India beat England by six wickets in the first One-Day International at Edgbaston on 14 July 2026. The visitors chased down a target of 259 runs with 28 balls remaining to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Captain Shubman Gill scored 80 runs before retiring hurt with a hamstring injury. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar scored an unbeaten 102-run partnership to secure the victory. This win follows India’s disappointing 4-0 whitewash defeat in the recent Twenty20 International series against the same opponents.
Axar Patel Dominates with All-Round Brilliance
Axar Patel played exceptionally with bat and ball, which earned him Player of the Match award. The left-arm spinner took 4 wickets for 62 runs in his 10 overs. He took an important wicket of Josh Tongue to end the England innings. England won the toss and chose to bat, but India restricted the hosts to 258 runs.
Patel then showed his class with the bat, making an unbeaten 57 off only 52 deliveries. He scored five fours and a six during his innings. India remained composed during a tricky period in the middle when the team lost three quick wickets. It was also his fourth half-century in ODI cricket. Patel also shared an emotional statement at the post-match conference saying that he felt a huge sense of relief after winning this game.
England Collapse After Strong Opening Stand
England got off to a good start at Edgbaston. Openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell scored 61 runs for the first wicket, England’s best opening stand in 10 ODIs. But in the space of just six balls, the momentum shifted dramatically. Gurnoor Brar dismissed both openers in a single over. Duckett fell for 43, while Bethell departed for 14.
England lost five wickets for only 20 runs. Jasprit Bumrah bowled out England captain Harry Brook for just one run. Additionally, Jos Buttler’s 200th ODI appearance ended early when he fell for five runs to Prasidh Krishna. Sam Curran followed shortly after for a duck. Consequently, England slumped from 61-0 to a worrying 80-5 within four overs.
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Joe Root and Liam Dawson Rescue the Hosts
Joe Root and Liam Dawson combined to save the England innings. The pair shared a crucial 121-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Joe Root almost lost his wicket when Shivam Dube dropped a catch while Root was only on seven. Root capitalised on this mistake and finished unbeaten on 76 from 92 balls.
Meanwhile, Liam Dawson reached his highest score in international cricket. He scored 68 runs off 83 balls before being caught on the boundary. Their partnership dragged England to a total of 258 all out in 47.5 overs. Despite their efforts, Harry Brook later admitted that 260 was below par on a pitch that slowed down as the game progressed.
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Shubman Gill Sets the Tone for India
Although India lost Rohit Sharma for 11 runs and Virat Kohli for 5 runs, Shubman Gill scored 11 fours and one six in a fluent display of batting. Gill added 101 runs for the third wicket alongside Shreyas Iyer, who scored 35 runs.
Unfortunately, Gill suffered from severe cramps and a hamstring issue during his innings. He was forced to retire hurt on 80 from 75 balls with India still needing 110 runs for victory. His departure triggered a mini-collapse as India lost Shreyas Iyer to a run-out and KL Rahul for just one run. Suddenly, India found themselves at 160-4, needing another 99 runs to win.
Washington Sundar and Axar Patel Finish the Job
Washington Sundar joined Axar Patel for the game-winning partnership. Sundar scored 52 not out from 63 deliveries. The match ended spectacularly when Sundar hit a massive six off Adil Rashid.
This shot brought up both his fifty and the 100-run partnership with Patel. India reached 262 runs by losing 4 wickets in 45.2 overs, securing a comfortable six-wicket win. This victory was India’s sixth consecutive ODI win over England. It also ended England’s seven-match winning streak at Edgbaston.
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