India produced a clinical all-round display to defeat England, overcoming a brief middle-order wobble with an unbeaten century partnership between Axar Patel and Washington Sundar in the first ODI at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday.
Chasing a 259-run target, India made a brisk start as captain Shubman Gill looked in sublime touch from the outset, scoring freely and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Rohit Sharma (11) attempted to put pressure on first-change seamer Sam Curran but perished in the process, while Virat Kohli (5) followed in the very next over after being trapped lbw by Jofra Archer.
Gill found an able ally in Shreyas Iyer, with the pair adding 101 runs for the third wicket at close to a run-a-ball. Their composed stand put India firmly in control and the visitors appeared to be cruising towards victory.
The complexion of the chase, however, changed dramatically in the 26th over when Gill retired hurt after a fluent 80, leaving India needing 110 runs from 24.2 overs. England sensed an opening and capitalised almost immediately.
Iyer (35) was run out in the following over after a lethargic piece of running, with Harry Brook producing a direct hit, before KL Rahul (1) chopped Josh Tongue onto his stumps to hand the pacer his maiden ODI wicket.
With India suddenly requiring another 99 runs, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar steadied the innings with remarkable composure. With the required run rate well under control, the pair focused on rebuilding before accelerating when needed.
Axar led the counterattack with a fluent half-century, while Washington played the perfect supporting role before reaching his own fifty. The duo remained unbeaten throughout their match-winning partnership, adding 102 runs to guide India home comfortably and seal a memorable victory.
Earlier, England recovered from a top-order collapse to post 258, as Joe Root made India pay for giving him an early reprieve with a run-a-ball unbeaten 76.
After captain Harry Brook won the toss, England lost three wickets for one run in six balls to reach 64-3 before collapsing to 80-5.
When Liam Dawson, a left-arm spinner most recognized at the international level, joined Root in the midst of the opening game of this three-match series, they were still in danger at 107-6.
However, the experienced Hampshire player answered with his first ODI fifty, scoring 68 while he and Root established a seventh-wicket partnership of 121. On 7, however, former England skipper Root was dropped when Shivam Dube missed a hard-hit shot that could have been caught and bowled.
With 13 balls left in England’s innings, left-arm spinner Axar Patel followed up with 4-62 after India’s fast bowlers, notably the returning Jasprit Bumrah, had done the first damage.
Jacob Bethell, opening in an ODI for the first time at his Warwickshire home ground, needed 13 deliveries to get off the mark. At the other end, Ben Duckett made an immediate impact, opening his account with a crisp cover drive for four off Jasprit Bumrah, who returned to India’s ODI side after being rested during the T20I series defeats to Ireland and England.
Duckett launched an assault, hitting two sixes off Gurnoor Brar in three deliveries, a top-edged pull and a scoop over wicketkeeper KL Rahul’s head. However, it was Brar who caused England to crumble when Bethell ran in from deep square leg and holed out to Washington Sundar.
Two balls later, Bumrah caught a cut to deep third man, flung the ball up, stepped beyond the boundary, and regathered a catch, causing fellow left-handed opener Duckett (43) to fall to Brar as well.
As Brook tried to guide the ball to third man, Bumrah had the England captain caught at slip for just one, taking the lone wicket of a normally frugal nine overs that cost just 31 runs.
In his 200th ODI, Jos Buttler, fresh off a scorching century in the T20 series decider at Southampton, managed just 5 after skying Prasidh Krishna and Brar persevered despite running into India captain Shubman Gill.
And when Will Jacks was expertly collected one-handed by a diving Rahul off Dube, England was 107-6.
With a 65-ball fifty that included a slog-swept six off Patel before he holed out off the spinner, Dawson—whose prior best ODI score was 20—helped undo the early damage.
In his innings, Root also hit six fours and cleared the ropes off Patel with a massive straight six.
