Road to South Africa up and running: Washington Sundar, Axar Patel deliver with bat and ball at Edgbaston

Axar Patel (left) and Washington Sundar added unbeaten 102 runs for the fifth wicket in the first ODI against England. (BCCI | X)

TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: All-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar successfully guided Team India to a 259-run chase in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday. The six-wicket victory ended India’s three-week winless streak in the UK, where they had suffered a 0-2 defeat to Ireland and a 0-4 whitewash against England in the T20I series. The win also extended India’s unbeaten run against England in ODIs to six consecutive victories while ending England’s seven-match winning streak at Edgbaston. The 102-run stand between Axar and Washington for the fifth wicket, under the blazing sun, lifted the proverbial clouds that had briefly converged over India’s march towards victory. In a matter of 20 minutes, India lost skipper Shubman Gill to cramps, Shreyas Iyer to a run-out, and KL Rahul, who dragged a wide delivery onto his stumps. India went from 149/2 to 160/4 in a jiffy, with the trio back in the hut. England, who had been pegged back by the 101-run partnership between Gill (80 off 75 balls) and Iyer (35 off 53 balls), were suddenly roaring in celebration, as were the 20,744 in attendance. ‘Wonderwall’, ‘It’s Coming Home’ and ‘Hey Jude’ echoed around the ground as the FIFA World Cup fever, fuelled by Harry Kane & Co.’s run to the semi-finals, blended with England’s surge at Edgbaston.With 99 runs still required, the challenge was less about the required run rate of 4.5 an over and more about handling the sudden pressure after the loss of three quick wickets. Both Axar and Washington had just arrived at the crease and faced a daunting task. Instead of being bogged down, the southpaws, the first left-handers in India’s XI after the quartet of right-handers, tackled the situation with aplomb.

India’s Axar Patel and Washington Sundar celebrate their partnership during 1st ODI against England, at Edgbaston stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

The duo saw off Will Jacks and Sam Curran, with the four overs yielding just nine runs. Adil Rashid’s reintroduction allowed Washington to free his arms with a boundary and a nine-run over. The next two overs, as Curran and Jacks continued, yielded 18 runs, with the duo’s confidence evidently growing.Axar was the main man at this stage. A slog sweep off Jacks and consecutive boundaries off Jofra Archer meant the runs were starting to flow comfortably. At the other end, Washington enjoyed watching his teammate bat.

“The way he batted was magical and it was a treat for me to watch from the other end,” he said at the post-match press conference.The next four overs reflected the same level-headed approach. As the fifty-run partnership came and went, the duo collected nine runs in three overs while seeing off Archer’s full quota of 10 overs. The following two overs produced another 19 runs, allowing Axar and Washington to slow things down again over the next three overs.Having navigated the chase to perfection, the duo grew in confidence and momentum, fittingly capped by Washington’s cracking shot in the 45th over that sealed the match. A floated delivery from Adil Rashid was too full and in the slot for the 26-year-old, who sent it soaring over the long-on boundary for a match-winning six.

Axar Patel (left) acknowledges the crowd reception after reaching his fifty in the first ODI against England at the Edgbaston (BCCI | X)

“We were thinking that we are down a couple of wickets just now, we have to build a partnership right now. And after four, five overs, we’ll think about what we have to do because the way we got the start, I think we are ahead of the game. So we have to just build the partnership and just finish the game,” explained Player of the Match Axar Patel.Skipper Gill, whose availability for the Cardiff ODI in two days’ time remains uncertain, was pleased to see India’s batting depth tested and come through successfully.

When you see your middle order and lower middle order score runs like that and finish the job for the team, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top-order batsman

Shubman Gill

“When you see your middle order and lower middle order score runs like that and finish the job for the team, you get a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top-order batsman,” Gill said at the presentation.What the first ODI showed was India coach Gautam Gambhir’s desire to have a left-hander bat ahead of KL Rahul. At Edgbaston, that role went to Washington. During India’s Champions Trophy triumph last year, Axar was the preferred option to bat higher up the order. It has also helped that Rahul has adapted to the No. 6 role. Since 2025, he has scored 291 runs in that position at an average of 36.37 and a strike rate of 99.31. That is not to say he has not made a mark at No. 5. The same can be said of Axar, who has also been tested at No. 5 and delivered.

Washington Sundar (right) and Axar Patel (left) scored half-centuries against England in the first ODI. (BCCI | X)

This selection dilemma could eventually resolve itself because only one of Axar or Washington may feature regularly in India’s plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa. If Hardik Pandya and Harshit Rana regain full fitness, there may be room for only one spin-bowling all-rounder.

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For now, Axar and Washington gave an excellent account of themselves, and India’s road to the 2027 ODI World Cup is up and running on a positive note.