London: Rohit Sharma’s historic century and India’s exceptional top-order batting brilliance ultimately proved insufficient in the daunting chase of 388, as England secured a memorable victory in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at the iconic Lord’s on Sunday, July 19. England held their composure in the decisive moments to complete a series-clinching 2-1 triumph.
Batting first, England’s Ben Duckett produced an excellent century, while Joe Root’s composed and assured batting, Jacob Bethell’s fluent stroke play, and Jos Buttler’s explosive death-over fireworks powered them to a mammoth total of 387/3. In reply, Rohit Sharma’s magnificent century, along with impressive top-order contributions from Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, ultimately went in vain as India’s middle and lower order suffered a disappointing collapse. England staged a remarkable comeback, led by Sam Curran’s sensational four-wicket spell, as India failed to find the decisive acceleration required in the crucial stages.
The third and final match of the series began with England winning the toss and opting to bat first. India made significant changes to their playing XI, with spearhead Jasprit Bumrah ruled out due to a knee injury. KL Rahul returned to the side after missing the previous ODI because of illness. India also brought back Prince Yadav and Arshdeep Singh, while England made one change, replacing Saqib Mahmood with Josh Tongue in their playing XI. Batting first, Duckett and Bethell provided an explosive start against the Indian bowlers. England raced to 58 runs in the powerplay before shifting gears and accelerating further. Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell stitched together a splendid opening partnership, reaching several significant milestones along the way. Their remarkable stand became the highest opening partnership ever recorded at Lord’s in ODI cricket and the fourth-highest partnership for any wicket at the iconic venue England’s decision to bat first paid rich dividends as the duo stitched together a record-breaking 192-run partnership, the highest opening stand for England against India in ODI history. Duckett led the innings with a magnificent century, producing a brilliant 141 off 135 balls, decorated with 18 boundaries and one six. Bethell played a fluent and elegant knock of 91, smashing 11 boundaries and one six, but narrowly missed out on his maiden ODI century. India’s breakthrough finally arrived in the 31st over when Prasidh Krishna dismissed Bethell. Joe Root then joined the crease and continued his golden run, impressively carrying forward England’s momentum with an excellent unbeaten 74 off just 48 balls. With this innings, Root etched his name into England’s record books by becoming the first batter from the country to register six consecutive fifty-plus scores in One-Day Internationals. His extraordinary sequence of scores now reads 61, 75, 111*, 76*, 99*, and 74*. Jos Buttler then provided the final flourish with a stunning unbeaten 41 off just 13 deliveries as England plundered 63 runs in the last 19 balls. The explosive late surge also produced the fastest 50-plus partnership against India in ODI history, with Root and Buttler scoring at a remarkable run rate of 19.89. With this breathtaking acceleration in the death overs, England powered their way to a formidable total of 387/3 after 50 overs. With this mammoth total, England also registered a historic milestone, breaking a 51-year-old record to post the highest-ever ODI total at the iconic venue. They surpassed their previous record of 334/4 against India during the inaugural Cricket World Cup in 1975.
India’s bowling attack endured a tough outing and was completely outplayed by England’s aggressive batting lineup. In the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, the pace bowling unit struggled to find control, consistency, and the breakthrough moments needed to halt England’s relentless assault. Arshdeep Singh endured a challenging spell, conceding 72 runs in his 10 overs without taking a wicket. Prince Yadav managed to remove the dangerous Ben Duckett but was unable to contain the flow of runs, conceding 79. Prasidh Krishna provided some resistance by claiming two wickets, although he also went for 69 runs. Gurnoor Brar experienced the most difficult day, leaking a massive 97 runs in his 10 overs without a wicket and registering the most expensive bowling figures by any bowler in ODI history at Lord’s. His figures of 0/97 also became the third-most expensive spell by an Indian bowler in ODI cricket.
