Team India stars Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli were seen poking fun at one another after the Men in Blue cruised to a rather comfortable victory over England in the first ODI in Nagpur on Thursday, February 6. In a video that surfaced on social media, Kohli and Pandya were all smiles when the latter was going back to the dressing room.
Kohli missed a rare international fixture due to an injury on his right knee, with Rohit Sharma revealing the same at the toss. However, the right-handed batter didn’t fail to express his joy as the hosts took a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series after coming out of the dressing room to the ground.
He was seen sharing a laugh with Hardik and Ravindra Jadeja on the sidelines soon after the match ended.
Watch the clip here:
Hardik Pandya, meanwhile, remained unbeaten on nine as India cruised home comfortably. Earlier, the seam-bowling all-rounder had sent down seven overs for 37 runs by chalking out a maiden. However, he went wicketless.
With Virat Kohli not playing the first ODI, Shubman Gill slotted in at number three for the home side. Gill, also appointed vice-captain for the series, came in the fifth over when Jofra Archer dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal for 15. With Rohit Sharma also falling cheaply, there was some pressure on the 25-year-old as India were chasing a tricky 249 for victory.
However, Shreyas Iyer, who arrived next, put the pressure back on the English bowlers with some excellent counterattacking strokes. Iyer and Gill shared a 94-run stand until the former perished for 59. Gill raised his half-century off only 60 deliveries and comfortably put on 108 with Axar Patel, who also made 52.
Gill eventually fell for 87 and India lost six wickets towards the end but won with 74 balls and six wickets to spare. The two sides will move to Cuttack for the second ODI on February 9, Sunday.
Follow IPL Auction 2025 Live Updates, News & Biddings at Sportskeeda. Get the fastest updates on Mega-Auction and cricket news
Quick Links
Your perspective matters!
Start the conversation
