India vs England, 1st ODI: Team India all-rounder Axar Patel stepped up big time in a tricky situation as he smashed a fifty off only 39 deliveries in the first of the three ODIs against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on July 13, Tuesday. With the Men in Blue leaving the door ajar for England’s comeback after Shubman Gill was forced to retire hurt, Axar’s batting stood out to ensure that the tourists crossed the line and take a 1-0 lead after going winless in the preceding T20I leg.
India vs England, 1st ODI: When did Axar Patel come out to bat at Edgbaston?
After Gill retired hurt due to cramping continuously, England got the better of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul as well, threatening a comeback win. Until Gill and Iyer were batting, the visitors were cruising but the former walked off, clutching his right glutes, leaving England with a slight sniff at victory. It was in the 28th over that the spin-bowling all-rounder came out to bat, with the Men in Blue at 160/4, needing another 99 for victory. It was far from a smooth start, with Harry Brook unleashing off-spinner Will Jacks against the two left-handers Axar and Washington Sundar.
But with the run-rate not an issue, the duo took their time to settle in, measure the conditions and took some calculated risks to bring the requirement of runs down. Despite Brook rolling all the cards in his arsenal, he wasn’t able to break the partnership. Axar went on to get his hundred in the 41st over of the innings with a boundary clobbered over mid-wicket off Will Jacks’ bowling.
Axar Patel shows his class with the bat too! 🔥
Stepping up when India needed him the most, Axar anchors the chase with a brilliant fifty.#ENGvIND 1st ODI 👉 Streaming LIVE on JioHotstar! pic.twitter.com/qVUUbaX38s
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) July 14, 2026
It was not only with the bat that the 32-year-old stood out but also with the ball as he finished with a haul of 9.5-0-62-4, dismissing Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Adil Rashid. He finished unbeaten 57, while Sundar stayed unbeaten on 52, with their stand unbroken on 102.
India vs England, 1st ODI: Fifties from Joe Root and Liam Dawson takes hosts to 258
As for the first innings, the Englishmen won the toss and opted to bat first. After a 61-run opening stand between Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell, the Men in Blue hit hard by picking up wickets in clusters. Following the 61-rin opening partnership, Brook, Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Jos Buttler failed to even cross double figures as they crashed to 107/6 eventually. But Joe Root and Liam Dawson took calculated risk to stitch a century partnership, giving their side a shot at a competitive total.
Axar emerged as the pick of the bowlers for India with a haul of 9.5-0-62-4, while Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna picked up a couple apiece. Jasprit Bumrah clinched one wicket in his nine economical overs on his ODI return.
