New Delhi: Shubman Gill headlined India’s stellar batting display with a cracking century as the hosts thrashed England by 142 runs in the 3rd and final ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday to clean sweep the three-match series 3-0. It was yet another dominant display from the hosts as they ticked off a lot of boxes ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy 2025.
All eyes were on Virat Kohli ahead of the final ODI in Ahmedabad and much to India’s relief, the star batter fired against England to get an important knock behind his back ahead of the Champions Trophy. Kohli scored 52 runs while Gill continued his purple patch with his 7th ODI ton after smashing two consecutive half-centuries in his last two matches.
Shreyas Iyer too continued his prolific run at no.4 as he produced another excellent knock of 78 runs while KL Rahul finally got to spend some time in the middle and played his part in powering India to a strong total of 356 runs, batting first with a quickfire 40 off 29 balls. Gill top-scored for India with his 112 off 102 balls laced with 14 fours and 3 sixes.
The bowlers too delivered as a unit as England were bowled out for a paltry 214 runs in the 355-run chase despite a good start from openers Ben Duckett and Phil Salt, who shared a 60-run opening stand. Pacers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana picked up two wickets apiece while Hardik Pandya also managed to get a couple of wickets. The spin trio of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar managed the other 4 wickets between them.
The 3-0 clean sweep against England is the perfect preparation for India heading into the Champions Trophy as they look to win a second consecutive ICC trophy. India last won the Champions Trophy in 2013 before losing in the final in the last edition in 2017 and will be looking to go all the way this time around.
3 things we learnt from India’s 3-0 win against England ahead of Champions Trophy 2025:
1) Rohit, Kohli regain form and confidence
Both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli faced intense scrutiny after their dismal show on India’s tour of Australia. The duo’s form was under the scanner after their respective failures in the Ranji Trophy. However, both Rohit and Kohli managed to regain form and bounce back among the runs in the ODI series against England ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025.
Rohit slammed a blistering knock of 119 runs off 90 balls to power India to a thumping victory in the 2nd ODI in Cuttack while Kohli scored 52 runs in the 3rd ODI in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. Rohit rolled back the years with his vintage display in Cuttack where he timed the ball to perfection and took the England bowlers to the cleaners en route to his 32nd ODI ton.
Kohli, on the other hand, finally managed to get an important knock behind his back on Wednesday with a crucial half-century. He came out to bat after India lost Rohit cheaply in the Powerplay and combined with Shubman Gill to share an excellent stand for the 2nd wicket to put India’s innings back on track. The senior duo’s form will keep India in good stead heading into the Champions Trophy.
2) Can Harshit Rana or Varun Chakaravarthy make up for Jasprit Bumrah?
India tested both Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy in the ODI series against England but it remains to be seen who will take injured Jasprit Bumrah’s place in the playing XI in the Champions Trophy 2025. Harshit was named Bumrah’s direct replacement in Inda’s final 15-man squad while Chakaravarthy was accommodated in place of young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal.
While Rana played all three matches in the ODI series against England and finished with 6 wickets, Chakaravarthy featured only in the 2nd ODI and picked up a solitary wicket while conceding 60 runs in his 10 overs. Rana can be a like-to-like replacement for Bumrah in India’s XI in the Champions Trophy and he seems to have the backing of the team management. However, it remains to be seen if he can step up in the absence of the senior pacer.
3) Shreyas Iyer proves his mettle again
After his sublime knock of 36-ball 59, Shreyas Iyer’s shocking revelation left many surprised when the batter revealed he was not an automatic selection in the playing XI and might not have played if not for a knee issue which kept Virat Kohli out. Yashasvi Jaiswal opened the innings with Rohit Sharma in the match with Gill batting at 3.
However, Iyer’s stupendous knock shut his critics and buried any doubts over his important at no.4. Iyer too went on to prove his mettle with consistent performances in the series as he finished with 181 runs in 3 matches at an average of over 60 and a strike rate of 123.13, including two half-centuries. Iyer was the 2nd highest run-getter in the series behind only Gill and is expected to play a key role for India in the Champions Trophy later this month.
Shubman Gill’s splendind ton and a dominant batting display saw India thrash England by 142 runs in the 3rd and final ODI in Ahemdabad on Wednesday to clean sweep the three-match series 3-0. India ticked a lot of boxes in the clinical series victory ahead of the all-important Champions Trophy 2025. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
