India started their ODI series against England on a strong note as they defeated the visitors by a margin of 4 wickets. Rishabh Pant has been selected in the squad, but it was KL Rahul who continued to be the first-choice wicketkeeper-batter in ODIs. However, Rahul only managed to score 2 runs in the match. Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has named someone else who can be the perfect batting replacement for Rishabh Pant in the playing XI for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025.
Axar Patel was one of the star performers with the bat in the first ODI vs England. He scored 52 from 47 balls, in an innings studded with 6 fours and 1 six. He came in to bat ahead of Rahul at no.5 and stitched an important 108-run stand with Shubman Gill.
In an interaction with ESPN Cricinfo, Sanjay Manjrekar said that before that match he had suggested that Pant could be tried in the middle order with the Champions Trophy 2025 in mind because India would have a left-hander in the top six or seven. However, A xar solved this problem in the first ODI. He especially praised his performance against the spinners and said that this qualification will be useful in spin-friendly Dubai pitches in the Champions Trophy.
“Before the match started, there was a suggestion from me that maybe Rishabh Pant could be tried only with the Champions Trophy in mind. Plus, India would have a left-hander in the top six or seven. Axar Patel is a great option to have because this is a guy, we have seen him bat in Test matches for India and he has a batter's temperament,” Manjrekar said.
“Boy, he looked good against spinners (in the first ODI). India has had a problem in the middle overs where they have struggled to find batters who are competent against spin. Because this Champions Trophy is going to be played in our part of the world, there's going to be a lot of spin impact on the games,” he added.

India Seal 4-Wicket Win In First ODI

England won the toss and elected to bat first, and got off to a great start with Phil Salt and Ben Duckett putting up a 75-run stand. However, India started picking up wickets at regular intervals, as they were bundled out for 248. Ravindra Jadeja and Harshit Rana picked up 3 wickets each, while Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler scored half-centuries.
India chased the target down in 38.4 overs with 4 wickets to spare. Shubman Gill won the Player of the Match for his brilliant 86-run knock. Shreyas Iyer and Axar also chipped in with half-centuries.