PUNE, March 28: The Indian cricket team completed one of its best four-month spells across formats, pipping England by a mere 7 runs in the third and final ODI after surviving Sam Curran’s determined assault in an exciting contest for a well-deserved hat-trick of series victories.
For India, near domination of England in all three formats at home comes straight after humbling Australia in their own backyard earlier this year during a gruelling tour.
The 2-1 triumph against the reigning world champions in 50-over cricket will certainly please Virat Kohli but he will not at all be amused by the fact that India nearly let the game slip away with some unimaginative bowling and poor fielding at the death.
Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya hit stroke-filled half-centuries but Indian lower-order also caved in meekly to settle for a below-par 329 on a great batting track.
But Bhuvneshwar Kumar and new all-rounder in making Shardul Thakur got the breakthroughs at just the right times before Curran almost changed the result singlehandedly. England finished on 322 for 9.
“When the top-two battle each other, we’ll get exciting games. No one will throw in the towel, and Sam played a really good innings to keep them in the hunt,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
Yorker specialist Thangarasu Natarajan bowled a brilliant final over with England needing 14 but Curran could manage only six runs because the Indian bowled mostly in the block-hole.
It was a gettable total on a flat pitch but Kohli’s ploy to attack with predominantly pace attack paid off for the better part of the game before Curran launched a swift counter-assault.
“…it took great character to play the way he did, and he has those amazing qualities in abundance. I know he will be disappointed he didn’t get us over the line, but we are all very proud of him and his performance,” said England captain Jos Buttler, standing in for an injured Eoin Morgan.
Bhuvneshwar brought in his nearly decade long experience to get rid of the English openers with beautiful inswingers.
With half of the team gone for 155, the match became a no-contest when Thakur had Dawid Malan pulling straight to Rohit Sharma at short mid-wicket.
But then Curran, first with Adil Rashid and then with Mark Wood, nearly changed the game before India prevailed.
Earlier, Pant’s sparkling knock of 78 off 62 balls was well supported by Hardik but India lost their last four wickets for a mere eight runs to finish at least 30 short of a competitive total on another belter.
Once both were dismissed in quick succession, it required a 30 off 21 balls from “new all-rounder” Thakur for a total in excess of 325 on the board. (PTI)
