TimesofIndia.com in London: Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett navigated a warm, pleasant and sunny morning at Lord’s Cricket Ground on Sunday without difficulty. After winning the toss, the pair got off to a slow start but picked up the pace as the day wore on in the third ODI against India. Arshdeep Singh is Prasidh Krishna took on a new bowling role when Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable due to a left knee injury in the second ODI. A minor inflammation in his left knee sidelined the great Indian skipper, Arshdeep took his place in the lineup.Krishna opened the gaps with back-to-back maiden overs where he got his line, length and some bounce. A run of 20 dot balls means a 30-year-old man’s day. Unfortunately, with Bumrah not there to support the effort at the other end, and no one coming close to what ‘Boom’ is offering, the struggle to find a wicket or to impose pressure on the run-rate continued.Prince Yadav, who replaced the injured Washington Sundar, playing just his third ODI, opened with 11 runs, including a huge delivery that kept wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan at bay.If the slow bowling wasn’t enough, extras fell into England’s hands. India gifted 26 overs, including 16 overs and nine overs.“That sums up the bowling and India’s day so far,” said former England captain Nasser Hussain commenting when Prince Yadav’s length on the pads in the 28th over was bowled by Bethell for a boundary. “India will be disappointed with their bowling today; they have been very ordinary,” he admitted Ravi Shastri before long.A total of 192 stops between Bethell and Duckett ticked multiple record boxes. It was England’s first century stand in ODIs since 2023. It was England’s biggest stand against India in ODIs. At Lord’s, it was the first standing ovation since 2010. It was also the biggest first-wicket partnership at the most famous venue.Before Duckett fell to Prince Yadav, scoring 141 off 135 balls, he recorded himself. Nothing bigger, perhaps, than breaking Viv Richards’ record for the most goals at this venue (138) in the 1979 World Cup final.England posted 387/3 on the board – the highest ODI score at Lord’s since the first World Cup in 1975 — a day highlighted by Sunil Gavaskar’s 174-ball 36 in a 335-run chase.Unlike Gavaskar, Root, another legend of the game, opted for a quick display, hitting an unbeaten 48-ball 74. Sixth consecutive ODI fifty for Root, who India failed to bowl even once in the 50-over series. Root scored 249 runs in three innings and India almost got him out.The damage was done with the first wicket tie, extended between the overs, and the result was all decided in the end. The power play went 58; the middle overs produced 203/1 and the last 10 overs scored 126 runs, including 62 runs in the last three.No wonder the bowlers bled. Gurnoor Brar scored 97, Prince another 79, Arshdeep took 72, and even Prasidh, who picked the players with two wickets, conceded 69 runs – most coming in slog overs.At the point where they gave support to the sailors when there was an exercise, as Prasidh showed the dot-ball, India were confused and they paid. The Men in Blue dropped five front-rowers and missed out on Bumrah while they too, decided to keep Kuldeep Yadav on the bench. The wrist spinner has featured in just eight of the 15 ODIs the team has played since India’s Champions Trophy success. His ability to deliver runs between the overs has been crucial to India’s success. However, with India struggling to control the run rate and picking up wickets in the innings, they were not bowled. The 31-year-old played all three sessions at Edgbaston ahead of the first ODI and was busy in the non-selective session before opting for the third. When Sundar picked up an injury, Kuldeep believed he was the right replacement. Alas, it was not to be.“If you are a side that can take wickets through the middle period of the game, it makes you stronger towards the end of the game. Same with the bat, if you are strong enough to swing around and take a boundary here and there as part of the batting, it makes you go to the last 10 overs of the game. ODI.India, unfortunately for their 2027 ODI World Cup hopes, have not consistently challenged in this medium-sized game. With New Zealand in three ODIs, the overs saw: 163/5, 193/2 and 191/1. This has worked well against Afghanistan in the past, it also proved dangerous against England: 152/6, 146/4 and 203/1.Attempting to play Indian football without Bumrah seems insensitive and silly. The day out at Lord’s looked a lot like Sunday cricket with the bowlers going without much thought. Most of the deliveries arrived full and were duly dispatched for 105 runs. At the other end of the over, the Indian bowlers bowled 38 short balls and were bowled out for 87 runs, at a rate of 13.73. After the bowlers found their line well, off 77 balls, they conceded 58 runs.In the end, the goal of 388 became a long bridge. It was the result of several bad trips. Bumrah’s absence suggests a lack of bite in the pace attack, but the biggest concern, perhaps, remains India’s inability to dominate the middle overs. While England’s players had clearly achieved their goals, India were left searching for answers, persistence and combinations that failed time and again to stop the run. With 15 months to go before the 2027 ODI World Cup, the trend is narrowing down to try-and-miss opportunities for a regular bowler who can consistently take wickets, impose pressure and win matches.