India claimed their first win of the UK and Ireland tour with a six-wicket victory over England in the first ODI at Edgbaston, Birmingham, chasing down 259 with 4.4 overs to spare. Shubman Gill anchored the pursuit with an unbeaten 80 before retiring hurt with cramps, while Axar Patel (57*) and Washington Sundar (52*) finished the job in a calm, unbeaten stand.
England were dismissed for 258 in the 48th over after a collapse left them 107 for 6, with Joe Root’s 76 not out and Liam Dawson’s 68 adding late resistance. Axar starred with the ball as well, taking 4 for 62, while Prasidh Krishna picked up 2 for 50 as India’s attack, led by Jasprit Bumrah, set the tone early.
The result mattered for both sides. India arrived with questions in the 50-over format after three bilateral defeats in their last six, while England’s struggles continued, with this defeat their 13th in 19 ODIs since the start of 2025 and another instance of being bowled out after batting first.
England’s collapse, then Root and Dawson rebuild
England’s innings was defined by a top-order collapse that left them scrambling for stability. After Harry Brook won the toss, the hosts lost 5 wickets for 19 runs and were 80 for 5 after 100 balls, with India’s seamers striking early before Axar cleaned up later.
Jacob Bethell’s first outing as an opener in limited-overs cricket was a difficult one, and he eventually made 14 off 31. Ben Duckett, by contrast, scored freely early and was responsible for 41 of England’s first 50 runs. Duckett also took a blow from Bumrah on his right hand, with England’s physio coming out twice, but he continued to find boundaries and hit two sixes in an over off Gurnoor Brar.
Brar, however, had the last word when Duckett was dismissed, with Bumrah completing a relay catch to himself right on the boundary sponge at deep third. With Brook and Root at the crease, Gill brought Bumrah back, and Bumrah struck immediately to remove England’s captain for 1, caught by Rohit Sharma at first slip after extra bounce surprised Brook.
Jos Buttler, playing his 200th ODI, was caught by Brar at mid-on, a catch taken right over the umpire’s head. Prasidh then doubled up three deliveries later as Sam Curran nicked off for a three-ball duck, deepening England’s trouble.
Will Jacks made 20 to provide a brief lift, but it was Root and Dawson who dragged England back into the contest. Their 121-run stand across 134 deliveries restored some respectability, with Dawson the aggressor, reaching his half-century first in 65 balls and going on to 68, his best score for England across formats. Root remained unbeaten on 76, but England were still bowled out for 258, with Axar’s 4 for 62 the standout spell as he lopped off the tail despite taking a couple of blows late in his ninth over.
India’s chase: Gill sets the tone, then Axar and Sundar finish
Gill led India’s chase from the start, striking boundaries off his first two balls and setting a confident tempo. Among his early highlights was a cover drive off Josh Tongue in the sixth over, three balls after a swivel-pull, as India began to make the target look manageable.
India did lose both returning senior batters early. Curran removed Rohit when a delivery gripped in the surface and Rohit spooned a heave to Brook at mid-off. Virat Kohli then fell for 5 to searing pace from Jofra Archer, stepping across his stumps and being struck on the shin. From 48 for 2, Gill and Shreyas Iyer added 101, steadying the chase and putting India in control.
The match briefly shifted when Gill retired hurt with cramps, leaving the field with 109 still required. England capitalised on the opening: Iyer was run out for 35 by a direct hit from Brook, and KL Rahul played on five balls later to give Tongue his maiden ODI wicket on debut. Three wickets fell in 15 balls, and England’s quicks had done much of the early work, with Archer and Tongue bowling 13 of the first 16 overs.
Axar and Sundar, however, ensured there was no late twist. They ticked over against Curran, Jacks and Adil Rashid through the middle overs, and when Archer returned, Axar struck him for two boundaries off his first two balls back. Axar raised his fourth ODI fifty from just 39 deliveries, featuring six boundaries, before Sundar completed his own milestone by launching Rashid into the sight screen to seal his maiden ODI fifty, their century stand, and the match.
What the result leaves behind
India’s 262 for 4 was built around Gill’s 80 not out, with Axar’s 57* and Sundar’s 52* closing out the chase after England’s late wobble-inducing burst. Gill later said he expects to be fit for the second ODI on Thursday, after retiring hurt with cramps.
For England, Root’s unbeaten 76 and Dawson’s 68 prevented a far lower total after the early collapse, but 258 proved subpar once India’s lower middle order settled. India, meanwhile, will take confidence from a complete performance led by Axar’s match-defining all-round contribution and a chase paced by their captain.
