With his back to the wall and a good job on the line, Rohit Sharma he stopped his opponents the only way he could, breaking one of his most famous years in recent years, although it was not enough to prevent a 27-run defeat in the third ODI against England, as India handed the series 1-2 at Lord’s on Sunday. Despite Rohit’s magnificent 138, Shubman Gill’s 77 and Virat Kohli’s 74, India could only manage 360 ​​for 7 in pursuit of a mammoth target of 388 built on the back of a superb 142 from Ben Duckett and 91 from Jacob Bethell. A 13-ball 41 from Jos Buttler was the catalyst that saw England score 82 in their last five overs. With the selectors on the fence and the head coach ready to move on from Rohit, the 39-year-old skipper faced many challenges to enter the third and final game. Rohit entered the hallowed ground at Lord’s with two goals: to win the series for India and to save his legacy, which was being tarnished by extreme views from some media circles. He did not pick up his bat after completing his 34th ODI century — the first against India at Lord’s. He also did not agree to the standing of the suits of the members of the Balcony after hitting the 110th ball stitched with heart, pain, and sweat. It was the last time he played an ODI for England, and people talked for a long time about how the aging star showed determination when the force made him feel like he didn’t want to. A stand of 147 by skipper Gill and 113 by old partner Kohli raised visions of an impossible victory. For Rohit, there were 17 boundaries and a six – three from Josh Tongue – a pull, one down, and one away. Sam Curran (4/75 in 10 overs) was out for a six, who became England’s bowling hero. Curran’s run at the death gave way to Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Kohli being bowled for seven runs to end any hope India might have had. Curran got help from left-arm spinner Jacob Bethell (1/49 in 7 overs), India’s top-ranked spinner in Axar Patel. Although India lost the series, one thing is certain: neither Rohit nor Kohli will go anywhere until the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. On the day, Gambhir and Gill’s preparations went awry and the four pacers’ combined 51-run performance backfired badly. Jasprit Bumrah’s absence due to an injury to his left knee was a blow for India. The four-pronged attack including Prasidh Krishna (2/69 in 10 overs), Arshdeep Singh (0/72 in 10 overs), Prince Yadav (1/79 in 10 overs) and Gurnoor Brar (0/97 in 10 overs), lacked skill and skill against the batting line-up. Duckett and Bethell were amazing in their planning and execution. The power hitting of the first 10 overs produced 58 runs but the wheels came off between the 11th and 30th overs as they chased the bowlers down. With head coach Gambhir using Kuldeep Yadav in just 38 matches out of 103 matches (in three formats) since his appointment in 2024, the absence of a second spinner save Axar Patel (0/61 in 10 overs) hurt India. While Duckett hit 18 boundaries in all but a six, Bethell, who looked the best at the start, hit 11 fours and a six, before being trapped under the bowling of Prasidh Krishna. Joe Root (74 no off 48 balls) continued his golden form with another half — his third in three games — to take the 350-run total. Jos Buttler (41 no off 13 balls) also joined in the fun as Brar learned the hard way in international cricket, going close to 100 runs. Early on, it didn’t help that rookie Prince, riding on Lord’s famous pitch, struggled with his length when Bethell pulled him for a six over mid-wicket and hit him between mid-wicket and mid-wicket. The rusty Arshdeep Singh didn’t hold his line while Prasidh Krishna, despite hitting Bethell’s bat a few times, also blocked a loose delivery.However, Bethell did well to complete his century of 51 off 51 balls as England reached a total of 100 in the 16th over. By that time, the Indian bowlers had already conceded 15 boundaries and the lines were badly misplaced, allowing the first two to settle into a rhythm. In all, he gave away 42 boundaries and sixes.It also proved that the rest of the Indian pacers looked good while the flamboyant Bumrah was working on one side and the power was absent. One saw this in T20Is and now in ODIs too.
