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India comfortably defeated England by 6 wickets in the first ODI of the three-match series. After a few tense and nervy moments in the middle, all-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar made sure that the Men in Blue crossed the finishing line in 45.2 overs in a 259-run chase. The left-handed batters scored unbeaten fifties and added over 100 runs. Shubman Gill amassed 80 not out before retiring hurt due to cramps.

He hailed his teammates for their performance.

“When you see your middle and lower middle order score runs and finish the job, it gives confidence as a captain. It was about our combination. We have a youngish bowling attack. Our batting is more experienced than our bowling. So even if we had a target of 300-320, we back ourselves to chase that,” Gill said.

He also highlighted the performance of the bowlers.

“Our bowling in the middle phase was good. We bowled the right areas, but they got away at the end of the powerplay. We were put under pressure, but how we came back and bounced back was important. We’ll try different combinations and see which gives us the best depth in both departments. The conditions were close to South Africa – the ball was kicking up, and it wasn’t easy to score. The wicket then settled nicely,” he added.

India managed to restrict England to 258 in 47.5 overs, with Axar taking four wickets. He was named the Player of the Match for his all-round display. Prasidh Krishna (2 wickets), Gurnoor Brar (2 wickets), Jasprit Bumrah (1 wicket) and Shivam Dube (1 wicket) were impressive with the ball.

For England, former captain Joe Root and Liam Dawson struck fifties to take the total over the 250-run mark on a pitch that had something for the pacers.

“Not ideal when you lose 5 for 20 in the middle period”: England captain Harry Brook on his team’s defeat

England skipper Harry Brook blamed his batters for the loss in the series opener against India.

“Not ideal when you lose 5 for 20 in the middle period. Boys fought well and tried to get us back with the ball. It was a great effort from the lads. Losing 5 for 20 is never ideal. Liked to have played slightly better. 260 on the board, the partnership between Root and Dawson was crucial. We thought the pitch changed. Go it slower. At the break, we thought we had enough if the pitch had remained the same. We’ll make selections based on the pitch. On another day, we make 300-320, and our spinners make a match of it.”