India pacer Shardul Thakur feels it is never easy to come off the bench and perform straight away in high-pressure games, and he too felt the heat in the series-deciding third and final ODI against England here.

Thakur came in for Siddarth Kaul as India went for a new-look pace attack in the series’ decider against Leeds on Tuesday, but ended up losing the game by eight wickets, thanks to Joe Root’s 13th ODI hundred.

Thakur ended with figures of 51 for one in 10 overs. “I played the last game in South Africa when we had won that series, and it wasn’t a necessary win for us. Playing this game, I was obviously a bit nervous because it is the series’ decider. When you are put under pressure, it’s a player’s responsibility to put forward your a-game. Sometimes the results go your way, sometimes they don’t,” Thakur said after the loss on Tuesday.

“When given opportunity in a one-off game my mindset is always to win the game for team when I step on the field. While playing this game, it was the same. Also when I am put in different teams, whether I am put in India-A or in domestic cricket, it is always the same,” he said. India were restricted to 256-8 after being put into bat, and Thakur along with the rest of the bowling attack lacked penetration against Root and Eoin Morgan who put on an unbeaten 186-run partnership for the third wicket.

It means that India, who won the T20I series 2-1, have now lost the ODI series by the same margin after winning the Nottingham ODI by eight wickets and suffering an 86-run defeat at Lord’s. The five-Test series begins in Birmingham on August 1, 2018.

‘Not easy to play one-off game’