IND vs ENG: India collected their big 142-run victory against England in the third and final ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The victory was not only the culmination of a 3-match ODI clean sweep but also India’s last ODI before the highly-anticipated Champions Trophy.
Convincing hundred from Shubman Gill in IND vs ENG
Shubman Gill constructed a great innings with consummate ease, making a master-class 112 off 104 deliveries. He struck 14 fours and three sixes before taking his average to over 60 in ODIs. That was Gill’s seventh ODI century, and it came at a time critical for the series.
The standout pairing was that of Gill with Virat Kohli, the two squarely behind putting a 116-run partnership onto the scoreboard for the second wicket. He later joined in a stand with Shreyas Iyer and their 104-run partnership for the third wicket proved pivotal to India’s innings.
The Comeback Form of Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, who had struggled with form in preceding matches, gave glimpses of his vintage self in this match. After a slow start, he found his flow and played some beautiful shots to finish off with a fifty, off as many balls. His innings were marked by his characteristic timing and placement.
Kohli’s 73rd half-century in ODIs was cut short shortly after he reached that landmark. He was caught behind by wicketkeeper Phil Salt off Adil Rashid for a brief, and possibly promising return to form for the star batsman.
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Rohit Sharma was dismissed early
India was off to a rocky start after Rohit Sharma, who had done marvelous work in the previous match, was dismissed on just one run. Caught behind by Phil Salt off Mark Wood in the second over, India was literally put on the ropes. Yet, the middle-class batting soon took over the charge.
Doing his bit in particular, Shreyas Iyer got going with 78 off 64 balls, hitting eight fours and two sixes before Rashid had him caught behind trying to cut his leg-side delivery.
A Hard-Hitting Cameo From KL Rahul, Hardik hit two sixes
While Hardik Pandya played a cameo innings with two sixes off Rashid, he succumbed on the very next ball for 17 runs. KL Rahul, then, provided India with a few much-needed runs toward the end of the innings, scoring a brisk 40 runs off 29 deliveries. Rashid was the most successful England bowler, ending with figures of four for 64, whereas Wood had two for 45.
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England’s chasing struggles
Chasing a target of 357 runs, England began positively. The opening stand between Ben Duckett and Phil Salt was very good for the first six overs, putting together a partnership of 60 runs.
However, in quick time came the double strike from Arshdeep Singh, which sent back both openers in consecutive overs. Duckett was caught by Rohit Sharma for a lofted shot of Arshdeep, while Salt trudged back to the dressing area after he was similarly dismissed by Akshar Patel.
England’s middle-order collapse
The dismissal of the openers triggered a massive middle-order collapse for England. Following some brief resistance in the shape of Harry Brook and James Vince, wickets fell consistently for England. Brook hit a big six off Kuldeep Yadav but was out soon after caught behind by Indian keeper KL Rahul. Joe Root also stumped for merely 24, when he turned a delivery from Akshar Patel back onto his stumps while looking to defend.
Captain Jos Buttler (06) and Liam Livingstone (09) had no better luck. Buttler was bowled by Harshit Rana, while Livingstone was stumped off Rahul by Washington Sundar. England’s chase fell apart as wickets tumbled.
Gus Atkinson’s short innings
Akshar Patel took the last wicket, and the England innings ended with a bang. He bowled Atkinson for 38 runs off 19 balls, including six fours and one six. England could finally be bowled out for just 214 in 35 overs. This victory for India, by a comfortable margin of 142 runs, ended with a sweep.
India’s All-Round Performance
The match displayed all-around greatness on the Indian side. The batsmen set the stage well, with Shubman Gill’s timely batting assistance and Virat Kohli’s long-awaited return to form.
The bowlers-Arshdeep Singh, Akshar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav all worked hard to dismantle the English batting frame. India’s dominant final ODI performance ensured that they left a happy note to complete the series on the verge of the Champions Trophy.
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