Former India captain and batting stalwart Virat Kohli added another feather on his cap with a massive milestone to his legendary career during India’s 1st ODI win against England at Edgbaston. Although Kohli had an ordinary outing with a score of just 5 runs, the Men in Blue secured a comfortable 6-wicket victory to gain a 1-0 lead.
It was actually Virat Kohli’s first one-day international game for India since January 2026 and first competitive match since the 2026 Indian Premier League final on May 31. The right-hand batter famously won a 2nd consecutive IPL title with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru after beating the Gujarat Titans in 5 wickets in Ahmedabad.
The 37-year-old was then expected to feature for India’s 3-match home ODI series against Afghanistan but he missed out due to a hamstring injury. His inclusion into the 15-man squad for the series in England was subject to fitness but he returned with full fitness.
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However, his returned was shortened to just 6 deliveries as he got out for 5 runs, courtesy of a straightened delivery from pacer Jofra Archer. Kohli had already scored a boundary but his poor shot selection ultimately led to his departure.
Despite that disappointing outing, Virat Kohli entered the history books. He became only the 5th Indian cricketer to play 300 innings in ODI cricket, joining an elite list of Indian icons like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly.
Sachin Tendulkar leads the list with 452 ODI innings, followed closely by Sri Lankan legends Sanath Jayasuriya (433) and Mahela Jayawardene (418). This opening game of the series marked Kohli’s 312th ODI match overall. Heading into the match, the 37-year-old boasted of incredible career figures of 14,797 runs at a brilliant average of 58.71 along with 54 centuries and 77 half-centuries.
He will be hoping to make amends in the 2nd ODI tomorrow at the Sophia Gardens.
How India won the 1st ODI?
Despite the cheap dismissals of both Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma, India managed to pull off a comfortable victory. The bowlers did the heavy damage early on, as left-arm spinner Axar Patel tore through the English lineup to take 4 wickets for 62 runs. Pacers Prasidh Krishna and debutant Gurnoor Brar also chipped in with two wickets each to restrict England to 258, despite gutsy half-centuries from Joe Root (76) and Liam Dawson (68).
India chased down the 259-run target with ease in 45.2 overs, winning by 6 wickets. Shubman Gill led the way with a composed 80 before retiring hurt, while Washington Sundar (52 not out) and Axar Patel (57 not out) finished the job.