While chasing the daunting target of 388, India got off to a strong and confident start through their opening pair. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill stitched together a brilliant 147-run opening partnership, with both teams registering 100-plus opening stands in the same ODI for the first time at the iconic venue. Gill showcased his class and composure with a graceful 77 off 84 balls before being dismissed LBW by Adil Rashid in the 25th over. Virat Kohli then joined the chase, but it was Rohit Sharma who emerged as the driving force behind India’s pursuit. The former Indian captain produced a batting masterclass, blending power, precision, and elegance to deliver an electrifyingly spectacular century. The veteran opener took complete control of England’s bowling attack with a commanding display of stroke play, smashing 17 fours and five sixes in his splendid 138 off 110 balls at an impressive strike rate of 125.45. With this magnificent century, Rohit became the first Indian batter to score an ODI hundred at the iconic Lord’s. The 39-year-old also became the oldest Indian to score an ODI century and the oldest Indian batter to register an international century across all formats. At 39 years and 80 days, Rohit surpassed Sachin Tendulkar, who previously held the record after scoring an ODI century at the age of 38 years and 327 days. Rohit also became the first Indian batter to score an ODI century at Lord’s, surpassing Sourav Ganguly’s 90 against England in 2004, which had remained India’s highest individual ODI score at the venue for more than two decades. The century further strengthened Rohit’s remarkable record in England. It was his eighth ODI century in the country, taking him level with former England opener Marcus Trescothick. Only Joe Root, with 10 ODI centuries in England, has scored more hundreds there. Rohit also became the batter with the most ODI centuries in a visiting country. With this innings, he surpassed Virat Kohli for the most 50-plus scores by a visiting batter in England, bringing up his 15th ODI score of 50 or more on English soil and moving ahead of Kohli’s tally of 14. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli added another golden chapter to their illustrious careers as they became the first Indian pair to feature in 400 international matches together. The experienced duo stitched together a magnificent 113-run partnership for the second wicket off just 86 balls. With this partnership, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli became the pair with the second-most century partnerships in ODI history, taking their tally to 21. They surpassed Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who had 20 century stands together. Only the iconic Indian pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, with 26 century stands, remain ahead of them. Their latest stand further strengthened their individual records among the most prolific partnership batters in ODI history. Kohli now has 87 century partnerships in ODIs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 99, while Rohit moved to 73, surpassing Ricky Ponting’s tally of 72. It also marked the final time the legendary duo featured together in an ODI in England.
The turning point came in the 39th over when left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell eventually dismissed Rohit Sharma with a delivery that beat his attempted sweep and crashed into the middle stump. After Rohit’s dismissal, Virat Kohli took charge of the chase alongside Ishan Kishan as India remained firmly in contention. The visitors looked well placed to complete the daunting chase, But the momentum shifted dramatically in England’s favour during the 44th over, completely changing the complexion of the contest. Sam Curran produced a match-defining spell, removing both Ishan Kishan (14 off 12 balls) and Shreyas Iyer for a duck in the same over with perfectly executed slower deliveries. Curran then delivered the decisive breakthrough by dismissing the dangerous chase master Virat Kohli after his brilliant 74 off 60 balls, completely turning the tide of the contest and leaving India’s hopes hanging by a thread. With the middle and lower order collapsing in successive overs, India lost their final hopes as KL Rahul and Axar Patel were dismissed in consecutive overs. The chase completely unravelled as Sam Curran produced a match-defining spell in the death overs, claiming four crucial wickets while conceding 75 runs. His game-changing performance played a pivotal role in England’s remarkable comeback, completely shifting the momentum in their favour. India eventually finished on 360/7 after 50 overs, as England sealed a memorable 27-run victory and clinched the ODI series 2-1.
Jacob Bethell was deservedly named Player of the Match for his outstanding all-round performance, scoring a fluent 91 before later claiming the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma. Joe Root was named Player of the Series for his splendid performances throughout the three-match ODI series.
