​TimesofIndia.com in Birmingham: All-rounders Axar Patel and Washington Sundar successfully guided Team India to a 259-run chase in the first ODI against England at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Tuesday. The six-wicket victory ended India’s three-week winless streak in the UK, where they had suffered a 0-2 defeat to Ireland and a 0-4 whitewash against England in the T20I series. The win also extended India’s unbeaten run against England in ODIs to six consecutive victories while ending England’s seven-match winning streak at Edgbaston.The 102-run stand between Axar and Washington for the fifth wicket, under the blazing sun, lifted the proverbial clouds that had briefly converged over India’s march towards victory. In a matter of 20 minutes, India lost skipper Shubman Gill to cramps, Shreyas Iyer to a run-out, and KL Rahul, who dragged a wide delivery onto his stumps. India went from 149/2 to 160/4 in a jiffy, with the trio back in the hut. England, who had been pegged back by the 101-run partnership between Gill (80 off 75 balls) and Iyer (35 off 53 balls), were suddenly roaring in celebration, as were the 20,744 in attendance. ‘Wonderwall’, ‘It’s Coming Home’ and ‘Hey Jude’ echoed around the ground as the FIFA World Cup fever, fuelled by Harry Kane & Co.’s run to the semi-finals, blended with England’s surge at Edgbaston.With 99 runs still required, the challenge was less about the required run rate of 4.5 an over and more about handling the sudden pressure after the loss of three quick wickets. Both Axar and Washington had just arrived at the crease and faced a daunting task. Instead of being bogged down, the southpaws, the first left-handers in India’s XI after the quartet of right-handers, tackled the situation with aplomb.The duo saw off Will Jacks and Sam Curran, with the four overs yielding just nine runs. Adil Rashid’s reintroduction allowed Washington to free his arms with a boundary and a nine-run over. The next two overs, as Curran and Jacks continued, yielded 18 runs, with the duo’s confidence evidently growing.Axar was the main man at this stage. A slog sweep off Jacks and consecutive boundaries off Jofra Archer meant the runs were starting to flow comfortably. At the other end, Washington enjoyed watching his teammate bat.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”The way he batted was magical and it was a treat for me to watch from the other end,” he said at the post-match press conference.The next four overs reflected the same level-headed approach. As the fifty-run partnership came and went, the duo collected nine runs in three overs while seeing off Archer’s full quota of 10 overs. The following two overs produced another 19 runs, allowing Axar and Washington to slow things down again over the next three overs.Having navigated the chase to perfection, the duo grew in confidence and momentum, fittingly capped by Washington’s cracking shot in the 45th over that sealed the match. A floated delivery from Adil Rashid was too full and in