At the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, India defeated England by four wickets in the opening ODI of the series thanks to the tantalising fifties of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
The Men in Blue now lead the Three Lions 1-0 in the ODI series after their thrilling victory in Nagpur.
In the second inning, India had to chase the 249-run mark. Rohit Sharma (2 runs from 7 balls) and Yashasvi Jaiswal (15 runs from 22 balls, 3 fours) opened for the Men in Blue, but they were unable to leave an impression as they were only able to establish a partnership of 19 runs.
In the second inning, Jofra Archer got rid of Jaiswal in the 4.3 overs, drawing the first blood.
Jaiswal was replaced at the crease by Shubman Gill, who sought to form a partnership with Rohit. However, Saqib Mahmood removed the captain in 5.2 overs as he failed to impress at the bat.
The Men in Blue got off to a great start in the game when Shreyas Iyer (59 runs from 36 balls, 9 fours, and 2 sixes) replaced Rohit Sharma at the crease and established an incredible 94-run partnership with Gill.
Iyer had a strike rate of 163.89. He played an aggressive game on Thursday. In the 14th over, he smacked a four to spruce up his half-century.
However, Jacob Bethell removed the right-handed batsman in the 15.6 over, ending his knock.
The hosts were unaffected by Iyer’s removal since Axar Patel (52 runs from 47 balls, 6 fours, and 1 six) solidified his 108-run partnership with Gill, the vice-captain.
In Nagpur, Gill played a magnificent knock, reaching his half-century in the 25th over.
India edged closer to victory on Thursday thanks to Gill and Axar’s partnership. Adil Rashid gave England a consolation wicket by removing Axar from the crease in the 33.4 overs, just when the hosts were winning.
KL, the wicketkeeper-batter Rahul took Axar’s place at the crease with the intention of scoring the game-winning runs.
However, Adil Rashid had another idea for Rahul, as he got rid of the 32-year-old in 35.4 overs.
KL Rahul was replaced at the crease by Hardik Pandya. Shortly after entering the crease, the all-rounder hit a spectacular boundary.
Gill was dismissed by England spinner Saqib Mahmood in 36.2 overs, preventing the 25-year-old from scoring a century by just 13 runs.
Gill was replaced on the crease by Ravindra Jadeja. The bowling all-rounder blasted the ball behind the stumps for a four, smashing the winning runs.
The Men in Blue’s only batters to stay undefeated on the crease were Jadeja (12 runs from 10 balls, 2 fours) and Hardik (9 runs from 6 balls, 1 six).
The second game of the ODI series between the Men in Blue and England will take place in Cuttuck on Sunday.
England won the toss and decided to bat first. England got off to a great start thanks to openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett. Salt saved his best for Harshit Rana, who was making his debut. He welcomed him with two boundaries in his opening over and then hammered him with a sixth over of 26 runs, which included three sixes and two fours.
When Axar Patel’s spin was added to the attack, Duckett hit it for three fours, adding some runs to his total. But a spectacular run-out by KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer ended the 75-run partnership, dismissing Salt for 43 in 28 balls with three sixes and five fours.
A top edge from Harshit’s bat soon found its way into the hands of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who ran from midwicket to make a spectacular diving catch, making Duckett Harshit’s maiden ODI wicket. Duckett scored 32 runs in 29 balls, including six fours, inside the pavilion while England was at 77/2.
With an additional bounce created by a Harshit delivery striking Harry Brook’s glove and landing in Rahul’s hands, India finished the first ten overs of the inning on a high note. 77/3 in 10 overs was England’s score.
The run-rate dropped as the seasoned duo of captains Jos Buttler and Joe Root concentrated on forming a connection. Ravindra Jadeja trapped Root leg-before-wicket for just 19 runs, capping off Root’s dismal ODI run. In 18.3 overs, England was 111/4 as Jadeja ended a 34-run partnership.
As he blasted some aggressive boundaries against spinners, skipper Buttler had much-needed backing from a young Jacob Bethell, who was there to hold the other end.
With the captain lobbing the delivery into Hardik Pandya’s hands at short fine leg, Axar Patel ended the 59-run partnership between Buttler and Bethell. Buttler scored four boundaries and went out for 52 in 67 balls. England finished 33 overs at 170/5.
Liam Livingstone was dismissed by Harshit for a just five runs after Rahul caught a faint edge behind the wickets. England finished 35.4 overs at 183/6.
In 39.1 overs, England reached the 200-run milestone thanks to Brydon Carse and Bethell. When a Mohammed Shami delivery struck Carse’s middle stump with a four and he was out for 10 in 18 balls, the partnership came to an end. England lost to 206/7 in 39.5 overs, demonstrating that their aggressive strategy was not working.
Jadeja stopped Bethell’s tenacious attack by trapping him leg-before-wicket for 51 in 64 balls, including three fours and a six. The score for England in 42.4 overs was 220/8.
Rashid’s stint at the crease was ended by Jadeja, who rattled his stumps with an eight-run knock off 16 balls. The score for England in their 46.4 overs was 241/9. Rahul ended England’s innings at 248 in 47.4 overs after stumping Saqib Mahmood on a Kuldeep delivery.
India’s two best bowlers were Jadeja (3/26) and Harshit (3/53); nonetheless, Harshit was hammered for a few runs. Each of Kuldeep, Axar, and Shami claimed a wicket.
Brief scores: India 251/6 (Shubman Gill 87, Shreyas Iyer 59, Axar Patel 52, Saqib Mahmood 2/47) against. England 248 (Jos Buttler 52, Jacob Bethell 51, Phil Salt 43, Ravindra Jadeja 3/26).