IND vs ENG: Rohit Sharma Becomes 3rd Indian Captain To Win ODI Series In England

Rohit Sharma, the team’s captain, became the third captain to win an ODI series in England as his team defeated England by a margin of five wickets in the final ODI. In the last ODI of the three-match series in Manchester, Rishabh Pant’s unbeaten 125* and his 133-run stand with Hardik Pandya enabled India chase down 260 and win the series 2-1.

Thanks to some outstanding spells from players like Yuzvendra Chahal (3/60) and Hardik Pandya (4/24), England was dismissed for 259 runs. For the hosts, Jos Buttler (60), Jason Roy (41) and Moeen Ali (34) made some significant contributions. 

Reece Topley decimated India’s top order as they chased 260 and had them at 72/4, but Pandya and Pant put up a match-winning stand of 133 runs to win it.

Rohit Sharma Joins MS Dhoni And Mohammed Azharuddin In Exclusive List

The other two Indian captains to win an ODI series in England, in addition to Rohit, were MS Dhoni and Mohammed Azharuddin. India defeated England 3-1 in a five-match one-day international series under Dhoni’s direction. Under Azharuddin’s captaincy, India defeated England 2-0 in a two-match ODI series in 1990. 

India’s trip of England in 2022 was a huge success. They won the T201 and ODI series by 2-1 and tied the Test series 2-2. They prevented England from winning a series in any format, let alone one at home. With 260 to chase in the last ODI, Team India got off to a shaky start when their opening pair of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan were cheaply sent back to the pavilion.

Reece Topley defeated Shikhar Dhawan in the 2.1st over of the innings. India suffered yet another setback when Topley removed skipper Rohit Sharma, who had made 17 runs in only 17 deliveries. 

At that moment, Virat Kohli was bowled by Reece Topley, who was on fire, for 17 runs, putting India in trouble at 38/3. India’s top three batsmen were in the dugout after the first 10 overs of the innings without contributing significantly to the chase. As the hosts maintained their bowling tight after the first 10 over, England enjoyed complete control of the game.

By pushing their team’s total above the 50-run threshold in the 12th over of the innings, Suryakumar Yadav and Rishabh Pant attempted to keep the visitors’ momentum continuing and anchor the inning. 

Hardik Pandya And Rishabh Pant’s Heroics Take India Over The Line

Craig Overton dealt Men in Blue a significant blow when he removed Suryakumar, who had scored 16 runs in 28 deliveries, despite the pair’s aggressive play. Hardik Pandya was summoned to the crease after Suryakumar’s dismissal.

With four wickets down after 20 overs, the partnership of Pandya and Pant pushed their team’s total above 100 runs in just 21 overs. The pair changed their strategy and began to play an offensive game. In the match’s 30th over, all-rounder Pandya reached his half-century in 43 balls. 

Pant again scored a fantastic fifty in the following over, needing only 71 balls. The pair was then consistently playing huge shots while pounding the Three Lions all over the court.

The dynamic duo needed just 106 balls to reach their partnership run total of 110 runs. After 34 overs, the winning equation for the chase was reduced to 77 runs in 96 balls. As they destroyed Overton for 14 runs, the pair maintained their incredible form and relationship. 

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