IND vs ENG, 3rd ODI: India demolishes England by 142 runs to secure clean sweep

For a side insisting on revamping its batting playbook, India was served a timely reminder that convention can still be a batter’s ally, even if to navigate through a phase, as Shubman Gill’s century (112, 102b, 14×4, 3×6) got the side a 142-run win and a series sweep in the third One-Day International against England in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Squaring off against a swinging ball that had proved fatal for Rohit Sharma in the second over, Gill rekindled the lost art of shouldering arms in an ODI. He set up a 121-run second-wicket partnership with Virat Kohli by reverting to the tried-and-tested method of biding time at the crease.

In what would delight a traditionalist further, India’s PowerPlay, where only 52 runs were added, was peppered with boundaries as the pair latched onto freebies. Kohli was off the blocks with a cover drive against Mark Wood before whipping off his pads through mid wicket and square-cutting a wider delivery in Saqib Mahmood’s over.

IND vs ENG Highlights, 3rd ODI

Gill’s on-driven boundary against Gus Atkinson that capped off the opening 10 overs was only a peek into his down-the-ground fluency that awaited England.

The attempted curveball in bringing Joe Root after the PowerPlay hardly caught the two by surprise as they pocketed 24 runs in his two overs. Kohli teased his luck against Root, unfurling his sweep to pick a boundary over square leg off an edge.

The momentum shift in those two overs allowed it to cover lost ground. Gill cleared the fence behind Atkinson and then pulled him through mid wicket for a boundary. He hoisted Liam Livingstone back over his head for another maximum and a cut, hit from deep in his crease, got him his fifty off 51 deliveries.

But for the second time this series, Rashid’s guile drew Kohli into a drive, trapping him in turn and taking his edge to the keeper, shortly following his run-a-ball fifty.

Shreyas Iyer (78, 64b, 8×4, 2×6) enabled India to switch gears almost effortlessly as he cleared the infield to pick gaps. Atkinson again served easy pickings, allowing Iyer to pull him for 10 runs with wayward short-pitched deliveries. Saqib’s errant lines fetched Shreyas two fours via a glance to fine leg and a slash past the keeper in the same over.

Rashid proved the disruptor again, castling Gill from a full length. Three overs later Shreyas handed a feather to the keeper as he attempted to flick a delivery running way down the leg.

The ideal exhibit of Rashid’s cat-and-mouse with the batters came against Hardik Pandya, whom he offered an invite to dispatch for a third-straight six only to fox him with turn and crash his off stump.

A 29-ball 40 from KL Rahul along with a few freewheeling slogs from Axar Patel and Harshit Rana brought India 81 runs in the final 10 overs, taking it to 356.

England’s response took wings in the thrill-a-minute essay from Ben Duckett that lasted 22 deliveries.

Shaking off a groin injury to stick to his opening spot, Duckett looked in discomfort despite picking two boundaries through the on side, with a clip and a pull, in Harshit Rana’s first over. But the niggle did not stop him from giving innovation a shot, which Harshit found out watching his over-pitched delivery ramped over the keeper’s head.

In clearing his front leg and swatting across the line, Duckett found a remedy around his handicap. He deployed it to pocket four boundaries on the trot off Arshdeep Singh. Phil Salt chipped in too, pulling Harshit and Arshdeep for a boundary each. But Arshdeep’s change in pace accounted for both openers, with Duckett top-edging to mid off and Salt finding backward point on an attempted ramp.

England wiped off 84 from the target inside the PowerPlay, but its flying start begged for sustained support from the middle order which once again abandoned its team.

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The hopes carried with Tom Banton in the middle, who reverse-swept Washington Sundar and Axar Patel over the fine leg fence. At the other end, Joe Root’s 29-ball 24 seemed the ideal anchor to balance out Banton’s aggression.

But Axar and Kuldeep Yadav reined in the scoring rate which eventually plotted England’s implosion through the middle phase. Banton was foxed by a wrong one from Kuldeep which had him caught behind and Root was left helpless in front of a quicker delivery from Axar that yorked him out.

Harshit took a leaf out of Arshdeep’s book as his change of pace had Jos Buttler and Harry Brook chopping onto their stumps – the two crucial wickets that led to England losing its next four wickets for just 21 runs.

Gus Atkinson refused to wave the white flag but his 19-ball 38 merely reduced England’s defeat margin.