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'Jasprit Bumrah cannot be the answer to all your problems': Gautam Gambhir warned despite India's ODI win

Times of India Published Jul 15, 2026 Reviewed Jul 15, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

India won the first ODI of the series by taking six wickets.

6 wickets · wickets taken

England were 107 for 6 after slipping from 61 without loss.

107 runs · England's score6 wickets · wickets lost

Joe Root and Liam Dawson stitched a 121-run partnership for the seventh wicket.

121 runs · partnership

England were all out for 258.

258 runs · England's final score

India took a 1-0 lead in the series after winning the first ODI.

1 win · series lead

Shubman Gill scored 80 before retiring hurt.

80 runs · Shubman Gill's score

Axar Patel scored 57 not out.

57 runs · Axar Patel's score

Washington Sundar scored 52 not out.

52 runs · Washington Sundar's score

Gill and Sundar shared a 102-run partnership.

102 runs · partnership

Axar Patel took 4 wickets for 62 runs.

4 wickets · Axar Patel's wickets62 runs · runs conceded by Axar Patel

Joe Root scored 76.

76 runs · Joe Root's score

Liam Dawson scored 68, his career-best.

68 runs · Liam Dawson's score

India may have opened the three-match ODI series with a comfortable six-wicket win over England at Edgbaston, but the decision to leave Kuldeep Yadav out of the playing XI continued to spark debate after the match. The visitors made a dream start with the ball as Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar ripped through England's top order.

The hosts slipped from 61 without loss to 107 for 6, before Joe Root and Liam Dawson stitched together a 121-run partnership for the seventh wicket to revive the innings and take England to 258. During the recovery, former India pacer Varun Aaron questioned India's team combination, arguing that the absence of Kuldeep deprived the side of a genuine wicket-taking option in the middle overs.

"India has Kuldeep Yadav. Axar Patel is bowling arm balls into the batter and bowling all those sliders. You have to play around with your speeds and the seam position to get something out of the wicket," Aaron said on commentary. He also felt England's batters had become comfortable against Axar Patel because they were not expecting significant turn from the left-arm spinner.

"The English batters are setting up to play Axar as an off-spinner. It is very obvious he is not going to turn the ball past the batter. How do you get wickets in the middle overs? Jasprit Bumrah cannot be your answer to all your problems," Aaron added. Despite England's fightback, India completed the chase with ease to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

Captain Shubman Gill once again excelled at Edgbaston with a fluent 80 before retiring hurt due to cramps, while Axar Patel backed up his four-wicket haul with an unbeaten 57. Washington Sundar also remained unbeaten on 52 as the pair shared a match-winning 102-run stand to seal the chase in 45.2 overs.

Earlier, Axar finished with figures of 4/62 after cleaning up England's lower order, but Root's 76 and Dawson's career-best 68 had helped the hosts recover from a precarious position after India's fast bowlers dominated the opening phase.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.

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