Captain Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar starred with the bat as India defeated England by six wickets in the first ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham, on Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Chasing a target of 259, India reached the finish line in 45.2 overs. Gill led the charge with a fluent 80 off 75 balls before retiring hurt due to cramps, while Axar (57* off 53) and Washington (52* off 63) stitched together an unbeaten 102-run stand to seal India’s first victory of the ongoing United Kingdom tour.
Gill looked in complete control despite struggling with calf and hamstring cramps that eventually forced him to leave the field. His innings, laced with 11 fours and a six, put India firmly in command and continued his remarkable record at Edgbaston, where he had scored 269 and 161 during last year’s Test series.
India suffered an early setback with veterans Rohit Sharma (11) and Virat Kohli (5) departing cheaply, leaving the visitors at 48/2. Gill then steadied the innings alongside vice-captain Shreyas Iyer, adding 101 runs for the third wicket. Iyer contributed a brisk 35 before being run out following a mix-up.
After Gill retired hurt, England sensed an opportunity. KL Rahul was dismissed by Josh Tongue, reducing India to 160/4. However, Axar and Washington remained composed under pressure, countering a fiery spell from Jofra Archer and rotating the strike effectively against the spinners to guide India home without further damage.
For England, Josh Tongue, Jofra Archer, and Sam Curran claimed one wicket each.
Earlier, Axar had made an impact with the ball as well, returning figures of 4 wickets to help bowl England out for 258 in 47.5 overs. Joe Root anchored the innings with an unbeaten 76, while Liam Dawson scored a fighting 68, but England failed to capitalise after losing wickets at regular intervals.
With both bat and ball, Axar played a match-winning all-round role as India secured a convincing victory and took an early advantage in the ODI series.
