Media365
NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill‘s composed 87 and crucial partnerships with Shreyas Iyer (59) and Axar Patel (52) guided India to a four-wicket victory over England in the first ODI at Pune. Debutant Harshit Rana (3/53) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/26) shared six wickets to restrict England to 248.
Poll
What Stood Out the Most in India’s Victory in the 1st ODI Against England?
After a blistering start by England’s openers, Rana’s fourth over turned the tide, dismissing Ben Duckett and Harry Brook in quick succession. Jos Buttler (52) and Jack Bethell (51) scored fifties, but England struggled to rebuild after losing early wickets.
Chasing a modest target, Gill anchored the innings, adapting to the match situation and forging vital partnerships. Iyer’s counter-attacking knock, laced with sizzling shots, provided the initial impetus before Gill took charge after his dismissal.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Axar’s promotion up the order paid dividends as he supported Gill in the middle overs.
Despite a late wobble, India overhauled the target with 68 balls to spare, thanks to Gill’s composed knock and valuable contributions from Iyer and Axar.
Earlier, England’s openers Phil Salt (43) and Ben Duckett (32) got off to a flying start, but India’s disciplined bowling and sharp fielding triggered a collapse. Rana’s eventful debut saw him concede 26 runs in his first over before claiming two crucial wickets in his fourth over, turning the game on its head.
Jadeja’s triple strike and a stunning catch by debutant Yashasvi Jaiswal further dented England’s progress, leaving them struggling to post a competitive total on a good batting surface.
Brief Scores:
England: 248 in 47.4 overs (Jos Buttler 52, Jacob Bethell 51; Harshit Rana 3/53, Ravindra Jadeja 3/26)
India: 251 for 6 in 38.4 overs (Shubman Gill 87, Shreyas Iyer 59 , Axar Patel 52; Adil Rashid 2/46).
