After winning nine successive ODI series, India'a juggernaut came to a screeching halt against Eoin Morgan's England. The battle between World No 1 England and number 2 India however didn't exactly live up to its expectation, as all the three matches were one-sided. India won the first match, where as hosts won the next two. Joe Root emerged as the standout player in a series where most expected Kuldeep Yadav after the first match.
India's pace bowling got exposed, particularly in the second ODI where they couldn't keep the pressure after spinners did a good job. Lack of Bumrah meant India couldn't finish strongly. Bhuvi came back for the last match but was a shadow of himself. (AFP)
England showed why they are a world number one side, when they constantly improved against Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep who ran through the English defence in the first match getting six wickets, he bagged three wickets for 68 runs in the second match. However, by the third and deciding match, England seem to have got a grip of how to play Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep went wicketless conceding 55 runs as England cantered to an easy win. (AFP)
In the second and third ODI, the much famed Indian batting order couldn't live up to its potential. In the second ODI, the top 4 could only get 96 runs, virtually sealing the fate of India. Later, MS Dhoni played a bizarre slow innings for which he got booed by Lord's crowd. In the third ODI, Dhawan and Kohli got good starts but they failed to convert it to a big innings. Dhoni did the holding act to ensure India reach a respectable total, but it was always going to be tough to defend against the World No 1 team.
At a time, when England team is packed with explosive hard hitters, some having 360 degree shot making range, Joe Root stands out. He is a poised player, who loves playing cricket the old-school way. Nothing wrong with it, except when he doesn't get going and people start to doubt his methods. But against India, he stepped up managing to score two centuries, to bury the demons of getting dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav previously. (Reuters)
After getting severe tapping in the first match, English bowlers showed lot of heart to make a stunning comeback. Plunkett, Willey and Rashid combined superbly to ensure that England come out on top in conditions which actually suited Indian batters more. Rashid especially deserves special credit for bamboozling top order batters. (Reuters)
