IND vs ENG 1st ODI: Gill, Iyer's knocks help India start campaign on a winning note

Harshit Rana celebrates the wicket of England’s Liam Livingstone. Pic/PTI; (right) Shubman Gill in full flow against England in Nagpur yesterday. Pic/AFP

In his first international outing in six months, Shreyas Iyer (59) made a spectacular return with a counter-attacking half-century against England at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here on Thursday. Iyer was well-supported by vice-captain Shubman Gill, whose composed 87 off 96 balls helped India successfully chase down 249 and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Towards the end, there was a late wobble as the home team lost three wickets in quick succession, but the experienced pair of Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja saw them through with 11.2 overs and four wickets to spare.

Iyer's aggressive approach

Iyer, who came in after India lost both their openers - Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rohit Sharma - early in the chase, unleashed a blistering counterattack in the seventh over. Facing Jofra Archer, Iyer struck two consecutive sixes: a powerful pull over midwicket followed by a stunning uppercut. His aggressive approach saw him reach fifty in just 30 balls, his second-fastest half-century in ODIs. He struck eight boundaries and two towering sixes, maintaining a staggering strike rate of 176.7.

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This knock marked Iyer's 19th half-century in ODIs, further cementing his reputation as a key figure in India's middle order. Alongside Gill, who also scored 13th half-century in ODIs and his first against England, he added 94 runs for the third wicket, taking the game away from the visitors. When Iyer was dismissed, Axar Patel (52) continued the momentum, playing the role of the aggressor. The duo added 108 for the fourth wicket, which kept the momentum going for the home side.

Meanwhile, the long wait for runs from Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continued in Nagpur. Kohli was sidelined due to a sore right knee, while Rohit fell cheaply to Saqib Mahmood for just two in India's chase. However, India's chase was pretty well managed by the middle-order, which is a huge morale-booster for the team management ahead of the Champions Trophy.

For England, Mahmood and Adil Rasheed took two wickets apiece.

Earlier, despite half-centuries from Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell, England were restricted to 248 after Buttler surprisingly opted to bat first on a two-paced track. Openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett gave them a flying start, reaching 75 in the ninth over. However, an unfortunate run-out of Salt halted their progress, and from that point, they failed to gather any significant momentum in their innings.

The Nagpur pitch also made stroke play a little difficult in the afternoon, especially against the spinners, and England's innings was marked by both resistance and struggle.

Strong comeback

Debutant Harshit Rana had an eventful start, being expensive in his first over, but coming back strong to claim three wickets. He was taken apart by Phil Salt initially, but later removed Ben Duckett and Harry Brook with sharp fielding contributions. Joe Root and Buttler negotiated the spinners well, but Root was dismissed for 19 by Ravindra Jadeja.

A 59-run partnership between Buttler and Bethell stabilised the innings before Axar dismissed Buttler for 52. Liam Livingstone followed soon after, falling to Rana. Bethell's composed knock of 51 ended with another LBW to Jadeja, while Jofra Archer's brisk 21, including a six and two boundaries, helped England reach a competitive total.

Jadeja (3-26) and Rana (3-53) were the standout bowlers. With Rohit already back in the pavilion, India's chase was off to a tricky start but ultimately ended in victory.

Brief scores
England 248 all out in 47.4 overs (J Buttler 52, J Bethell 51, P Salt 43, B Duckett 32; R Jadeja 3-26, H Rana 3-53) lost to India 251-6 in 38.4 overs (S Gill 87, S Iyer 59, A Patel 52; S Mahmood 2-47, A Rashid 2-49) by four wickets

600
No. of international wickets claimed by Ravindra Jadeja, making him only the fifth Indian to achieve this feat