ENG vs IND

The drought finally came to an end. After losing everything in the T20I format, India began the ODI series with a bang and registered their first win of the tour today. The performances of Shubman Gill, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar stood out.

The 2nd match of the series starts in less than 48 hours time. Will the visitors be able to sustain this momentum? Or will England bounce back? Do join us on Thursday, July 16 when the teams lock horns in Cardiff.

For now, this is Darpan and Pradeep saying goodbye! See you soon. 

Shubman Gill (India captain): "When you see your lower middle order score like that and finish the game, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top-order batter.

(On why was he keen on bowling first?) We have a young-ish bowling attack. Batting has the experience. It was the first game of the series, so we wanted to bowl first. Even if target was 320, we back ourselves to chase it

How we bowled in the middle overs was pleasing. I think we bowled really well in 6-7 overs. Then, they got away at the end of the powerplay. The way we bounced back was pleasing. 

(On what he wants to get out of the remaining games of the series?) We will try different combinations and see what gives us depth in bowling and batting. The way this wicket played, I think it was a bit similar to South Africa (where the 2027 World Cup will be played). It was not easy to score with new ball. If we can test diff combinations going forward, it will be great for us."

Harry Brook (England captain): [On England's defeat] "It wasn't the ideal start for us. Losing five wickets for 20 runs in the middle overs put us firmly on the back foot. But I thought the way the boys fought back, both with the bat and the ball, was outstanding. To recover and post 260 gave us something we believed we could defend."

[On England's batting collapse] "Losing five for 20 is never ideal, and we'd certainly have liked to handle that phase much better. Credit to Joe Root and Liam Dawson for putting together a brilliant partnership, while the cameos towards the end also helped us reach a competitive total."

[On defending 260] "We felt the pitch slowed down as the game progressed, and at the innings break we genuinely believed we had enough if it continued to play that way. But India only needed to score at around five or six an over, which allowed them to stay in control throughout the chase."

[On team balance and selection] "We always pick our side based on the conditions. Had we managed another 60 or 70 runs, our spinners could have had a much bigger impact in the middle overs. Ultimately, though, it comes back to that collapse. On another day, we get 320 or 330, and the game looks completely different."

[On the quick turnaround to the second ODI] "There's no time to dwell on this one. We'll head to Cardiff, assess the conditions, make the necessary decisions on the team, and hopefully come back stronger in the next game."

Axar Patel is the Player of the Match! Here's what he has to say: [On India's winning start to the ODI series] "Considering how the T20I series went, this is the perfect start for us. I'm really happy with the way I performed and even happier that it contributed to the team's win."

[On his bowling spell] "Edgbaston is usually known to assist seamers, but there was enough in the pitch for the spinners today. My plan was simple—stick to a consistent area, vary my pace and keep attacking the stumps. I executed that well, and thankfully it paid off with four wickets."

[On India's run chase] "We got off to a very good start with the bat, and from that point we knew we were ahead of the game. The focus was on rotating the strike, building partnerships and making sure we finished the chase professionally."

[On his partnership with Washington Sundar] "When I went in, Washi was already batting, and we knew we'd lost a couple of wickets. Our first priority was to rebuild with a solid partnership. We decided to assess things for a few overs before looking to accelerate. Since we had such a good start, there was no need to panic—we just needed to bat sensibly and finish the job."

6:44 PM (11:14 PM IST): India win by 6 wickets, with 28 balls to spare and go 1-0 up in the 3-match series.

Shubman Gill 80 (75)| Axar Patel 4/62 & 57* (52)
Joe Root 76 (76) | Josh Tongue 1/50

It took its time coming, but India have finally registered their first win on this trip to UK and it is an emphatic one. Yes, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli could not score big today. Yes, the tame dismissals of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul soon after Shubman Gill got retired hurt caused a bit of chaos in the middle. However, for the large part India were on cruise control during that run chase.

The captain led the way. Cricketing-wise, not once did Gill look in trouble during his 75-ball-80*. The shot-making was majestic, the timing was sumptuous and the balance as solid as it can be. Alas, cramps (at least that is what we guess) got to him and he had to leave the field, following which India went from 149/2 to 160/4 within 3 overs.

But then, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel got together, exhibited composure and poise to take the team over the finish line with an unbeaten 100-run partnership. Both the all-rounders completed their half-centuries on the way. While England did put some pressure with the new ball, the spinners were largely unthreatening and failed to challenge the hosts as much as they should have.

Earlier in the day, the hosts went through a rollercoaster of an innings after electing to bat first. Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett put up an impressive 61-run opening partnership which was followed by a bit of a collapse. England went from 61/0 to 80/5 and then, 107/6. But then, a stubborn stand between Liam Dawson, who scored 68, and Joe Root helped them put up a respectable total on the board.

For India, Axar returned the best figures, while Jasprit Bumrah caught everyone's eye for his miserly bowling. Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar, who walked off the field before he could bowl his last over, picked two wickets each. Special mention to KL Rahul's stunning one-handed grab to dismiss Will Jacks. On a day, where he was guilty of conceding plenty of runs as byes, that catch became a saving grace.  

45.2 Adil Rashid to Washington Sundar, FOUR! THAT'S IT! INDIA FINALLY ARRIVE! India kick off the ODI leg in style! A clinical chase sees them storm to a convincing victory, register their first win of the tour and seize a 1-0 lead in the series.

Floated on a length on the stumps. Sundar lunges and smacked it straight down the ground, one bounce into the ropes. Sundar also brings up his FIFTY with that.

44.6 Sam Curran to Washington Sundar, FOUR MORE! India inch closer now. Short on the off-stump, Sundar pulled firmly over mid-wicket, one bounce into the ropes.

44.2 Sam Curran to Washington Sundar, FOUR! Puts an end to his struggle finally Sundar, picks up a boundary. Full on the off-stump, Sundar smacked it back past the bowler, runs away to the ropes.