England vs India 3rd ODI was everything that cricket fans could have hoped for at Lord’s: record breaking batting, indelible individual performances and a nail-biting decider this time, when it was fit for England. England were thumped for 387 for 3 before the hosts held their fort and the ball came to them to take a 27-run win with a sensational 141 from Ben Duckett. Rohit Sharma contributed one of his finest ODI knocks of his career (138) and Virat Kohli added a classy 74 to propel India to 360 for 7 but their spirited pursuit came to a sorry conclusion as England went on to complete a first ODI series defeat in 13 years against India with a 2-1 win.
However, it was immediately obvious from the first over that England were looking for a decisive victory. In an effort to put the Indian bowlers under pressure, Duckett and Jacob Bethell struck without let up to build a brilliant 192-run first wicket stand, giving hosts the edge of the match. For the past three series, Duckett displayed a poised combination of class and courage, not only hitting his fourth ODI cental but also leaving the میز for 141. A glut of flattering articles was dedicated to her as Bethell delivered an impressive 91 to keep England competitive against a desperate Ziesel, despite missing the boffins top two targets by a few runs.
But England had not lost the game yet amid the first partnership’s collapse. Joe Root was again a testament to his great batting ability at the ODI level ending unbeaten on 74 from 48 deliveries. Jos Buttler was then given a chance to recapture the past with an awe-inspiring unbeaten 41 off just 13 balls, hitting three sixes in an intense late attack. The duo contributed useful 65 runs in the last over to give England their best List A performance at Lord’s and 387 is the highest conceded ODI performance by them at Lord’s.
The indomitable Indian bowling unit went out of their form and didn’t find any balance throughout the spell, but it was in the death overs where the studs seemed to wobble most. There was a complete lack of a bowlers’ arsenal in the form of Jasprit Bumrah, but England relied on almost every chance for the scoring list to build up. The pace attack didn’t manage to chase England from their stunning batting lineup with Axar Patel India proving to be economical for his efforts. The end of the inning was particularly costly as England added offensive swash to put up big numbers and India would need some exceptional extra spinners to solve the problem.
The first was Rohit Sharma who responded with a very special stroke in reply to this challenge. The Indian skipper – who was under a lot of pressure and with speculation on his international future – played a captain’s innings, one of the biggest stages in cricket. His 138 balls came off in just 112 deliveries; 15 boundaries and followed by six towering sixes from him. As a result, Rohit claimed yet another historic firsts in his distinguished ODI career to become the first Indian male cricketer to score an ODI hundred in London’s iconic Lord’s.
Shubman Gill played the role of a perfect partner to him denoting a classy 77 as the Umtata top five formed a strong duo to build a 147-run partnership. The stand was soon propped up slightly giving India the opportunity to score at a reduced rate and create pressure for England. It was Gill’s dismissal to Adil Rashid, though, that gets the ball rolling in the chase.
Virat Kohli then pulled India back in with yet another classical knock and maintained a fight for glory. He showed his on-trend timing, excellent strike rotation, and some delightful sixes that had India fans thrilled with his power at Lord’s on his 74. But the requisite run-rate kept gnawing, as English bowlers tightened their bow. Then it was Sam Curran who turned the tables and with precise deliveries and disciplined lengths, he took Kohli, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan while going in and out in the final stumps. Under pressure, he was consistently consistent and India was unable to call the last shot necessary to cross the goal line with the mammoth target in play.
Lastly, England’s calm hands carried the day in both the game’s innings. Duckett’s century took the headlines but Bethell, Root and Buttler had scored to make it almost impossible for India to respond. Rohit’s magnificent 100 would go a long way to remember in Indian history as the finest ODI knock by Rohit on Lord’s, while Kohli’s composed fifty was not only a source of inspiration to everyone but will also remind Indian cricket of his class. But despite that it’s a team game and England has performed as a team at a time when they needed it most.
The England vs India 3rd ODI will be a Legendary ODI in which both sides left no stones unturned in their fearless batting. The English side melded explosive pairings and disciplined execution to get a clutch series win and the Indian side were studs-in-the-mugs as they were to be, but still accounted for some iconic performances. The end of what has been a good series with a satisfactory conclusion to show why the 50 overt cricket continues to be memorable.
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