All round Axar Patel stars as India break losing rut to rout England in first ODI

India buried the ghosts of the T20I series defeat with a clinical 6-wicket victory in the first ODI against England on Tuesday, July 14 at Edgbaston, Birmingham. After opting to bat first, England were bundled out for 258 in 47.5 overs as Axar Patel ran through their batting, registering his best-ever figures in ODIs.

Apart from him, Gurnoor Brar (2/61, 9 overs) and Prasidh Krishna (2/50) also scalped two wickets each, while Jasprit Bumrah (1/31, 9 overs) also contributed with one scalp. In reply, comfortably chased down the target in 45.2 overs, with captain Shubman Gill once again leading from the front with a classy innings, while Axar Patel contributed with the bat as well, scoring his fourth ODI fifty.

Washington Sundar (52* off 63) also notched up his second ODI half-century to take India over the line.  As a result, India also ended England’s seven-match winning streak at Edgbaston, handing them their first defeat at the venue since 2014. Coincidentally, the Men in Blue were also the last side to beat them at the venue.

The victory also helped India end their seven-match winless streak in international cricket as they took a 1-0 lead in the series, with the second ODI scheduled to be played on Thursday, July 16 in Cardiff.

Top run-scorer of the Match

Top wicket-taker of the Match

Player of the Match

Axar Patel was adjudged Player of the Match for his stunning all-round show. He first dismissed Liam Dawson (68 off 83) to break a massive 121-run stand between him and Joe Root (76* off 76), which rescued England from a precarious position of 107/6. Patel later cleaned up the tail to register his best figures in ODIs (4/62). He also scored an unbeaten half-century to take the team over the line in a tricky run-chase alongside Washington Sundar.

Turning Point

England had a good start to their innings as Ben Duckett (43 off 45) put pressure on Indian bowlers to take his team to 61/0 after 12 overs. However, Gurnoor Brar (2/61, 9 overs) brought India back into the game, dismissing both Jacob Bethell (14 off 31) and Duckett in the same over. 

Later, Jasprit Bumrah got the big wicket of Harry Brook (1 off 3), while Prasidh Krishna (2/50) removed Jos Buttler (5 off 14) and Sam Curran (0 off 3) in the 17^th over to leave England on 80/5. The hosts lost five wickets in a space of 27 deliveries for just 19 runs.

In the second innings, England got an opening in the game after Shubman Gill got retired hurt on 80 as Shreyas Iyer (35 off 53) and KL Rahul (1 off 3) were dismissed in quick succession, leaving their team on 160/4. 

However, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar closed the door on England with a massive unbeaten 102-run stand off 105 balls for the fifth wicket to take India over the line.

What did the captains say:

Winning Captain, Shubman Gill (India): 

[Perfect start?] Yeah, when you see your middle order, lower middle order score runs like that and finish off the job for the team, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top order batsman. [On wanting to bowl first] Honestly, it was more about our combination. We have a youngish bowling attack, so our batting is still a bit more experienced than our bowling. So, first game of the series, we wanted to bowl first so that even if there's a target of 320, we back the kind of batting order that we have, we back ourselves to chase that. [On the most pleasing aspect of India's performance] I think how we bowled in the middle overs was very pleasing. I think they were 50-odd in the 10 overs. We bowled brilliantly well in the first 6-7 overs. The ball was doing a bit and we bowled the right areas. And then they got a bit away in the end of the powerplay. We were put under pressure. But I think how we bounced back, how we came back and took those five wickets was very important. [On experimenting with combinations ahead of the 2027 World Cup] Yes, we are really trying different combinations to see which kind of combination gives us best depth in bowling and batting, in both the departments. I think the wicket that we played on, the conditions would be a bit similar to South Africa. It was not easy for the batsmen with the new ball. The ball was doing a bit, the ball was kicking off. It wasn't as easy to score runs with the new ball. But, the wicket settled in nicely and I think the conditions are going to play similar in South Africa as well. So if we can test different combinations on these kind of wickets, it would be great for us.

Losing Captain, Harry Brook (England): 

[On England's performance in the first ODI] Not ideal, obviously. I think we lost 5 for 20 in that middle period, which is always going to put us on the back foot. But I thought the way that the boys fought there and tried to get us back in the game with the ball was phenomenal. And to get us a decent total in the end, which we thought we could potentially defend, was a great effort from the lads. [On whether he would change anything about the batting innings] Yeah, obviously losing 5 for 20 is never ideal. We'd have definitely liked to have played slightly better in that period of the game. But like I said, getting 260 on the board, having that period as well, was a great effort from Rooty and Dawsy, that partnership, and a couple of little cameos at the back as well. [On whether they felt 260 was defendable] We thought that the pitch changed quite a bit as well. It got a little bit slower, and it just allowed them to cruise along, really. They only really needed to go at 5-6 an over. And, yeah, at the break we thought we might have had enough if the pitch had stayed the same. [On team combination and whether they could make changes during the series] We try and make selections based on the pitch. Obviously, if we'd have got a few more runs there, then our spinners might have been able to tie them down through the middle a little bit better. But, look, it comes back to that 5 for 20, which wasn't ideal. And another day we get 320-330, and our spinners play a massive part. [On the quick turnaround before the second ODI] No. We'll get to Cardiff, we'll have a look at the pitch, and we'll make decisions on the team there. And, yeah, hopefully we can come back stronger.