In a thrilling finale to the ODI series against England, opener Shubman Gill dazzled with a stunning 112, supported by solid contributions from Shreyas Iyer (78) and Virat Kohli (52). India posted a commanding total of 356 runs, which proved insurmountable for the visitors, who were bowled out for a mere 214, giving India a resounding 142-run victory and a 3-0 series sweep.

Throughout the series, Gill showcased remarkable form and was rightly awarded the Player of the Series, amassing a total of 259 runs at an impressive average of 86.33 over the three matches.

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England’s captain, Jos Buttler, won the toss for the third time in a row and decided to field. However, this decision backfired quickly as India’s batting order, with the exception of Rohit Sharma, flourished.

Rohit Sharma fell for just 1, caught off a beautiful delivery from Mark Wood. Nonetheless, Gill and Kohli managed to stabilize the innings.

The duo formed a formidable partnership of 116 runs, gradually building a solid foundation by rotating the strike and playing cautiously at first. Kohli encountered a close run-out scare in the seventh over but survived to find his rhythm. He unleashed a series of boundaries off Saqib Mahmood, helping India to 52 runs for the loss of one wicket at the end of the powerplay. As they continued to attack the bowlers, both Gill and Kohli laid into Joe Root for several boundaries and hit Liam Livingstone for sixes.

Kohli reached his half-century from 50 balls, shortly followed by Gill, who brought up his century in 95 balls, marking his first ODI hundred since September 2023. However, shortly after reaching his milestone, Kohli fell to Adil Rashid, nicking a catch to the keeper after a commendable innings of 52 runs.

Shreyas Iyer joined Gill and immediately shifted gears, forming a blazing partnership that accumulated 104 runs for the third wicket. Gill’s innings came to a disappointing end when he attempted a sweep shot off Rashid only to have the ball clatter into the stumps, concluding his spectacular innings at 112.

Despite losing a few quick wickets, Iyer’s aggressive 78, along with contributions from KL Rahul (40), Axar Patel (13), and Washington Sundar (14), helped push India’s total. Hardik Pandya added some late fireworks, hitting back-to-back sixes off Rashid before he was dismissed. India eventually finished their innings at 356 all out in their allocated 50 overs.

England’s chase started with some momentum as openers Ben Duckett (34) and Phil Salt (23) partnered for a rapid start. However, the dismissal of Duckett by Arshdeep Singh and a series of quick wickets hindered their progress. Tom Banton (38) and Joe Root (24) attempted to stabilize but soon fell victim to India’s spinners.

Two wickets each from Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, and Arshdeep Singh proved decisive. Although Gus Atkinson made a valiant effort with a quick 38 off 19 balls, the English batting lineup crumbled under pressure, leading to their relegation to 214 all out in just 34.2 overs.

With this victory, India secured a dominant 3-0 series sweep, showcasing an impressive batting performance paired with disciplined bowling. Meanwhile, England’s inconsistent batting remains a concern as they look ahead to the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Brief scores:

India 356 all out in 50 overs (Shubman Gill 112, Shreyas Iyer 78, Virat Kohli 52, K.L Rahul 40; Adil Rashid 4-64, Mark Wood 2-45) defeated England 214 all out in 34.2 overs (Ben Duckett 34, Tom Banton 38, Gus Atkinson 38; Axar Patel 2-22, Arshdeep Singh 2-33, Harshit Rana 2-31, Hardik Pandya 2-38) by 142 runs.