A modern-day classic was played between England and India in the third ODI at Lord's on Sunday, July 19. England defeated India by 27 runs, but the latter came painfully close to picking up a victory. With this win, England took home the series 2-1, after having won the second match. India, who had won the first game in Birmingham, ended with nothing on their hands. Earlier on, in this tour of the British Isles, the Men in Blue were hammered 0-2 by Ireland and 0-4 by England in two successive T20I series. With this ODI series loss, their humiliation is now complete.
On Sunday, England batted first and put up a mammoth total of 387-3 on the board. Openers Ben Duckett (141) and Jacob Bethell (91) laid the foundation for a big total on this placid but slightly slow surface. This was followed by the in-form Joe Root, who contributed 74 off just 48 deliveries and remained unbeaten. Wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler swung at everything at the end and scored a brisk 41 off just 13 deliveries to help England reach 387. India, without the injured Jasprit Bumrah, appeared out of shape and were shown their ropes by the experienced English batters.
Only Prasidh Krishna, with two wickets, redeemed some pride for the visitors. In response, India made good use of the batting conditions as well. The Men in Blue raced to 147 before captain Shubman Gill departed after making a well-crafted 77. His opening partner Rohit Sharma kept going, and responded to critics with a fine 138 which came off just 110 balls and consisted of 17 boundaries and five sixes. Ex-India captain Virat Kohli, batting at number three, followed his half-century in Cardiff with 74 here, consuming just 60 balls in the process.
However, India's batters failed spectacularly after this, reducing themselves from 304-2 to 360-7 in 50 overs. Although they did not suffer from a collapse, they were undone by Sam Curran's 4-75, in which slower deliveries reigned supreme. In the end, England won the match by 27 runs, and congratulated themselves on lifting the series by a 2-1 scoreline. Bethell, who also picked up Rohit Sharma's wicket, was named Player of the Match. At the same time, Root, with half-centuries in all three games, was rightfully named Player of the Series.