New Delhi: India wrapped up a dominant 3-0 series sweep against England with a commanding 142-run victory in the third and final ODI on Wednesday, marking a perfect conclusion to their Champions Trophy preparations.
Shubman Gill stole the show with a stunning 112 off 102 balls, his seventh ODI century, while Virat Kohli (52) and Shreyas Iyer (78) played crucial supporting roles. Their efforts powered India to a formidable 356 after being invited to bat first.
The Indian bowlers then dismantled England’s batting lineup, bowling them out for 214 in just 34.2 overs. This was India’s second-largest ODI victory over England in terms of runs.
England Collapse Against Spin After Promising Start
Despite a steady start by England openers Ben Duckett (34) and Phil Salt (24), the visitors once again struggled against spin. The slower pitch made run-scoring difficult as the innings progressed.
Duckett looked aggressive early on, smashing four consecutive boundaries off Arshdeep Singh (2/33) in the fifth over. However, his attempt to continue the attack backfired when he mistimed a slower knuckle ball, gifting an easy catch to Rohit Sharma at mid-off. Arshdeep then sent Salt back with a well-disguised slower bouncer, caught by Axar Patel.
Tom Banton, making his first ODI appearance against India, impressed with his innovative strokeplay, executing two reverse sweeps, but managed only 38 from 41 balls.
Joe Root (24) fell victim to Axar Patel (2/22) after inside-edging onto his stumps. Harshit Rana (2/31) further dented England’s chase, dismissing Harry Brook (19) and captain Jos Buttler (6) in quick succession.
At 84/2 after 10 overs, England seemed competitive, but the consistent fall of wickets prevented them from making any serious inroads into India’s total.
Gill’s Century Leads India’s Batting Charge
India’s batting was spearheaded by Shubman Gill, who displayed excellent composure and shot selection on his way to a fluent 112 off 104 balls, decorated with 14 boundaries and three sixes. He stitched together crucial century stands with Kohli and Iyer, ensuring India posted a massive total.
With this knock, Gill became the only Indian batter to score centuries across all formats at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium, including an IPL hundred. His innings came to an end when he was bowled by Adil Rashid (4/64).
Kohli, after a watchful start, played some stylish strokes, including a series of boundaries off Mark Wood and Saqib Mahmood. He reached his 73rd ODI half-century but struggled against Rashid, who dismissed him for the fifth time in ODIs. Kohli, still 37 runs shy of 14,000 ODI runs, will likely reach the milestone in the upcoming Champions Trophy.
Earlier, captain Rohit Sharma (1) fell cheaply, edging Wood to Salt behind the stumps, while Iyer was dismissed in an unfortunate manner, chasing a delivery down the leg side off Rashid.
With a clean sweep over England, India head into the Champions Trophy with strong momentum, backed by a well-rounded performance in all departments.
