Lord’s was all decked up for it. Tickets had been sold for many hundred pounds. Each and everyone who came to the iconic venue is going back happy. Both teams staged a spectacular 50-over contest and no team deserved to lose this one. Ultimately, England defeated India by 27 runs to win the three-ODI series 2-1. India will go back home empty-handed from this tour of the UK but at the same time, there are plenty of positives to look into.
If the first half was all England, the second half was all India. At half way stage, with the daunting 387 to chase down, it seemed there was only one winner and the match was done. England had out-batted India and there was no hope left.
But then Rohit Sharma was waiting to prove a point. To show that he still has plenty in his tank to make a match of anything and is still very much a contender for the opening spot for the 2027 World Cup. He batted like a man possessed and the whole of Lord’s batted with him. As long as he was there India had a chance. Gill continued his rich vein of form and all of a sudden the Indian fans had found a voice. Even after Gill was out, the momentum did not drop. Virat Kohli kept pushing and Rohit had turned sublime by the final third of his innings. He had settled the selection debate and Virat had shown why Gill had said what he had said about discussing team combination with him.
India did fall short and it is not because of the batters. Rather it is because of the baffling call to not include Kuldeep and playing four pace bowlers with little Lord’s experience. That’s where the management went wrong and that’s where India need to improve going forward.
With or without Bumrah is the issue here. With him Prasidh Krishna is a top bowler. Without him, he is ordinary. The selectors ought to address all this and leave Rohit and Virat alone. That’s how you can mount a challenge for the 2027 World Cup. The series has been lost and while we all take heart from Rohit, we leave London with many unanswered questions about the team combination going forward.
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