Axar Patel excelled with both the ball and bat.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Shubman Gill had promised that there would be a marked difference in the “atmosphere and feelings” as India transitioned from a bruising T20I experience in the British Isles to the ODIs.
On Tuesday at Edgbaston, under pleasant summer skies and consistent breeze, deeds matched words as India notched up a morale-boosting six-wicket victory over England to lead the three-match series 1-0.
Chasing 259, a target neither too daunting nor too easy, the visitors got home with nearly five overs to spare.
Gill top-scored with 80 (75b, 11×4, 1×6), but retired hurt owing to cramps. But the Indian captain didn’t leave without charming the crowd as he came up with an array of arresting drives and sublime short-arm jabs.
It was the 26-year-old’s fourth successive score of 80 and above in international cricket, and adequately compensated for the cheap dismissals of fan favourites Rohit Sharma (11, 21b, 1×4) and Virat Kohli (5, 6b, 1×4).
The former was snapped up at mid-off while the latter was out leg-before playing across the line.
Gill’s exit at 149 for two in the 26th over caused a mini stutter as Shreyas Iyer was run out by a direct hit from skipper Harry Brook and K.L. Rahul — not for the first time — chopped one on.
But Washington Sundar (52 n.o., 63b, 4×4, 1×6) and Axar Patel (57 n.o., 52b, 5×4, 1×6) came together for a 102-run association, the last shot of which was a clean six from Washington off Adil Rashid.
After opting to bat, England progressed like a sine wave. It reached 61 for no loss, collapsed to 107 for six, rose up to 228 without any further loss, and then fell flat on its face to finish at 258. There was moderate help at the beginning for the Indian pacers and up and down bounce for a considerable while.
But Ben Duckett (43, 45b, 6×4, 2×6) and Jacob Bethell (14, 31b, 1×4) batted with poise.
There was some drama when Duckett scooped Gurnoor Brar for a six, and moments later the pacer responded by collecting the ball on his follow through and throwing it straight at the southpaw. The batter didn’t flinch, and hooked Gurnoor for another maximum.
What an act of aggression couldn’t do, two short-length deliveries did as Gurnoor removed the openers in the 13th over. Brook was caught by Rohit at first slip off Jasprit Bumrah after being in two minds.
Prasidh Krishna’s dismissal of Jos Buttler was tragicomic as Gill and Gurnoor went for the catch and collided shoulder to shoulder. But the close pals they are, they clashed without apparent violence, and the sequence ended with the ball in Gurnoor’s palms and all round smiles.
Rahul’s great one-handed effort to excise Will Jacks reduced England to 107 for six. However, talisman Joe Root (76 n.o., 76b, 6×4, 1×6) and the experienced Hampshire batter Liam Dawson (68, 83b, 6×4, 1×6) combined for 121 steady and sedate runs to stop the near-capacity crowd from making alternative plans.
But when Dawson perished to Axar (four for 62), England’s end-overs flourish faced a setback. Axar then cleaned up the tail, leaving Root stranded. It ended up being a point of no return.
Published – July 15, 2026 12:02 am IST
