Irfan Pathan raises injury concerns despite India's convincing ODI win over England

India began their three-match ODI series against England with a commanding six-wicket victory at Edgbaston, taking a 1-0 lead. Axar Patel produced an impressive all-round performance, claiming four wickets for 62 runs before scoring an unbeaten 57 during India’s successful chase of 259.

Shubman Gill and Washington Sundar also made valuable contributions to India’s victory. Despite the result, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the visitors have important concerns to address before the second ODI, particularly regarding the fitness of two players who suffered problems during the match.

“For the Indian team, my main concern would be how serious Gurnoor Brar’s injury is and how serious Shubman Gill’s hamstring issue is, considering he retired hurt. Those are the two things I will be watching closely,” Pathan said on JioStar after the match.

What are Pathan’s main concerns?

Gill looked in excellent touch while scoring a fluent 80 at the top of the order but was forced to retire hurt after suffering cramps during his innings. Left-arm pacer Gurnoor Singh Brar also appeared to sustain an injury while bowling during England’s innings, raising concerns about his availability for the remainder of the series.

The fitness of both players will be closely monitored before the second ODI. Gill’s presence provides stability at the top of the order, while Brar offers India another left-arm pace option. Their availability could therefore influence the team’s combination for the next contest.

“Apart from that, if both of them are fit, I don’t think India need to make many changes, even though there might be discussions around Kuldeep Yadav’s inclusion,” Pathan added.

Will India retain the winning combination?

India’s current combination performed strongly in the opening ODI, with the bowling attack keeping England’s batting under control during important phases. The batting unit also completed the chase comfortably after receiving contributions from Gill, Axar and Washington.

With India leading the three-match series 1-0, the team management will assess Gill and Brar before finalising the playing XI for the second ODI. If both players recover in time, India could retain most of the combination that secured the opening victory.