On Thursday, February 6, India and England faced off in the first One-Day International (ODI) at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur. India won the match handily. It was a pleasant and beautiful afternoon in Nagpur, and England had chosen to bat first, thus India was without their chase maestro Virat Kohli for this match. This match marked the ODI debuts of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana.
With the exception of Mohammed Shami’s maiden over, the English openers dominated the powerplay. Phil Salt, the opener, hit Rana for 26 runs in his third over, but Ben Duckett, his partner, also didn’t hesitate to hit to get the most out of the pitch limits. But the final seven balls of the first powerplay swung the balance in India’s advantage, forcing Harry Brook and the openers to retreat.
Following the abrupt collapse, the seasoned team of Jos Buttler and Joe Root attempted to recover, but Root was defeated by a skidder from Ravindra Jadeja and left on 19 after dealing with 31 deliveries. Buttler left with 52 off 67 after being dismissed by another left-arm spinner, Axar Patel. After losing three wickets in the first powerplay, England lost four more and could only muster 129 runs in the second powerplay of 30 overs.
Playing his first ODI in India, Jacob Bethell batted superbly and contributed a counterattacking half-century, but in the 43rd over, Jadeja trapped him in front of his pads. By bundling the opponents out for a poor 248 in 47.4 overs, the Indian bowlers were able to wrap up the tail. Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar, and Hardik Pandya each provided a wicket, while Rana and Jadeja both claimed three.
In response, England launched an attack right away, dismissing both openers as India managed just 19 runs to maintain their middle-field position. But Shubman Gill, who batted in Virat’s place, had a great partnership with Shreyas Iyer. Their incredible 94-run partnership provided the hosts with much-needed stability. Iyer scored a scorching 59 off 36 balls, and Gill and Axar Patel continued to combine after his removal to get them nearer the finish line. Adil Rashid removed Axar with a rank turner after he hit his half-century with 52 runs.
Gill, the team’s vice-captain, played with a lot of responsibility to see the game through to the conclusion, but he had to go back after falling just 13 runs short of his century. The Punjab batsman hoped the team would easily chase down the target. Because of his outstanding batting performance, the deputy was also named Player of the Match. He will now try to maintain his current form in Cuttack, where the series’ second game is scheduled for Sunday, February 9, at the Barabati Stadium.
In the meantime, social media users were busy posting memes on ‘X’ (previously known as Twitter) and sharing their amusing analysis of the match based on some amusing incidents. Throughout the match, the match hashtag remained popular on the platform thanks to the meme community.
Here are the top memes from the 1st IND vs ENG ODI
Rohit Sharma ki inning 🤌🏼😭#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/emDpnDi5Pj
— Byomkesh (@byomkesbakshy) February 6, 2025
Harry Brook wagon wheel this India tour #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/DNb2R1Uiiz
— Rajabets 🇮🇳👑 (@rajabetsindia) February 6, 2025
England be like – humko nahi khelna hai , hme wapas Jana hai 😂 #INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/Y6wffS0Jhp
— PJ Mishra (@PJMishra121110) February 6, 2025
Life of Rohit Sharma lately.
– Man is just running between pavilion and crease.
– Not troubling scores.
– No any contribution to team total.Team looks mediocre in his captaincy lately.#INDvsENGpic.twitter.com/pPxjY5v4wK
— Inside out (@INSIDDE_OUT) February 6, 2025
Well played Phil Salt ❤️#INDvsENG pic.twitter.com/mZD0T1n6Fd
— Prasanth VK¹⁸ (@Kohlifiedd18) February 6, 2025
When Virat Kohli has to choose between Indian and England : pic.twitter.com/ngIug7xqFu
— UmdarTamker (@UmdarTamker) February 6, 2025
this is an axar patel fan account and official pr channel
— vishal dayama (@VishalDayama) February 6, 2025
he just had to survive this Cummins’ spell mahn, 300 would have been a cakewalk 💔 pic.twitter.com/eBqa86QAsQ
— soo washed (@anubhav__tweets) February 6, 2025
Gill ko bhi jaldi khelne ke liye majboor kar diya kamine pic.twitter.com/tYfdqnyLs9
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) February 6, 2025
ab aur do saal khilana padega gill ko
— vishal dayama (@VishalDayama) February 6, 2025
India
