IND v ENG 3rd ODI Review: India take the trophy but England finally steal a win

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Team India. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Chris Woakes ran in with a slippery ball in the hand and knew exactly what the batsman intended to do. With 16 needed from 6 balls, Kedar Jadhav hit him for a six on the very first ball and backed it up with a boundary. That would take the toll on a bowler and nerves would do the rest but Woakes showed immense character to make a comeback and a splendid one. He found the block hole soon, a couple of dot balls and the pressure was on Jadhav now. He hit one in the air, the bat turned slightly in his hand and the ball found Sam Billings in the deep.

Last ball Woakes had one target in mind, bowl it full right in the block hole a big heave from Bhuvneshwar Kumar but the ball was nowhere near it and England finally tasted victory on the tour. Their hearts were in their mouths until Jadhav was there but Eoin Morgan was spot on with his field changes and had the men in place where the ball would go.

The Eden Garden wicket had a surprise in store for everyone; in the very first over from Bhuvneshwar Kumar the ball was swinging and swinging late, there was a healthy bounce on offer as well. Hardik Pandya once again took the new ball for Team India and bowled a maiden to start with. He hit the right channel outside the off-stump; Sam Billings played and missed, the ball was just moving away. Billings who got an opportunity in place of injured Alex Hales and his chances increased furthermore while batting.

More balls missed the outside edge than were timed but luck was in their favor as ball after ball they were beaten but there was no knick. Jasprit Bumrah the first change bowler also repeated the effort and result, he couldn’t find the outside edge either. The white ball swung prodigiously only for the first few overs and it vanished all of a sudden. But there was consistent purchase off the surface when the bowlers hit the deck hard. There was grass on the wicket and the ball was expected to skid off the surface giving no assistance to the spinners.

Also check out- Twitter Reactions: India lose a thrilling game despite Jadhav, Pandya heroics

With the opening bowlers and Bumrah failing to get him a breakthrough skipper Virat Kohli went to his spinners. In the 13th over Yuvraj Singh was in to check if he could break the partnership; he bowled three overs but nothing happened. Ravindra Jadeja was in the attack next and on the very next ball he was in business. Sam Billings who was riding his luck until then attempted a reverse sweep on the second ball from Jadeja and hit it straight to Bumrah at short third man.

Jason Roy started things off brilliantly for them and scored his third straight half-century in the series but was dismissed in a replica of the last game attempting to cut Jadeja from a tougher line. And like the left-arm spinner does so often slipped the ball through and shattered his stumps. Jonny Bairstow who walked into the team since Joe Root had a niggle ensured he wasn’t missed with a half century. Morgan also chipped in with 43 and Jos Buttler could only score 11. All the three batsmen had one thing in common – the bowler who sent them back was Indian seam bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya.

There was a phase when the runs weren’t really coming for England and Pandya just finished a brilliant spell with figures of 10-1-49-3 and it looked like they will manage an under 300 total below the average score at Kolkata. But that is when Ben Stokes once again arrived in the scene. He had a smashing partnership with Woakes and the duo gave them the last push they needed the tradition of leaking runs in the death continued for the Indian bowlers. Woakes got his 34 from 19 with a striking rate of 178.9; Stokes scored his unbeaten 57 at a strike rate of 146. They ended up with 321/8 in their quota.

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With the ball doing a lot more than one would expect in Indian conditions the English bowlers felt at home. Whenever it was pitched up there was purchase and for the third time in the series Team India had a poor start. Ajinkya Rahane’s stay lasted just 6 balls before David Willey went through onto his furniture. KL Rahul on the other end had started things off in a fancy manner; a six on the fifth ball was followed by a four to make it ten in the over. After Virat Kohli joined him the aggressive intent was passed on.

Rahul decided to pull Jake Ball on a short of length delivery and the ball took the top edge went into the sky but just over his head and Buttler had little problems sending him back. And once again in the series Virat and Yuvraj were in the middle and had the responsibility of pulling them out and setting them up for the chase. They blended caution with aggression and tackled the early challenge. What that showed is the wicket was still good to bat on and the ball was coming onto the bat nicely.

Their 70 odd runs partnership was smooth but Kohli got carried away against Stokes and chased a short wide delivery only to edge it to the keeper. That not before scoring yet another half-century in ODI cricket. Yuvraj and MS Dhoni had to take the responsibility once again. Just when he looked in the right mindset for another big knock Yuvi found Sam Billings in the deep off Liam Plunkett. Dhoni could also add 25 and was Jake Ball’s second victim of the night.

The target was just half concurred and two players with exceptional potential and little experience Jadhav and Pandya were in the middle. The Maharashtra batsman showed immense maturity and made sure his partner valued his wicket as much as he did. He told Pandya, “If we play to our potential through the end, we would win.”

While Jadhav can play the big shots and clear the ropes at will it was Pandya who needed to be pacified. He kept his cool and the duo stitched a 104-run partnership amidst the required rate constantly poking them. Pandya after reaching his maiden ODI half century paid the price of trying to hit Stokes across the line and his middle stump was out of the ground.

He had little reputation when he walked into the series; the management backed him but neither of them were certain of what would transpire but the 31-year-old Jadhav was the best batsman for Team India in the series and even today with his 90 he kept the team in the hunt till the time he was there in the middle and deserves a lot of credit for taking the game to the very last over.

Team India has not only gained a series win but two players in Jadhav and Pandya who give them the cushion to let two of their biggest match winners Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni bat at No.4 and 5 while the young shoulders have shown they carry calm heads on them. For his outstanding performance in the series, Kedar Jadhav was also named the Player of the Series while Ben Stokes was the Man of the Match for his unbeaten 57 and 3/63.

Brief Scores:

England: 321/8 (Jason Roy 63, Ben Stokes 57*; Hardik Pandya 3/49)

India: 316/9 (Kedar Jadhav 90, H Pandya 56; B Stokes 3/63)

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