in the first game, with the rest of the players struggling to get going as the visitors imploded after a rollicking start.

Jonny Bairstow happy about his batting effort

A brutal innings 💪@jbairstow21 👏🇮🇳 #INDvENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 pic.twitter.com/RExaM0bjiu

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 24, 2021

After struggling in the Test series, Jonny Bairstow has returned to form during the white-ball leg of the tour. Jonny Bairstow averaged 39.33 while batting at no. 4 in the T20I series, with the batsman helping his side wrap up two run chases.

Despite returning to the opening slot for the ODI series, Jonny Bairstow is happy to learn from his middle-order experience. He said in this regard:

“I am happy with it (his performances in India). I was there at the end of it in two of the games. I think if you’re batting at 4, to be there in two of the games, I am pretty happy with how it is going. It is great to be developing the skills because like you say it is a slightly different role. But at the same time, it is a good role to be in because you have an opportunity to be there at the end, winning games.”

Jonny Bairstow will look to continue his good start to the series by helping the visitors to a series-levelling win in the second ODI in Pune on Friday.