England finished the ODI series against India with a 27-run victory in the third and final One Day International at Lord’s Cricket Ground, where the hosts won the series. They held their nerve in a match that featured records, centuries, and momentum swings, and the hosts had to hold on to win in the heat of the chase against a spirited Indian team and win the series in style.
After winning the toss, England chose to bat first and produced one of their best ODI batting performances at Lord's. The home side scored 387/3 in 50 overs to set India a daunting target of 388 runs.
The England innings was built around the brilliant century of opener Ben Duckett. The left-handed batsman dominated the Indian bowling attack and made 141 runs in 135 deliveries. His 18 boundaries and one six helped England to dominate the first half of the match with complete control over the Indian team.
Duckett got excellent support from Jacob Bethell, who played close to a century. Bethell played 91 from 93 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. They shared a huge 192-run opening partnership, which put India under pressure from the very first.
Joe Root continued the momentum with a half-century that kept the innings in the middle overs. England did not have Harry Brook to make much impact, but Jos Buttler was able to produce a great finish. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 41 runs in 13 balls and launched a ruthless attack in the last overs, and took England close to the 400-run mark.
India’s bowling attack was not sharp throughout the innings. Prasidh Krishna was the most successful bowler, taking two wickets, and the rest of the team was unable to tackle England’s aggressive batting line-up.
India needed a strong start to the match and got one from captain Rohit Sharma. The veteran opener showed a record innings that made him the first Indian player to score an ODI century at Lord’s. Rohit’s incredible innings was also the 51st international century of his career.
India’s captain played with confidence and authority, and the Indian team was in good shape against England’s bowlers, and the required run rate was within reach. His century gave India genuine hope of pulling off one of the greatest run chases in ODI history.
But England’s bowlers seized on some of the key moments to stop India’s momentum. There were some contributions from the middle order, but wickets kept falling at regular intervals, which meant India did not fully capitalise on Rohit’s masterclass. England maintained their lead in the closing stages of the game.
The visitors kept fighting until the last overs, but England’s disciplined bowling and fielding tactics proved decisive. India fell 27 runs short of the target, and England won a memorable victory and the ODI series.
That was a big win for England in both the batting and bowling departments. They were aggressive with the bat and handled the pressure when India was trying to chase it in the end, and that’s why they are still one of the top white-ball teams in the world.
The game was positive and worrying for India. Rohit Sharma’s century was a big deal, but the bowling unit’s failure to contain England’s top order was ultimately costly. India conceded 387 runs in total, and so they had too much work to do despite a battle against it.
Lord’s will be remembered as one of the most entertaining matches of the series. Record-setting performances were made by Rohit Sharma, and a dominant performance from England led by Ben Duckett.
The 27-run win not only clinched England the last ODI but also ended the series in style and gave their fans more to celebrate at the Home of Cricket.
