England vs India, 1st ODI, India tour of England, 2026 - CommentaryENG vs IND, 1st ODI, India tour of England, 2026 - Commentary

After the drubbing in the T20Is, India take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series. Despite bowling well, they couldn't find a breakthrough in the first powerplay. The pacers then triggered a collapse, reducing England to 107/6. The 121-run stand between Root and Dawson ensured a respectable total but Axar's four wickets towards the end meant that England didn't bat their full quota of overs. With the bat, the senior pros - Rohit and Kohli - didn't fire. Captain Gill though looked in great touch before his innings came to a premature end on 80. India came under pressure after losing two quick wickets, but the team management would have been mighty pleased with how the spinning all-rounders performed. That's it from this Edgbaston ODI. The action moves to Cardiff next. Tune in on Thursday (July 16th) for the next game. Until then, goodbye and good night.

Shubman Gill | India captain: [Perfect start?] Yeah, when you see your middle order, lower middle order score runs like that and finish off the job for the team, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top order batsman. [On wanting to bowl first] Honestly, it was more about our combination. We have a youngish bowling attack, so our batting is still a bit more experienced than our bowling. So, first game of the series, we wanted to bowl first so that even if there's a target of 320, we back the kind of batting order that we have, we back ourselves to chase that. [On the most pleasing aspect of India's performance] I think how we bowled in the middle overs was very pleasing. I think they were 50-odd in the 10 overs. We bowled brilliantly well in the first 6-7 overs. The ball was doing a bit and we bowled the right areas. And then they got a bit away in the end of the powerplay. We were put under pressure. But I think how we bounced back, how we came back and took those five wickets was very important. [On experimenting with combinations ahead of the 2027 World Cup] Yes, we are really trying different combinations to see which kind of combination gives us best depth in bowling and batting, in both the departments. I think the wicket that we played on, the conditions would be a bit similar to South Africa. It was not easy for the batsmen with the new ball. The ball was doing a bit, the ball was kicking off. It wasn't as easy to score runs with the new ball. But, the wicket settled in nicely and I think the conditions are going to play similar in South Africa as well. So if we can test different combinations on these kind of wickets, it would be great for us.

Harry Brook | England captain: [On England's performance in the first ODI] Not ideal, obviously. I think we lost 5 for 20 in that middle period, which is always going to put us on the back foot. But I thought the way that the boys fought there and tried to get us back in the game with the ball was phenomenal. And to get us a decent total in the end, which we thought we could potentially defend, was a great effort from the lads. [On whether he would change anything about the batting innings] Yeah, obviously losing 5 for 20 is never ideal. We'd have definitely liked to have played slightly better in that period of the game. But like I said, getting 260 on the board, having that period as well, was a great effort from Rooty and Dawsy, that partnership, and a couple of little cameos at the back as well. [On whether they felt 260 was defendable] We thought that the pitch changed quite a bit as well. It got a little bit slower, and it just allowed them to cruise along, really. They only really needed to go at 5-6 an over. And, yeah, at the break we thought we might have had enough if the pitch had stayed the same. [On team combination and whether they could make changes during the series] We try and make selections based on the pitch. Obviously, if we'd have got a few more runs there, then our spinners might have been able to tie them down through the middle a little bit better. But, look, it comes back to that 5 for 20, which wasn't ideal. And another day we get 320-330, and our spinners play a massive part. [On the quick turnaround before the second ODI] No. We'll get to Cardiff, we'll have a look at the pitch, and we'll make decisions on the team there. And, yeah, hopefully we can come back stronger.

Axar Patel | Player of the Match: [On India's win and his all-round performance] Obviously the way T20 series went, I think this is the perfect start for us. And very happy the way I performed today. [On the pitch offering assistance to the spinners] I think I bowled under a particular area. I thought I have to bowl, you know, vary my pace and bowl stump to stump. And I did exactly what I wanted to do. And I'm lucky that I got the four wickets. [On India's approach during the chase] And after that, in the batting, I think we got a very good start, and then we have to just know that we are ahead of the game. So we have to just rotate the strike and we have to finish the game well. [On his partnership with Washington Sundar] When I went there, I think Washington was there. We were thinking about that we are down a couple of wickets just now, we have to build a partnership right now. And after four, five overs, we'll think about what we have to do because the way we got the start, I think we are ahead of the game. So we have to just build the partnership and just finish the game.

Stats update by Deepu Narayanan

* This is only the second instance of India successfully chasing down a 250+ target in ODIs since 2016 where either Rohit or Kohli failed to get to 50; the other instance came against England at Old Trafford in 2022 when they chased down 260, with both Rohit & Kohli scoring 17 runs each.

* First defeat for England in eight ODIs at Edgbaston since 2015; the last time to beat them at this venue was India in 2014.

* Sixth consecutive win for India against England in ODIs – the most for India against England; they have had win successive wins thrice previously.

18:46 Local Time, 17:46 GMT, 23:16 IST: Clinical performance from India. Their run-chase got off to a brisk start with Gill batting positively. Rohit Sharma tried to go after Sam Curran, the first-change bowler, and perished. Kohli followed him in the very next over, trapped lbw by Jofra Archer. Gill looked in sublime touch and Shreyas Iyer gave him good company. The duo looked unflustered during their 101-run partnership, scoring at close to run-a-ball. And it seemed like India would cruise home comfortably. Then came the twist. Gill retired hurt after scoring 80 in the 26th over, with India needing 110 runs from 24.2 overs. Lethargic running coupled with a direct hit from Harry Brook resulted in Iyer's dismissal in the 27th over. Rahul chopped one onto his stumps in the 28th over as Tongue claimed his maiden ODI wicket. England were right back in the contest. With 99 more needed, the two spinning all-rounders - Washington and Axar - joined hands. The asking rate was well under control, which allowed them to take their time. Axar recorded a 39-ball fifty, Washington did his job tidily and brought up his half-century as well to take their team home with an unbeaten hundred partnership.

Washington Sundar wants to change his bat