India defeated England by four wickets in the first ODI at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Axar Patel played key roles in India's successful chase of 249. Earlier, debutant Harshit Rana and Ravindra Jadeja took three wickets each, dismantling England's batting lineup. This marked India’s first home ODI since the 2023 ODI World Cup final. England made a strong start with openers Philip Salt and Ben Duckett putting on 75 runs for the first wicket after electing to bat. However, an untimely run-out of Salt and two quick wickets by Rana reduced England to 77/3. Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell kept the innings alive with half-centuries. Late resistance from Jofra Archer helped England reach 249 despite being reduced to 206/7.
India's chase was off to a rough start as Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal were dismissed early. However, Iyer and Gill shared a 94-run partnership, with Iyer playing an aggressive knock and Gill anchoring the innings. Iyer was dismissed for 59 off 36 balls but Gill and Axar added a crucial stand, guiding India to victory despite losing wickets in the final stages. Iyer, coming in at number four, held the innings together after India’s early setbacks. He scored 59 off 36 balls, marking his 19th ODI fifty. This was his second-fastest fifty in ODI cricket, with his quickest coming in 2019 against the West Indies.
Jadeja was the standout bowler in the match, taking three wickets for 26 runs. With this performance, he became the leading wicket-taker in India-England ODIs, surpassing James Anderson’s record. He now has 42 wickets against England in 27 matches. Jadeja also reached a major milestone by becoming the fifth Indian to take 600 wickets in international cricket, joining legends like Anil Kumble and Kapil Dev.
Despite the top-order collapse, England’s captain Jos Buttler fought back with a half-century, scoring 52 off 67 balls. This was Buttler's highest score in India in ODIs. Bethell, at 21 years old, became the youngest Englishman to score a half-century in India, making 51 off 64 balls.
Harshit Rana marked his ODI debut with three wickets, although he conceded 53 runs in his seven overs. His performance, however, was noteworthy as he became the first Indian debutant to bowl the most expensive over in ODIs, conceding 26 runs in a single over.
This match was India's first home ODI since the 2023 ODI World Cup final, which ended in disappointment for the team. India had only played three ODIs last year during their tour to Sri Lanka.
India’s win marked a successful return to home conditions with solid performances across both batting and bowling.
