South Africa tour underway: Washington Sundar, Axar Patel deliver with bat and ball at Edgbaston

Axar Patel (left) and Washington Sundar added 102 unbeaten 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 led Team India to a 259-run chase in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Tuesday. The six-wicket victory ended India’s three-week winless streak in Great Britain, where they suffered 0-2 defeats against Ireland and 0-4 defeats against England in the T20I series. The win also extended India’s unbeaten streak against England in ODIs to six consecutive wins and ended England’s seven-game winning streak at Edgbaston.A 102-run stand between Axar and Washington for the fifth wicket under a blazing sun lifted the proverbial clouds that had briefly gathered over India’s march to victory. Within 20 minutes, India lost skipper Shubman Gill to cramp, Shreyas Iyer to run out and KL Rahul, who pulled a wide delivery onto his stumps. India went from 149/2 to 160/4 in no time and the trio were back in the hut. England, tied on 101 runs between Gill (80 off 75 balls) and Iyer (35 off 53 balls), suddenly celebrated wildly, as did the 20,744 in attendance. ‘Wonderwall’, ‘It’s Coming Home’ and ‘Hey Jude’ rang out across the country as FIFA World Cup fever, fueled by the progress of Harry Kane & Co. to the semi-finals, coupled with England’s surge at Edgbaston.With 99 runs still needed, the issue was not so much the required run rate of 4.5 and over, but rather handling the sudden pressure after losing three quick wickets. Both Axar and Washington had just arrived at the crease and faced a daunting task. Instead of getting bogged down, the southpaws, the first left-handers in India’s XI after a quartet of right-handers, handled the situation with confidence.

India’s Axar Patel and Washington Sundar celebrate their partnership during the 1st ODI against England at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Tuesday. (NOT a photo)

The duo dismissed Will Jacks and Sam Curran, with four overs yielding just nine runs. The re-introduction of Adil Rashid allowed Washington to free their arms with a boundary and nine overs. The next two overs as Curran and Jacks continued produced 18 runs, with the duo’s confidence evidently growing.Axar was the main man at this stage. A rough sweep by Jacks and a subsequent boundary by Jofra Archer meant that the runs began to flow comfortably. At the other end, Washington enjoyed watching his teammate’s bat.

The way Axar batted was magical and it was a pleasure to watch him from the other end.

Washington Sundar

“The way he batted was magical and it was a treat for me to watch it 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, taking Archer’s full quota of 10 overs. The next two overs yielded another 19 runs, allowing Axar and Washington to slow down again in the next three overs.After finishing the chase to perfection, the duo grew in confidence and power, fittingly capped by Washington’s 45th over knock to seal the match. A floated delivery from Adil Rashid was too full and in the slot for the 26-year-old, who sent it up over long-on for a game-winning six.

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

“We thought we’ve got a couple of wickets right now, we’ve got to build a partnership now. And after four, five overs, we’ll think about what we need to do because the way we started, I think we’re ahead of the game. So we just have to build a partnership and 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 that India’s batting depth was tested and passed.

When you see your middle-order and lower-middle-order scores running like that and you get the job done 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 scores running like that and you get the job done for the team, it gives you a lot of confidence as a captain and as a top-order batsman,” Gill said at the launch.The first ODI showed India coach Gautam Gambhir’s desire to bat left-handed ahead of KL Rahul. At Edgbaston, that role fell 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 the position at an average of 36.37 and a strike rate of 99.31. That’s not to say he didn’t make the grade at No. 5. The same can be said for Axar, who was also tested at No. 5 and delivered.

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

This selection dilemma could eventually resolve itself as only one of Axar or Washington can 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 just one spin-bowling all-rounder.Axar and Washington have given an excellent account of themselves so far and India’s journey to the 2027 ODI World Cup is well on its way.