Shubman Gill’s injury scare continued to dominate the conversation even after India produced a commanding win over England in the first ODI at Edgbaston. Hours after the match in Birmingham, encouraging reports emerged on the India captain’s fitness, easing concerns ahead of the second match of the three-game series.

Gill had to retire hurt during India’s chase while batting alongside Shreyas Iyer in what looked like a comfortable pursuit of 259. The opener and captain appeared to be in visible discomfort after feeling pain on the back of his right leg, briefly raising fears of a hamstring issue. However, the latest media reports suggest that the injury is not serious and that Gill is expected to be available for the second ODI in Cardiff on July 16.

India eventually chased down the target with six wickets in hand and 28 balls remaining, registering their first win of the ongoing tour. The result was especially important for the Men in Blue, who had recently endured a 4-0 T20I series defeat against England after earlier losing 2-0 to Ireland. With the 2026 T20 World Cup-winning side struggling in the shortest format, the ODI series has offered India a chance to reset and rebuild momentum in white-ball cricket.

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At Edgbaston, Shubman Gill’s side delivered a strong all-round performance. England made a positive start through Ben Duckett, but India’s pace attack of Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna and Gurnoor Brar responded well to halt the hosts’ progress. Later, Axar Patel turned the game firmly in India’s favour by breaking the middle order and restricting England to a manageable total.

India’s Shubman Gill has just confirmed in an interview with Test Match Special that he was suffering from cramp after retiring on 80* and expects to be fit for the second ODI in Cardiff on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/OFe15QDbMt

— Test Match Special (@bbctms) July 14, 2026

Axar was rightly named Player of the Match after producing a superb all-round effort. He finished with figures of 4/62 in 9.5 overs and then contributed a valuable unbeaten 57 off 52 balls to help India complete the chase.

India’s reply had been set up by Gill and Shreyas Iyer, who added a crucial 109-run partnership after the early dismissals of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Gill looked set for a century before the discomfort in his leg forced him off the field on 80 off 75 balls. The physio attended to him on the field before the captain walked back to the dressing room.

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The exact nature of the problem was not immediately clear, although a hamstring strain was initially suspected. But reassuring updates soon followed. RevSportz reported on July 15 that Gill was “fine” based on sources close to the team, while the BBC quoted an interview with Test Match Special in which Gill said he had only suffered from cramp and expected to be fit for the second ODI in Cardiff.

That update will come as a major relief for India, who will want their captain back in action as soon as possible after a confident start to the ODI series.