Indian left-arm spinner Axar Patel produced a brilliant bowling performance in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston on Tuesday. He picked up his career-best figures of 4/62, ensuring England were bowled out for 258. Interestingly, all his four wickets came in the death overs, which was a very difficult time for bowling. Patel picked up the wicket of Liam Dawson for 68 in the 44th over of the match. He dismissed Jofra Archer in his next over to further dent England. In the 48th over, he picked up the wickets of Adil Rashid and Josh Tongue as England were bowled out with a few overs to spare. His bowling performance helped India restrict England to a below-par total after England were heading for a strong finish.
Axar was excellent in the death overs, where he picked up four wickets and entered an exclusive list in Indian ODI cricket during his four-wicket haul in the first match. The left-arm spinner became only the second Indian spinner to claim four wickets between overs 41 and 50 of an ODI innings. The only other Indian spinner to achieve the feat was Ravindra Jadeja, who did so against Sri Lanka in Port of Spain in 2013. Interestingly, Gurnoor Brar was set to bowl the 48th over but was injured, and Axar Patel was given the ball.
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India bowlers dominate to bowl England out for 258
On a surface that was good for batting, the Indian bowlers put up an excellent effort to bowl England out for 258. It was the Indian pacers who triggered England's collapse as they went from 61/0 to 80/5. The first six wickets were picked up by the pacers. Joe Root and Liam Dawson put together a massive partnership as both batters went past their half-centuries to lead England's fightback.
Axar Patel was given the task of bowling the tough overs in the death phase, and he delivered by picking up four wickets as England were bowled out for 258. Jasprit Bumrah returned to ODI cricket for the first time since the 2023 World Cup final and produced a beauty to dismiss Harry Brook. Gurnoor Brar and Prasidh Krishna picked up two wickets each as England could not bat out their allotted overs. India will be favourites at the halfway mark after this brilliant bowling performance.
