England’s disappointing tour concluded with yet another one-sided victory for the home team, as India decisively defeated the visitors in the final ODI held in Ahmedabad. The match was marked by Shubman Gill’s impressive seventh century, achieved in his 50th ODI match for India, alongside significant contributions from players such as Shreyas Iyer, Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul. In response, England’s batting effort faltered around the midway point, resulting in a substantial defeat by 142 runs.
Shubman Gill smashes yet another century in Ahmedabad
India demonstrated their batting prowess by surpassing the 350-run mark after being asked to bat first. Rohit Sharma was unable to replicate his previous success in Cuttack and was dismissed early in the innings. However, Shubman Gill once again got off to a strong start. Virat Kohli, facing some pressure, found his rhythm and contributed significantly. India finished the first powerplay at 52 for 1, showing no signs of slowing down as the field began to spread. Both batters treated Joe Root with disdain, particularly Kohli, who struck four boundaries across two overs, while Gill sent Sam Atkinson out of the attack with a four and a six.
The pair then hit sixes off Livingstone before each reaching their fifties. Against the run of play, Adil Rashid managed to induce an outside edge from Kohli, but England’s attempts to stem the flow of runs proved unsuccessful. Shreyas Iyer also started positively, racing to 40 off just 30 balls at one point. Gill continued to thrive at the other end, achieving yet another century at his preferred venue, but Rashid provided England with a crucial breakthrough by dismissing the opener just as he was looking to accelerate.
The leg-spinner had an impressive performance, also removing a well-set Shreyas for 78 and claiming Hardik Pandya’s wicket on the final ball of his spell. Despite the setbacks, India still believed they could reach 375 given the solid foundation laid. However, the loss of Hardik, followed closely by Axar’s dismissal, forced them to reassess their ambitions. KL Rahul, batting at No. 5 this time, contributed with some timely boundaries, scoring 40 off just 29 balls before being trapped lbw by an excellent yorker from Saqib Mahmood. This allowed England to tighten their grip, conceding only 22 runs in the last three overs, which ultimately had little impact on the final outcome.
England's misery with the batting lineup continues
Facing a formidable target of 357, England commenced their innings with great intensity, as anticipated. Ben Duckett was particularly aggressive against India’s opening bowlers, striking four boundaries off Harshit Rana and following up with four consecutive hits to the boundary against Arshdeep Singh. This aggressive start propelled England to 60 runs without loss in just six overs, positioning them well for the challenging chase. However, the momentum shifted abruptly when Duckett misjudged a knuckleball from Arshdeep and was dismissed for 34.
Tom Banton, stepping in at No. 3, began his innings with a switch-hit six off Washington Sundar, but at the other end, Phil Salt fell victim to another slower delivery from Arshdeep. Although England had amassed 84 runs in the first nine overs, the loss of two wickets proved detrimental. Joe Root and Banton briefly steadied the innings, with Banton executing another switch hit for six off Axar Patel. Nevertheless, Kuldeep Yadav dismissed Banton with a well-placed googly, and shortly thereafter, Root was bowled by Axar.
As if the loss of those two wickets was not enough, Rana returned to claim the crucial wicket of Jos Buttler, who inadvertently chopped the ball onto his stumps, signaling a significant downturn for England. Harry Brook suffered a similar fate, falling to Rana in the following over. Washington Sundar, despite being expensive, managed to claim Liam Livingstone’s wicket through a stumping, while Hardik Pandya added a couple of lower-order dismissals, ensuring that every Indian bowler took at least one wicket. Without some powerful hitting from Gus Atkinson, England would have struggled to reach even 200 runs.
SCORECARD: India 356 in 50 overs (Shubman Gill 112, Shreyas Iyer 78; Adil Rashid 4/64, Mark Wood 2/45) beat England 214 in 34.2 overs (Gus Atkinson 38; Axar Patel 2/22, Harshit Rana 2/31) by 142 runs
