IND vs ENG: 1st ODI Review – India outclass England in Nagpur

India defeated England in the first ODI of the three-match series by four wickets with 68 deliveries to spare. The Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur witnessed a fine all-round display from the hosts.

England won the toss and opted to bat first. The English openers started strongly. The ODI debutant Harshit Rana was battered for 26 runs in his third over. He came back splendidly well with a double-wicket over in the 10th over of the game. After the dismissal of Joe Root, Jos Buttler, and Jacob Bethell stuck together to string a valuable partnership for their side.

However, the two batters were dismissed shortly after getting to their respective fifties. Apart from Jofra Archer who tried his best and scored 21, not much could be said about the English tail as they were bowled out for 248 in 47.4 overs. Ravindra Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers from the Indian unit. He picked up a three-wicket haul by conceding only 26 runs in nine overs.

Regarding the run-chase, the Indian openers were back in the shed within the first six overs. Shubman Gill teamed up with Shreyas Iyer to put India back in the driver’s seat. Iyer, in particular, took charge to the English bowlers. He was dismissed for a 36-ball 59-run knock. Gill brought up his first ODI half-century against England, as Axar Patel joined him to chase down the remaining runs.

In the end, Gill fell 13 short of his ton. Adil Rashid picked up two wickets – that of Axar and KL Rahul. However, a couple of boundaries from Jadeja in the 39th over of the Indian response led to a convincing win at the end. Gill was awarded the Player of the Match award for his 87 (96).

Best Performers of the match

Shubman Gill (87 off 96)

Coming into bat in the fifth over of the Indian innings, Gill maneuvered the ball in the gaps as well as finding the boundary on regular instances. Apart from the “V” region, all 14 of his boundaries came all around the expanse of the ground.

Ravindra Jadeja (3/26 in nine overs)

Ever since being introduced into the attack, Jadeja bowled multiple deliveries in a tight channel. He only conceded one boundary in his nine-over spell. He also brought up 600 international wickets during the game.

What’s next for the two teams?

The two sides will travel to the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack to lock horns in the second game of the series. The match is scheduled at 1:30 pm (IST) on Sunday, February 9.