IND vs ENG First ODI: Top 10 Memes from IND vs ENG, First ODI

India and England crossed swords in the first One-Day International (ODI) at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur on Thursday, February 06, with the former winning the game in a convincing fashion. India were without their chase master Virat Kohli for this encounter, as England had opted to bat first in a nice and sunny Nagpur afternoon. Harshit Rana and Yashasvi Jaiswal were handed their ODI debuts with this game.

The English openers went all guns blazing in the powerplay barring the maiden over by Mohammed Shami. Rana, in his third over, was pelted for 26 runs by opener Phil Salt, while his partner Ben Duckett, too, didn't miss out on hitting fearlessly to squeeze optimum benefit of the field restrictions. However, the last seven balls of the first powerplay turned the tide in India's favours, as both the openers as well as Harry Brook had to make their way back.

Thereon, the experienced duo of Jos Buttler and Joe Root tried to pull things back from the sudden collapse, however, a skidder from Ravindra Jadeja got the better of Root, who departed on 19 after facing 31 deliveries. Another left-arm spinner, Axar Patel, managed to send Buttler packing, who departed with 52 off 67. England could add only 129 runs in the second powerplay of 30 overs, and lost four more wickets, having lost three in the first.

Jacob Bethell, playing his maiden ODI in India, batted brilliantly to contribute with a counterattacking half-century, however, Jadeja got him trapped in front of his pads in the 43rd over. The Indian bowlers managed to wrap up the tail, bundling the opposition out for a subpar 248 in 47.4 overs. Rana and Jadeja picked three each, while Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar, and Hardik Pandya contributed with a wicket each.

In reply, England attacked from the very beginning, with both the openers departing as India added only 19 runs till their stay in the middle. However, Shubman Gill, batting in Virat's place, partnered excellently with Shreyas Iyer. Their awe-inspiring partnership of 94 runs gave the hosts a much-needed firmness. Iyer hit a quick-fire 59 off 36 balls, and post his dismissal, Gill further coupled with Axar Patel to take them closer to the finishing line. Axar (52 runs) also reached his half-century, and was dismissed by Adil Rashid with a rank turner.

Gill, also the vice-captain of the side, played with great responsibility to stay till the end, but had to walk back just 13 runs short of his century. The Punjab batter wished to see the side chase down the target with utmost ease. The deputy was also adjudged Player of the Match for his excellence with the bat. He will now look to carry the same form to Cuttack, where the Barabati Stadium will host the second match of the series on Sunday, February 09.

Meanwhile, the social media users were busy to keep 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) full of memes, giving their hilarious takes on the match from some rib-tickling moments. The meme community kept the match hashtag trending on the platform throughout the course of the match.

Here are the top memes from the 1st IND vs ENG ODI