Nagpur, Feb 6 (UNI) A dominant batting display led by Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer helped India clinch a four-wicket victory over England in the first ODI at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium here on Thursday.
Chasing 249 for victory, India lost both openers early but Gill (87 off 96 balls, 14x4s) anchored the chase with a composed knock, while Iyer’s blistering 59 off 36 deliveries (9x4s, 2x6s) provided the required acceleration. India eventually reached the target in just 38.4 overs with 11.2 overs to spare.
With this defeat, England’s woes in ODIs continued, having now lost seven of the eight matches in which they batted first post the 2023 World Cup.
Jofra Archer, playing his first ODI in over a year, bowled with pace and control but found little support from his teammates. Gill reached his half-century off 60 balls, guiding India’s chase in the absence Virat Kohli. As he brought up his fifty against England, a loud cheer erupted.
Iyer, who came in at No. 4, played a counterattacking innings, reaching his fifty in just 30 balls, his second fastest in ODIs. His fastest remains a 28-ball fifty against the West Indies in Vizag in 2019.
India captain Rohit Sharma’s struggles with the bat persisted, as he managed only eight runs. In the 2024/25 season across formats, Rohit has amassed just 166 runs in 16 innings at an average of 10.37, raising concerns about his form ahead of Champions Trophy.
Despite England’s defeat, Archer’s record against left-handers around the wicket in ODIs continued to impress. In 201 deliveries, he has claimed 10 wickets at an average of 17.90, with a strike rate of 20.1 and an economy rate of 5.34.
Earlier, India’s bowlers produced a spirited performance to restrict England to 248. England, after opting to bat first, got off to a flying start with Phil Salt hammering a 26-ball 43. However, an unfortunate run-out triggered a collapse, as England slumped from 75/0 to 77/3 in quick succession.
Captain Jos Buttler (52) and Jacob Bethell (51) steadied the innings, but India’s disciplined bowling ensured wickets fell at regular intervals. Jofra Archer’s unbeaten 21 at the end helped England cross 240, though they would have expected more.
Debutant Harshit Rana had an eventful outing, claiming 3/53. Despite conceding 26 runs in an over—the most by an Indian debutant in ODIs—he bounced back strongly to pick up key wickets, becoming the first Indian bowler to claim three or more wickets on debut in all three formats.
Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was instrumental in tightening the screws on England, finishing with figures of 3/26. He extended his record as the highest wicket-taker in India-England ODIs, now with 41 wickets, ahead of James Anderson (40), Andrew Flintoff (37), Harbhajan Singh (36), and the duo of Javagal Srinath and Ravichandran Ashwin (35 each).
Joe Root’s struggles against Jadeja continued, with the latter dismissing him for the fourth time in ODIs. Root has now scored just 115 runs off 133 balls against Jadeja at an average of 28.75 and a strike rate of 86.46. Only Trent Boult has dismissed him more times in the format.
The second ODI of the series will be played on Sunday at Cattuck’s Barabati Stadium.
