India edge England in Edgbaston to take ODI series lead amid coaching transition
Shubman Gill and Axar Patel guide India to six-wicket victory, leaving England’s one-day side under scrutiny two days after McCullum’s role was restructured.
India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match One Day International series against England after defeating the hosts by six wickets at Edgbaston. The victory comes just two days after Brendon McCullum was relieved of his duties as England’s Test coach, marking the start of his reduced role focused solely on the white-ball teams. The result serves as an early test for McCullum’s revised mandate, highlighting the significant gap between England’s T20 success and their ODI performance.
England posted 258 all out in 47.5 overs, a total built on a crucial partnership between Joe Root and Liam Dawson. Root remained unbeaten on 76, while Dawson scored 68 off 83 balls, his highest score for England in any format. However, the innings ended in a collapse, with England losing their final four wickets for 30 runs after Root was stranded at the crease. The batting display followed a disastrous start to the innings, where England fell from 61-0 to 107-6, including a sequence of three wickets for three runs in six balls.
In response, India chased the target of 259 with relative ease, finishing on 262-4 in 45.2 overs. Shubman Gill anchored the chase with an unbeaten 80, retiring due to cramp but expecting to be fit for the second match in Cardiff. Although India slipped to 160-4 after Gill’s departure, Axar Patel’s unbeaten 57 and Washington Sundar’s 52 not out secured the win with 28 balls to spare. Patel also contributed with the ball, taking 4-62 earlier in the day.
The match underscored the disparity in squad depth, with England looking pace-bowler light on a pitch that offered assistance to seamers. Jasprit Bumrah was described as superb for India, taking 1-31 including the crucial wicket of Harry Brook. England captain Jos Buttler reached 200 ODI caps during the match but could only manage five runs. The defeat marks England’s 14th loss in their last 20 ODIs, raising questions about their automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, though they currently sit eighth in the world rankings.
India’s victory was bolstered by the presence of experienced stars, including Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, both of whom are playing in what may be their final series in England. Kohli was dismissed for five by Jofra Archer, while Sharma made 11 before being caught. The win shifts momentum to the tourists, who will look to extend their lead when the series moves to Cardiff on Thursday.
