Rohit Sharma’s India National Cricket Team went head-to-head with Jos Buttler’s England National Cricket Team in the third and final ODI of the series on Wednesday, February 12, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Team India, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma, crushed Team England by 142 runs to register a 3-0 whitewash over the visitors. Also, this was India’s second-biggest win over England in ODI history.
Also Read: Watch: Hardik Pandya attacks defenseless Joe Root with brutal throw in 3rd ODI
Credit to the bowler and the bowler is there to get you out – Rohit Sharma
After being invited to bat first, India posted a huge total of 356 runs on the board, thanks to Shubman Gill’s ton and brilliant half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Virat Kohli.
With the ball, the Indian team dominated as all six bowlers bagged at least one wicket each and bundled out the visiting team for 214 runs in 34.2 overs.
Speaking after the match, Rohit Sharma said that he was extremely delighted to clinch the series. While talking about his dismissal for 1 in the second over, Rohit Sharma said that the delivery of Mark Wood was just too good and justified his low score by saying that ‘the bowler is there to get you out.’
“Very very pleasing (with the way the series went). We knew there will be challenges that we could face. I mean there is nothing I could have done about that (the ball that got rid of him today),” Rohit Sharma said.
“Credit to the bowler, and the bowler is there to get you out, and you are there as a batter to challenge that. Just nicked the ball, second ball I was facing and couldn’t have done anything about that.
Obviously any champion team wants to get better every game and move forward – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma further said that they ticked off a lot of boxes and did the right things in the ODI series. While labeling India as a champion team, Rohit said that they still want to improve in certain areas as they move forward. He signed off by talking about the batting performance of India in the series. Rohit Sharma elaborated:
“I don’t see there was anything wrong we did this series. Obviously there are certain things we are looking at (to improve) and I am not going to stand here and explain those. It is our job as well to keep some consistency within the squad and the communication is clear.
“Obviously any champion team wants to get better every game and move forward from there. Very happy with the score (at the break). There is a bit of freedom in the squad to go out there and play the way you want. The World Cup was a perfect example of that and we want to continue to do that. There will be times it will not fall in place but that’s okay.
India’s Delivered A Commanding Performance In The Previous ODI As Well
India showcased a clinical performance against England in the second ODI as they successfully chased a 305-run target to seal a four-wicket win. Rohit Sharma was the main man behind India’s win as he smashed a magnificent 119 off 90 balls.
India’s run-chase started on a dominant note as Rohit and Shubman Gill (60 off 52) stitched up an amazing 136-run opening stand. While Gill was dismissed by Jamie Overton’s stunning yorker, Rohit continued his onslaught, reaching his century in just 76 balls. The Indian skipper looked unstoppable in the middle and his innings ended after he mistimed a full toss from Liam Livingstone.
Notably, India lost Virat Kohli (5) and Shreyas Iyer (44) in quick succession, and KL Rahul (10), as well as Hardik Pandya (10), fell cheaply, but Axar Patel (41*) batted calmly and, along with Ravindra Jadeja (11*) guided India to an epic victory.
Earlier in the match with the ball, Ravindra Jadeja displayed a sensational performance. He dismissed Ben Duckett, Joe Root, and Jamie Overton and gave away just 35 runs in his 10 overs. Also, Varun Chakravarthy, playing his ODI debut, removed Phil Salt, while Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya chipped in with a wicket each.