After a cascade of wickets during the much-criticised Test here six weeks ago came a landslide of one-day international runs. In the end, despite a ferocious century from Rohit Sharma that turned Lord’s into his personal playground, England had enough on the board to seal a 2-1 series victory against India.
Harry Brook must have thought it was mission accomplished for his side at the halfway stage, with Ben Duckett’s 141 from 135 balls having powered England to 387 for three. Both were men’s ODI records at Lord’s, with Duckett having surpassed Viv Richards and the unbeaten 138 he made during the World Cup in 1979.
But amid speculation about his international future – reports of a recent tap on the shoulder – Sharma erupted with a display of controlled brutality. His 138 from 110 balls, first allied with another glossy 77 from Shubman Gill, had India tracking with the target and their vocal supporters dreaming of a famous heist.
That was until Jacob Bethell, fresh from 91 with the bat, finally slid one of his left-arm tweakers past a sweep shot from Sharma and into the stumps to leave India at 260 for two in the 39th over. It was the key moment in a run chase in which the tourists finished on 360 for seven and lost by 27 runs.
Brook later credited the head coach, Brendon McCullum, for the introduction of Bethell, having nipped off the field for an over to seek his advice. The pair have built up a strong rapport, with T20 and ODI series wins against India this summer. But it has also pushed Brook forward as a candidate for the Test captaincy under the next head coach in that format.
“It’d be tough to do [all three jobs] but I’m not saying it’s impossible,” Brook said. “I’m extremely pleased with the way we’ve performed in this series after going 1-0 down – the fight, camaraderie and belief we have shown to win is credit to the team and the coaches.”
One of the differences on the day was Jos Buttler’s incendiary, unbeaten 41 from 13 balls at the back end of England’s innings, while Brook was also blessed with more bowling options than his opposite number. Among them was Sam Curran, whose array of cutters and moon-balls claimed four for 75 and shut down Virat Kohli’s maiden half-century at Lord’s for 74.
Brook had also won a handy toss, even if Gill, without Jasprit Bumrah due to a knee injury sustained in Cardiff, said he would have bowled first. In Bumrah’s absence, only Prasidh Krishna adjusted quickly enough first thing – and even then his figures were set alight at the tail end by Buttler’s ultimately match-winning cameo.
This dizzying match began with a minute’s silence for the late Sir Garfield Sobers and during the first couple of hours it looked like a fitting century might follow. Bethell, who swapped Barbados for a scholarship at Rugby School with a personal reference from Sobers, fell nine runs short of his second in the format.
Still, as one half of a 192-run opening stand with Duckett, Bethell had helped to set a record by an England pair against India – any wicket – and the platform for this monster total. Bethell struck 11 fours and pulled two mighty sixes for his 93-ball 91, dampening concerns about his recent promotion to opener in the process.
Duckett was at his impish best, the more passive initially – 64 balls for his half-century compared to Bethell’s 52 – before kicking on with Joe Root in a 101-run second‑wicket stand. His only real flirtation with danger, before plopping a catch to Prince Yadav, was also his only six as KL Rahul tumbled over the rope with ball in hand.
The England of old might have pushed out Buttler ahead of Root but the latter’s busy unbeaten 74 from 48 balls proved no impediment. Following scores of 76 not out at Edgbaston and 99 not out in Cardiff, England’s No 3 has been no average Joe in this series – and has scored 360 runs since his last dismissal in the format.
And the fireworks followed regardless. After Brook came and went for 14, Buttler arrived in the mood for mischief. He slapped four fours and cleared the rope three times to see 82 runs flow from the last five overs. At that stage, India looked as cooked as Gooram Brar’s figures of none for 97 – the costliest in a Lord’s ODI.
It was clear, however, that unlike England’s crapshoot victory in whites against New Zealand last month, wickets would be tricky to come by and even containment was going to be a struggle. Gill was in sublime touch from the outset, holding the pose after lacing his cover-drives as he and Sharma put on 147 for the first wicket.
Adil Rashid eventually prised out Gill lbw in the 25th but it was not until Sharma’s demise – followed by Curran’s quickfire removals of Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer – that Brook could breathe a little easier. The final overs may have been an anticlimax but the journey to get there was both brilliant and bonkers.
