India finally ended their winless run on the tour with a convincing victory over England in the first ODI at Birmingham. After several disappointing results in recent weeks, the visitors bounced back in style. The fast bowlers gave India the perfect start by reducing England to 80/5 before the batters, led by Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar, completed the chase comfortably. The win also gave the team a much-needed confidence boost ahead of the remaining matches.
India had been under pressure after failing to win a single match in their previous six games. Despite winning two T20 World Cups and a Champions Trophy in recent years, expectations around the Indian team remain extremely high. The switch from T20Is to ODIs, along with the return of senior players, proved to be the turning point. Jasprit Bumrah, playing his first ODI for India in nearly three years, looked as sharp as ever and immediately made an impact with the new ball.
England’s New Opening Pair Fails to Deliver
England’s new opening combination failed to deliver. Jacob Bethell, opening alongside Ben Duckett, struggled against India’s pace attack and took 13 balls to score his first run. He never looked comfortable and was eventually caught in the deep after mistiming a shot off Gurnoor Brar. Duckett showed some positive intent, but England kept losing wickets at regular intervals, putting themselves under pressure early in the innings.
Liam Dawson was the standout performer for England with the bat. The 36-year-old all-rounder showed great composure after England slipped to 80/5 and later 107/6. Batting alongside Joe Root, he helped rebuild the innings with a valuable century partnership. Dawson also became the second-oldest England player to score his maiden ODI fifty, proving that he can still play an important role in England’s white-ball plans. Joe Root was once again England’s most dependable batter, scoring another fifty and holding the innings together until the end.
Senior Trio Fails to Fire for India
India’s experienced batting trio, however, had a rare off day. Rohit Sharma was dismissed after scoring just 4 runs, while Virat Kohli fell lbw to Jofra Archer. KL Rahul also failed to make an impact, chopping the ball onto his stumps for just 1 run. Together, the three senior batters managed only 17 runs, giving England a chance to make a comeback in the match.
India recovered thanks to Shubman Gill, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar. Gill played a solid knock before leaving the field with an injury, while Axar and Washington stitched together a match-winning partnership of more than 100 runs. Axar also impressed with the ball, picking up four wickets and breaking England’s crucial partnership before cleaning up the lower order. His unbeaten half-century in the chase completed a memorable all-round performance that earned him the Player of the Match award.
Speaking after the match, Axar Patel said, “I just wanted to contribute in both departments. We were under pressure, but Washington and I backed ourselves and built the partnership. It’s always satisfying to help the team win.” His performance has also strengthened his case to be India’s first-choice spin-bowling all-rounder ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup.
India captain Shubman Gill praised the team’s response after a difficult phase. “This win was very important for us. The bowlers gave us a brilliant start, and even after losing a few early wickets, the middle order stayed calm. We wanted to bounce back strongly, and this victory shows the character of the team,” Gill said. India will now look to carry this momentum into the remaining matches of the ODI series against England.
Players to score 50+ runs and take 4+ wickets in an ODI Match (Batting & Bowling at Number 6 or lower):
Maurice Odumbe (Kenya) vs Bangladesh, Johannesburg, 2003 (52* & 4/38)
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) vs Sri Lanka, Sharjah, 2011 (75 & 5/35)
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) vs West Indies, Providence, 2013 (76 & 7/12)
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan) vs Ireland, Belfast, 2016 (60* & 4/21)
Chris Greaves (Scotland) vs Sri Lanka, Bulawayo, 2023 (56* & 4/32)
Axar Patel (India) vs England, Birmingham, 2026 (57* & 4/62), This Match*
NUMBERS GAME: 52* is the highest individual score for Washington Sundar in ODIs. The previous one was 51 vs New Zealand, Christchurch in 2022
Highest Individual Scores for Axar Patel in ODIs:
64* vs West Indies, Port of Spain, 2022
57* vs England, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
56 vs Bangladesh, Mirpur, 2022
52 vs England, Nagpur, 2025
Longest Winless Streak for India Across Formats:
8 – 2014 -2015
7 – 2014
7 – 2026* (Streak Ends Today)*
Indian players to score 50+ runs and take 4+ wickets in an ODI match:
K Srikkanth vs New Zealand, Visakhapatnam, 1988 (70 & 5/27)
Sachin Tendulkar vs Australia, Dhaka, 1998 (141 & 4/38)
Sourav Ganguly vs Sri Lanka, Nagpur, 1999 (130* & 4/21)
Sourav Ganguly vs Zimbabwe, Kanpur, 2000 (71* & 5/34)
Yuvraj Singh vs England, Indore, 2008 (118 & 4/28)
Yuvraj Singh vs Ireland, Bengaluru, 2011 (50* & 5/31)
Hardik Pandya vs England, Manchester, 2022 (71 & 4/24)
Axar Patel vs England, Birmingham, 2026 (54* & 4/62), This Match*
Best Bowling Figures by an Indian Spinner vs England in England in ODIs:
6/25 – Kuldeep Yadav, Nottingham, 2018
4/28 – Ravindra Jadeja, Cardiff, 2014
4/47 – Yuzvendra Chahal, Lord’s, 2022
4/62 – Axar Patel, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
3/28 – Harbhajan Singh, Lord’s, 2004
Best Bowling Figures for Axar Patel in ODIs:
4/62 vs England, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
3/24 vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2022
3/34 vs Sri Lanka, Dambulla, 2017
3/38 vs Australia, Nagpur, 2017
3/39 vs South Africa, Indore, 2015
Highest Individual Scores for England vs India at Number 8 or Lower in ODIs:
95* – Sam Curran, Pune, 2021
68 – Liam Dawson, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
54* – Ravi Bopara, Rajkot, 2008
Highest 7th Wicket Partnerships for England in ODIs:
177 – Jos Buttler & Adil Rashid vs New Zealand, Birmingham, 2015
138 – Jos Buttler & Chris Woakes vs Sri Lanka, Nottingham, 2016
129 – Ben Stokes & Chris Woakes vs Netherlands, Pune, 2023
121 – Liam Dawson & Joe Root vs India, Birmingham, 2026, Today*
117 – Moeen Ali & Chris Woakes vs West Indies, Bristol, 2017
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