1st ODI: Axar Patel’s all-round brilliance, Gill’s fifty power India to six-wicket win over England

Edgbaston [UK], July 14 (ANI): Indian skipper Shubman Gill led from the front with a fluent half-century before Axar Patel and Washington Sundar finished the job as India chased down 259 with authority to defeat England by six wickets in the first ODI at Edgbaston on Tuesday and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Patel was awarded Player of the Match for his brilliant all-round performance.
This is the first defeat for England in eight ODIs at Edgbaston since 2015; the last time, they were also beaten by India at this venue in 2014.
This is also the sixth consecutive win for India against England in ODIs, the most for India against England.
Chasing 259, India made a confident start despite losing an early wicket of star batter Rohit Sharma for 11. Gill anchored the innings with a composed 80 before retiring hurt, ensuring the visitors remained firmly in control of the chase.
Virat Kohli soon followed Hitman, as Jofra Archer removed him for 5.
Shreyas Iyer provided valuable support in the middle overs, while India's batters rotated the strike effectively to keep the required rate well under control.
England struck at regular intervals through Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Sam Curran, but failed to build sustained pressure as India's middle order responded calmly.
Iyer's innings ended in an unfortunate run-out for 35, bringing KL Rahul to the crease.
Rahul also departed soon after Josh Tongue cleaned him up for just 1, bringing Patel to the crease.
Patel then produced another match-winning performance, following up his four-wicket haul with an unbeaten 57 off 52 deliveries, while Sundar also slammed a brilliant 52 off 63 balls, adding an unbroken partnership with Axar of 102 runs to guide India home with more than 4 overs to spare.
Earlier in the match, a bowling masterclass from Axar Patel, along with disciplined pace and bounce by Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, helped India restrict England to 258.
Patel was India's standout bowler, taking four wickets, breaking England's resistance with his accurate left-arm spin. Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar also chipped in with two scalps each. Jasprit Bumrah took a wicket to claim his 150th ODI wicket as India kept England under control throughout the innings.
England were bowled out for 258 runs in 47.5 overs after opting to bat first in the opening ODI against India. The hosts made a strong start but lost momentum in the middle overs, losing five wickets for just 19 runs before Root and Dawson combined to revive the innings.
Joe Root top-scored for England with an unbeaten 76 runs, anchoring the innings and guiding the lower order. Liam Dawson provided valuable support with 68 runs, helping England recover from a difficult position.
Ben Duckett contributed 43 runs, while Will Jacks scored 20 and Jofra Archer added 12 towards the end. Apart from them, all the English batters struggled to put the bat on the ball.
For India, Patel became only the second Indian spinner to take four wickets between the 41st and 50th overs of an ODI innings, matching Ravindra Jadeja's feat against Sri Lanka in 2013.
England started positively with Duckett and his opening partner Jacob Bethell building a steady platform, but India's bowlers struck back at regular intervals.
Root displayed composure under pressure, rotating the strike and building partnerships to prevent a complete collapse. Dawson matched his approach with an aggressive counter-attacking knock, helping England cross the 250-run mark after being in trouble. (ANI)