Axar Patel etched his name in Indian cricket history after producing a stunning all-round performance in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston. The left-arm spinner became only the sixth Indian cricketer to score 50 or more runs and claim four or more wickets in the same ODI match.
Axar played a crucial role in India’s six-wicket victory, helping the visitors take a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. While his four-wicket haul restricted England to 258, his unbeaten half-century guided India through a tricky chase.
The all-rounder finished with figures of 4/62 in 9.5 overs before scoring an unbeaten 57 runs, forming a match-winning 102-run partnership with Washington Sundar for the fifth wicket.
Axar Patel joins elite list of Indian all-rounders
Before Axar, only five Indian players had achieved the rare milestone of scoring 50-plus runs and taking four-plus wickets in an ODI.
The list includes:
1.) K Srikkanth – 70 runs & 5/27 vs New Zealand, Vizag (1988)
2.) Sachin Tendulkar – 141 runs & 4/38 vs Australia, Dhaka (1998)
3.) Sourav Ganguly – 130 runs & 4/21 vs Sri Lanka, Nagpur (1999)
4.) Sourav Ganguly – 71 runs & 5/34 vs Zimbabwe, Kanpur (2000)
5.) Yuvraj Singh – 118 runs & 4/28 vs England, Indore (2008)
6.) Yuvraj Singh – 50 runs & 5/31 vs Ireland, Bengaluru (2011)
7.) Hardik Pandya – 71 runs & 4/24 vs England, Manchester (2022)
8.) Axar Patel – 57* runs & 4/62 vs England, Edgbaston (2026)
Axar is the latest addition to the excluive club and the first Indian player to achieve the feat in an ODI against England since Hardik Pandya’s performance in 2022.
Axar Patel reveals mindset behind match-winning performance
Speaking after the game, Axar credited patience and trusting the conditions for his successful outing. The all-rounder admitted he was looking to hit the ball too hard during the T20I series and focused on timing during the ODI. “I had to stay focused rather than thinking it would just happen on its own. I had to have self-belief and execute my plans,” Axar said.
He added that spending time at the crease was important due to the early movement available for the bowlers. “On such wickets, you cannot come in and play shots on the rise immediately because there was bounce, and it was swinging and seaming as well. You have to give yourself that little bit of time,” he explained.
Axar’s late bowling burst puts England under pressure
England appeared set for a competitive total after Joe Root and Liam Dawson added a 121-run partnership for the seventh wicket. Root scored an unbeaten 76, while Dawson contributed 68.
However, Axar broke the partnership by dismissing Dawson and then cleaned up England’s lower order. The hosts lost their final four wickets for just 55 runs as Axar completed his maiden ODI four-wicket haul. His performance also made him only the second Indian spinner after Ravindra Jadeja to take four wickets between overs 41 and 50 in an ODI innings,
Axar Patel’s ODI numbers
After his four-wicket haul against England, Axar has taken 79 wickets in 72 ODIs at an economy rate of 4.52. With the bat, the all-rounder has scored 858 ODI runs, including three half-centuries.
