NEW DELHI: Shubman Gill produced a brilliant seventh ODI century, whilst Virat Kohli secured a vital fifty as India defeated England by 142 runs in the final match to achieve a 3-0 series sweep, perfectly concluding their Champions Trophy preparations on Wednesday.
Gill’s splendid 112 from 102 balls was the standout performance, whilst Kohli (52) and Shreyas Iyer (78) played crucial roles in helping India post an imposing 356 after being asked to bat first.
The Indian bowling unit subsequently took control, dismissing England for 214 in 34.2 overs to secure their second-largest ODI victory by runs against this opposition.
England’s familiar pattern continued as they faltered against spin following a bright start against pace from Ben Duckett (34) and Phil Salt (24).
The pitch’s reduced pace assisted the Indian bowlers as scoring became increasingly challenging throughout the match.
Duckett led England’s initial charge but proved overeager. After hitting Arshdeep Singh (2/33) for four consecutive boundaries in the fifth over, he attempted another but fell to a slower knuckle ball, caught by captain Rohit Sharma at mid-off. Arshdeep then dismissed Salt with a slower bouncer, caught easily by Axar Patel.
Tom Banton showed promise in his first ODI against India, executing two impressive reverse sweeps but could only manage 38 from 41 balls with four fours and two sixes.
Joe Root departed for 24 when Axar (2/22) bowled him via an inside edge, whilst Harshit Rana (2/31) accelerated England’s downfall by removing Harry Brook (19) and Jos Buttler (6) in quick succession.
England’s position deteriorated from 84/2 after 10 overs as Indian bowlers maintained pressure with regular wickets, whilst the visitors struggled despite favourable batting conditions.
Earlier, Gill’s fluent 112, supported by Kohli and Iyer, helped India set 357 in their final match before the Champions Trophy.
Gill orchestrated India’s innings with his seventh ODI century – 112 from 104 balls (14x4s, 3x6s), lifting his average above 60, whilst forming century partnerships with Kohli and Iyer.
The India vice-captain achieved the distinction of scoring centuries across all international formats at the Narendra Modi Stadium, including an IPL hundred at the venue.
Gill demonstrated excellent technique against both pace and spin until Adil Rashid (4/64) bowled him.
Kohli gradually found his rhythm, executing several impressive shots including three boundaries off Mark Wood and Saqib Mahmood.
Despite reaching his 73rd ODI fifty, Kohli struggled against Rashid, who dismissed him for the fifth time in ODIs, caught behind after scoring 52.
Kohli remained 37 runs short of 14,000 ODI runs, a milestone likely to be achieved during the Champions Trophy.
Rohit (1) departed early, edging Wood to Salt, whilst Iyer fell to Rashid, unnecessarily chasing a delivery down leg-side.
