Birmingham, July 15: India defeated England by six wickets in the opening match of the three-match ODI series at Edgbaston on Tuesday, chasing down a target of 259 with 28 balls to spare.
After early setbacks with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli dismissed cheaply, Shubman Gill steadied the innings with a fluent half-century. He appeared set for a century before retiring hurt due to cramps.
Shreyas Iyer added a valuable 35 runs, but India briefly came under pressure after his dismissal and KL Rahul’s early exit. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar then produced an unbeaten 102-run partnership, both scoring half-centuries, to guide the visitors to victory.
Earlier, England were bowled out for 258 despite recovering from 80/5. Joe Root and Liam Dawson scored fighting fifties to help the hosts post a competitive total.
Axar Patel starred with the ball, claiming four wickets. Jasprit Bumrah made an impressive return to ODI cricket, conceding only 31 runs in nine overs while taking the wicket of Harry Brook. Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna supported well with two wickets each.
India now lead the three-match ODI series 1-0, with the second match scheduled later this week.
