India defeated England by four wickets in the first ODI of the series at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, the focus was on a few cricketers, particularly on the seniors following their poor performance in the last two Test series against New Zealand and Australia. However, star India batter Virat Kohli didn’t feature in the match owing to a knee injury, while captain Rohit Sharma flopped yet again.
Meanwhile, batting first, England seemed to be in control, courtesy of openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett but things changed drastically for them towards the end of the powerplay. Debutant Harshit Rana, who leaked 26 runs in his THIRD over, scripted a sensational comeback to register a three-wicket haul. He dismissed Duckett, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone.
The Three Lions nevertheless kept grinding as captain Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell hit a half-century each. Their partnership was vital but none of the cricketers could capitalize as Buttler and Bethell departed for 52 and 51 respectively. Towards the end, Jofra Archer played a cameo of 21 runs but overall, Indian bowlers were well in control of the game. Like Harshit, Ravindra Jadeja clinched a three-wicket haul as England registered 248 runs on the board.
