Virat Kohli had to sit out due to a sore knee, Rohit Sharma had another forgettable outing with the bat, but India rode on fifties by Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer and Axar Patel to register a four-wicket win against England and go one-up in the three-match One-Day International series.
At the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium on Thursday, India handed debuts to Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana, and while the former failed to make an impact with the willow, Rana came back strongly and claimed three wickets, despite being taken to the cleaners by the England openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett at the start.
India vs England highlights, 1st ODI
Having won the toss on a fresh and hard surface, England opted to bat and the decision proved right until the eighth over as Salt and Duckett added 75 runs for the opening partnership, before a miscommunication cut short the former’s innings for a 26-ball 43. That allowed India to come back in, and with Rana claiming two quick wickets of Duckett and Harry Brook in a span of three deliveries, the visiting team slipped from 75 for for no loss to 77 for three in no time.
However, captain Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell scored fifties and forged a 59-run stand for the fifth wicket to help England fight back.
Axar Patel then ended the captain’s innings, and taking a cue from that, Ravindra Jadeja joined the party with three quick wickets as England was bundled out for 248.
Playing in his first ODI since November 2023, Mohammed Shami delivered a disciplined performance. He cleaned up Brydon Carse and remained economical throughout his eight overs, conceding just 38 runs.
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While Shami’s return to form came as a huge boost for the Indian team management ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, captain Rohit’s form remained a concern.
Chasing a tricky total, India got off to a shaky start. Even as Jaiswal started off briskly with three boundaries before being caught behind off Jofra Archer, captain Rohit looked apprehensive all through.
While the fans chanted his name, the captain lasted just seven deliveries before he spooned a Saqib Mahmood in-swinger on leg-side and was caught by Liam Livingstone for just two runs.
Reeling at 19 for two, things could have gone haywire for India had Shreyas (59, 36b, 9×4, 2×6) not stepped up and forged a 94-run stand for the third wicket with Gill (87, 96b, 14×4).
It was a sublime performance by Shreyas as he started off with a boundary off Mahmood before pacing the innings with two consecutive sixes off Archer in the seventh over to set the tone.
As Gill slowed down and anchored the innings, Shreyas’ aggressive brand of cricket put the pressure back on the visiting team. He dealt in boundaries and brought up his fifty in just 30 deliveries as England’s bowlers failed to come up with a plan.
However, just when it looked like Shreyas was on course for a century, he was trapped in front by Bethell.
With India still some distance away from the target, the onus was on vice-captain Gill to ensure that there was no slip-up and he paired with Axar (52, 36b, 9×4, 2×6) to ensure India did not lose the plot.
While Gill accelerated the scoring and came up with some classy strokes, Axar’s ability against spin stood out. The spin-bowling all-rounder sent Bethell and Livingstone to the cleaners with some big hits en route to his third fifty in the format, before being cleaned up by Adil Rashid.
As the momentum broke, Gill fell 13 short of a century as he was caught by Buttler off Mahmood.
Though India lost three quick wickets at the fag end, Jadeja and Hardik Pandya guided the team home without much trouble.
While the home team would be happy with a dominating performance, captain Rohit has just two more innings to address his batting woes before flying out to Dubai for the Champions Trophy later next week. Time, clearly, is running out.