Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma may have failed to perform in their comeback matches, but Axar Patel and Washington Sundar emerged as heroes for the Indian national cricket team in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston on Tuesday (July 14).
Sundar came in to bat at number five after captain Shubman Gill retired due to a possible hamstring injury and played a brilliant innings to help India register a spectacular six-wicket win over England and take a 1-0 lead in the ongoing three-match ODI series. Earlier in the match, Axar Patel created history by bowling the best spell of his career against England.
Washington Sundar silenced his critics by playing a match-winning innings against England.
Washington Sundar is under scrutiny over his role in the India national cricket team, with several former cricketers criticizing Gautam Gambhir and the team management for consistently supporting the spin all-rounder across all formats.
However, when the Men in Blue needed it most, when Shubman Gill was forced to leave the field after scoring a remarkable 80 off 75 balls, Sundar took the responsibility and batted brilliantly under pressure and finished the match with a brilliant six off Adil Rashid at Edgbaston.
Akshar Patel, Washington Sundar save India with match-winning century partnership
After Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were dismissed cheaply, Axar Patel and Sundar took the responsibility and both made an unbeaten 102-run partnership for the seventh wicket to ensure India’s resounding victory.
While Sundar scored unbeaten 52 runs in 63 balls, Akshar played an aggressive innings of 57* runs in 52 balls against England. Meanwhile, Harry Brook gave his honest verdict after England’s defeat to India in the first ODI.
The first ODI was entirely in the name of Axar Patel, as this all-rounder not only performed well with the bat but also performed brilliantly with the ball. The left-arm spinner bowled a record-breaking spell of 4/62 in 9.5 overs as the Men in Blue restricted England to 258.
Player of the Match Axar Patel praised India’s ‘perfect start’ after the defeat in the T-20 match
Following India’s impressive win over England, Axar was named player of the match for his all-round efforts in the first ODI at Edgbaston. After receiving the award, the all-rounder said that India got the right start in the ODI series after a disappointing T20I series and he is happy with their performance.
Truly impeccable all-round performance
Axar Patel won the well-deserved POTM award for his 4⃣ wickets and crucial half-century.
Scorecard https://t.co/2sg194tpxH #TeamIndia | #ENGvIND | @akshar2026 pic.twitter.com/eSGYHXzXll
– BCCI (@BCCI) July 14, 2026
Speaking about his bowling plans, the left-arm spinner explained that his plan was to bowl straight, mix up his pace and make it difficult for the England batsmen. Axar also praised Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar for their brilliant batting, which kept India in the game.
“The way the T20 series went, it’s a perfect start for us. Very happy with the way I performed today. I had to bowl stump-to-stump and vary my pace. Batting, we got a very good start,” Axar Patel said in the post-match presentation as quoted by Cricbuzz.
We just had to rotate the strike. When I went there, Vashi was there. We wanted to form a partnership. We were ahead of the game.”
India ends England’s ODI unbeaten streak at Edgbaston
It is noteworthy that in the first ODI match played at Edgbaston, India created history by registering a spectacular victory over England. With this win, India ended England’s seven-match winning streak in ODIs since 2015 at Edgbaston.
The win marked India’s sixth consecutive ODI win over England, their longest ever against the Three Lions in the 50-over format of the game.