BIRMINGHAM, England : Axar Patel produced a match-winning all-round performance as India defeated England by six wickets in the opening one-day international at Edgbaston on Tuesday, bouncing back from their 4-0 Twenty20 series defeat.
Patel claimed four wickets before scoring 57, while captain Shubman Gill made 80 before retiring hurt with cramp as India chased down 259 to finish on 262-4 with 28 balls to spare.
Washington Sundar completed the chase with an unbeaten 52, sealing victory with a six that also brought up an unbroken century partnership with Patel.
“The way the T20 series went, I think this is the perfect start for us,” player of the match Patel said.
India’s chase briefly wobbled after Rohit Sharma fell for 11 and Virat Kohli was trapped leg before wicket by Jofra Archer for five, but Gill steadied the innings before retiring hurt.
“I wanted to finish the job for the team but I had to come out,” Gill said. “Very glad with the result.”
Earlier, England recovered from a top-order collapse to post 258 all out after captain Harry Brook won the toss and chose to bat.
The hosts lost Jacob Bethell, Ben Duckett and Brook within six deliveries to slump to 64-3 after an opening stand of 61.
Duckett made 43 before Jasprit Bumrah caught him on the boundary off Gurnoor Brar, while Brook was dismissed for one by Bumrah’s first ball of his second spell.
Jos Buttler, playing his 200th ODI, managed only five before Sam Curran departed without scoring, leaving England in trouble at 80-5.
Liam Dawson and Joe Root repaired the innings with a sixth-wicket partnership of 121.
Dawson struck a career-best 68 from 83 balls before falling to Patel, while Root carried his bat for an unbeaten 76 after receiving an early reprieve when dropped on seven by Shivam Dube.
Patel finished with four wickets as Nottinghamshire fast bowler Josh Tongue, making his ODI debut, became the final batter dismissed with 13 balls remaining.
“I think we lost five for 20 in that middle period, which is always going to put us on the back foot,” Brook said. “We would have definitely liked to have played slightly better in that period of the game.”
The second match of the three-match series will be played in Cardiff on Thursday before the finale at Lord’s on Sunday.
