India won the first ODI of the three-match series against England on February 6, 2025, in Nagpur. This was possible due to brilliant Indian bowling and stunning knocks from Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer.
England had chosen to bat first after Jos Buttler won the toss. Openers Phil Salt (43) and Ben Duckett gave a good start to England, adding 75 runs in 9 overs. India got back in the game once they got out, but Jos Buttler and Jacob Bethell hit half-centuries, and Jofra Archer’s 21* powered England to 248 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja and Harshit Rana picked three wickets each.
Rohit Sharma got out for 2 runs and Yashasvi Jaiswal made 15 runs. But then, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer added 93 runs for the third wicket. Iyer made 59 in just 36 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes. Gill went on to make 87 runs with 14 fours as India achieved the target with 4 wickets in hand in the 39th over.
Shubman Gill was named the Player of the Match, but it was Shreyas Iyer, who received praise as well. Iyer came into bat at no.4 when India was 19/2 as Virat Kohli missed out due to a knee injury. India was under pressure and Iyer played a brilliant counter-attacking knock.
His 59 runs were effective as India could then maintain pressure after his dismissal with Gill and Axar Patel at the crease.
However, in a stunning revelation after the match, Shreyas Iyer revealed that he wasn’t in contention to play in the match. And only a last-minute injury to star batter Virat Kohli opened the doors for him.
“As you all know I wasn’t supposed to play today. Virat unfortunately got injured and then I got the opportunity. I kept myself prepared. I knew that at any point in time, I can get a chance to play. The same thing happened to me last year as well during the Asia Cup. I got injured and someone else came in and scored a century,” Shreyas Iyer told Star Sports after the match.
Iyer also recited a funny story regarding his inclusion in the Indian XI and said was watching a movie and planned to stay up late on Wednesday. He then said he received a late phone call from Rohit Sharma explaining that Virat had a swollen knee and would not be playing in the series opener.
Iyer was in splits as he explained how he cut his movie night short and rushed to bed so he could wake up fresh the next day.
"Funny story, I was watching a movie last night, and I thought I could extend my night. But then I got a call from the skipper saying that I may play because Virat has a swollen knee. And then I hurried back to my room, went off to sleep straight," he added.
The second ODI will be played at Cuttack on Sunday, February 9.
Iyer, who has been playing domestic cricket for the past few months, spoke in detail about his preparation for the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy. Iyer stated that domestic cricket helped him improve his fitness and get clarity about how to approach his innings.
"Obviously, they were predominantly bowling a lot of short deliveries and I decided to use the pace and that's what the mindset (was), try to hit the ball in the air as much as possible because the field was also inside. And they were pretty attacking at the start," Iyer explained.
It is unclear whether Iyer will play the second ODI match in Cuttack, given Virat Kohli's expected return to the lineup. The batter could get a chance if India decides to sit Yashasvi Jaiswal, who struggled in his debut in Nagpur on Thursday.
"To be honest, see, I played throughout the domestic season. It taught me a lot and gave me a decent idea about how to approach my innings, and the attitude I have to keep. And it's just the mindset that I've improved over a period of time. Also from the skills point of view, you need to upgrade yourself, elevate, and keep learning every now and then. So I think I ticked all the boxes, and also my fitness played an important role," he added on the role of domestic cricket.
His usage of the crease and his stance, in which he planted his right leg on the leg stump and pounded the short balls thrown at him by England from the start of his innings, were crucial features of his hitting.
Iyer praised the side-arm experts for improving his style but stated that he had made no changes to his technique.
"I didn't decide that I would be playing in a particular way or I would be changing something. Throughout the domestic series, you see, I was playing with a similar backlift and stance. And obviously, if the bowler is bowling above 140-150, then you would like to use the crease as much as possible, and use the pace and guide the ball in the gaps, and that's what my mindset was.
In domestic cricket, you don't get to face that 140+ pace a lot so we ask the side-armers to bowl on the body line as much as possible and try to use the pace. I'm glad that I was able to execute it well too," Iyer said.
It is unclear whether Iyer will play the second ODI match in Cuttack, given Virat Kohli's expected return to the lineup. The batter could get a chance if India decides to sit Yashasvi Jaiswal, who struggled in his debut in Nagpur on Thursday.
