A total box-office drama, went as crazy as it would possibly have but in the end, it were the ‘Blue Tigers‘ who emerged victorious as India beat England by 5 wickets in the third and final ODI here at Old Trafford on Sunday and clinch the series by 2-1.
After winning the toss again, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma opted to field for the third consecutive time in the series. It was India all over England from the very first over. Bairstow and Root both were dismissed for a golden duck by Siraj in the second over. Jason Roy 41(31) and Ben Stokes 27(29) then started to be a little aggressive to keep things back on track but after that, it was ‘Kung Fu Pandya‘ all over the frame who dismissed both the set batters with his fiery bowling.
Pandya’s Fiery Bowling and Buttler’s Captain’s Knock
Pandya came in and started off with brilliant two consecutive wicket maidens and registered his best ever bowling figures in ODIs as 4/24 in 7 overs with 3 maidens. After England were four down for 74 runs, Moeen 34(44) first built a 75 runs partnership with Livingstone 27(31) and then Captain Buttler 60(80) stepped in with his effort to rescue England from a seriously tough situation. In the end it was Overton’s 32(33) innings that made England to cross that 250 run mark.
It was the target of 260 which England team had put forward. For India it was the seventh consecutive time that they have bowled out the opposition in ODIs. Indian bowlers again did a fancy job to bowl out England team for 259 runs in 45.5 overs. Apart from Hardik, Siraj finished with 2/66 in 9 overs, Chahal with 3/60 in his 9.5 and jadeja chipped in with only wicket.
England’s attack as Reece Topley Shines Again
India’s start was not impressive at all as the top order again failed to impress. With Dhawan 1(3), Rohit 17(17) and Virat 17(22), India was down and out as Reece Topley again displayed his masterclass by dismissing the first three cheaply keeping India under tremendous pressure. Surya 16(28) was also dismissed early by Overton and it was India at 72/4 in 16.2 overs. Totally out of the game, the Indian side needed a miracle to pull this out of England’s yard.
India’s Comeback with Kung Fu Pandya and X-Factor Rishabh Pant’s Brilliance
With India down and out of the game, It was the day which totally belonged to Hardik Pandya 71(55) and Rishabh Pant 125*(113). An incredible turnaround at Old Trafford by this duo to rise from a difficult situation to cruise to the target. After registering his best bowling figures, Pandya came in with a blistering knock to pull out a massive win in the series decider. For his all-round performance he was also adjudged by ‘Player of the Series‘ award.
With Hardik, there was another young lad who is now a days making a habit of clinching the big events. X-FACTOR RISHABH PANT, who scored a mind blowing hundred ( his first in ODIs) to seal the match and series for his team was just incredible. Pant just blown away England team with his balanced, aggressive, and pretty ,matured innings and in the end it was total carnage, when he smashed 5 consecutive 4s in David Willey’s over there at Old Trafford. For his fantastic knock, Pant was also adjudged by ‘Player of the Match‘ award.
Featured Image: Cricaddictor.com
💫FOLLOW US FOR MORE UPDATES. ❌WE DO NOT HAVE IRRITATING AND SPAMMY NEWSLETTERS. ✅EVERYTHING IS AND WILL BE FREE FOREVER. SEE YOU AGAIN IN YOUR STORIES AND FEED 🙂
