After their humiliation in the T20I series, it was a fresh start for Team India as the visitors defeated England by six wickets in their first ODI. India also experimented with their batting and bowling combinations, with Shubman Gill crediting the decision to the upcoming 2027 World Cup.
The run chase also saw Washington Sundar bat higher up the order at No. 5, ahead of KL Rahul. The all-rounder was key, slamming an unbeaten knock of 52* runs off 63 balls, packed with six fours and a maximum.
‘Yes, we are really trying different combinations’
Speaking after the match in the post-match presentation, Gill said, “Yes, we are really trying different combinations to see which kind of combination gives us best depth in bowling and batting, in both the departments. I think the wicket that we played on, the conditions would be a bit similar to South Africa.”
“It was not easy for the batsmen with the new ball. The ball was doing a bit, the ball was kicking off. It wasn’t as easy to score runs with the new ball. But, the wicket settled in nicely and I think the conditions are going to play similar in South Africa as well. So if we can test different combinations on these kind of wickets, it would be great for us.”
Chasing 259 runs, India reached 262/4 in 45.2 overs. It is only the second time India have successfully chased down a target of 250-plus in ODIs since 2016, where either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli failed to get a fifty. Rohit bagged 11 runs off 21 balls before losing his wicket to Sam Curran. Meanwhile, Kohli (5) lost his wicket to Jofra Archer.
Explaining his remark on wanting to bowl first after losing the toss, Gill said, “Honestly, it was more about our combination. We have a youngish bowling attack, so our batting is still a bit more experienced than our bowling. So, first game of the series, we wanted to bowl first so that even if there’s a target of 320, we back the kind of batting order that we have, we back ourselves to chase that.”
“ I think how we bowled in the middle overs was very pleasing. I think they were 50-odd in the 10 overs. We bowled brilliantly well in the first 6-7 overs. The ball was doing a bit and we bowled the right areas. And then they got a bit away in the end of the powerplay. We were put under pressure. But I think how we bounced back, how we came back and took those five wickets was very important,” he added.
