Birmingham, July 15 (IANS) Player of the Match Axar Patel revealed that constant communication and a focus on rotating the strike with Washington Sundar were the keys behind India’s match-winning unbeaten partnership that sealed a six-wicket victory over England in the opening ODI at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

After Axar’s four-wicket haul helped bowl England out for 258, India found themselves under brief pressure in the chase after losing Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul in quick succession despite Shubman Gill’s fluent 80 before retiring hurt with cramps.

Axar then joined Washington Sundar at the crease, and the duo stitched together an unbeaten 102-run stand for the fifth wicket to guide India home with 28 balls to spare and hand the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Axar remained unbeaten on 57, while Sundar struck his maiden ODI half-century with an unbeaten 52, finishing the match with a towering six.

Reflecting on the partnership, Axar said the pair never looked to target any particular bowler and instead concentrated on building a partnership through sensible cricket.

“At that time, there was a little pressure. Washi and I were talking that we should play the next five overs, build a partnership and then see if we needed to attack. We kept telling each other to keep playing, keep rotating the strike and not get stuck at one place,” he said in a video released by BCCI on X.

The all-rounder added that frequent singles and doubles allowed the partnership to flourish before both batters shifted gears.

“We were thinking that we should just keep playing. We didn’t think that you target one bowler and I target another. On a wicket like this, once you are set, it becomes very important to finish the game. We wanted to take it till the end, and once we were set, we played our shots. The partnership developed from there and we won,” he added.

Earlier, Axar produced a decisive spell with the ball, claiming 4-62, including the final four wickets, after England had recovered through a 121-run stand between Joe Root (76 not out) and Liam Dawson (68).

Explaining his bowling approach, the left-arm spinner said he quickly identified the nature of the surface and stuck to hitting the right areas.

“Initially, there was a little spongy bounce. On this wicket it was very important to keep hitting the right areas. There were easy singles and doubles available, but I had to be consistent. When I bowled a couple into the wicket, I got extra bounce and that brought the wickets. I felt it was required, I did it and I got the result.”

India will now head to Cardiff for the second ODI, looking to clinch the three-match series after taking a commanding 1-0 lead.

–IANS

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