India’s all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja etched his name in the record books during the first ODI against England, surpassing James Anderson to become the highest wicket-taker in bilateral ODI encounters between the two teams. His brilliant spell of 3/26 played a pivotal role in restricting England to 248 runs in Nagpur.
Winning the toss, England skipper Jos Buttler opted to bat first, and openers Phil Salt and Ben Duckett provided a blazing start. Salt was particularly aggressive, taking on debutant Harshit Rana in the sixth over, smashing three sixes and two boundaries in a single over that went for 26 runs. The duo added 75 runs in just 8.5 overs before Shreyas Iyer’s sharp fielding resulted in Salt’s run-out for a quickfire 43 off 26 balls.
India capitalized on the breakthrough as debutant Rana made an immediate impact, dismissing Duckett (32 off 29) and Harry Brook (0) in the same over. England, from a dominant position, suddenly found themselves in trouble at 77/3. Buttler and Joe Root then steadied the innings, but Jadeja soon turned the tide further in India’s favour.
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Jadeja’s first wicket came when he trapped Root LBW for 19 off 31 balls. He then dismissed Jacob Bethell, who had contributed a quick 51 off 34 balls, and later removed Adil Rashid to complete his three-wicket haul. With Bethell’s dismissal, Jadeja overtook Anderson’s tally of 40 wickets in India-England ODIs. The Indian all-rounder now leads the chart with 42 wickets in 27 matches, at an average of 23.28 and an economy of 4.6.
Most Wickets in India-England ODIs:
| Player | Team | Matches | Wickets | BBI | Average | SR | 5ws |
| Ravindra Jadeja | India | 27 | 42 | Apr-28 | 23.28 | 29.7 | 0 |
| James Anderson | England | 31 | 40 | Apr-18 | 33.52 | 38.9 | 0 |
| Andrew Flintoff | England | 30 | 37 | May-56 | 28.89 | 38.1 | 1 |
| Harbhajan Singh | India | 23 | 36 | May-31 | 25.33 | 36.1 | 2 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 23 | 35 | Mar-28 | 28 | 32.8 | 0 |
| Javagal Srinath | India | 21 | 35 | May-41 | 23.68 | 32.4 | 1 |
Before this match, Jadeja had 39 wickets against England in ODIs. Other notable bowlers on the list include Andrew Flintoff (37), Harbhajan Singh (36), and Javagal Srinath/Ravichandran Ashwin (35).
Since making his debut in 2009, Jadeja has been a reliable force in India’s bowling attack. Across 198 ODIs, he has taken 222 wickets at an average of 35.85, with an economy rate of 4.87. His illustrious career includes seven four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls.
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In addition to his record-breaking feat, Jadeja also achieved another significant milestone—completing 600 wickets in international cricket. He became only the sixth Indian to reach this landmark and joined the legendary Kapil Dev as the second Indian cricketer to score 6000 runs and take 600 wickets in international cricket.
