India hold nerve against Sam Curran onslaught to take home the ODI series 2-1

If ever there was an ODI series where the day after the contrasting euphoria of a win and the disappointment of the loss would subside into a soothing acceptance, the ODI series between India and England would be it. England had their heartbroken after a wonderful fightback led by Sam Curran, only for India to hold their nerves and clinch the series 2-1. But, there were enough reasons for the world number 1 and 2 teams to be encouraged, yet things they will both need to fix.

For Team India, while Captain Kohli had promised a new approach for the T20Is, they quickly realized the same dynamics will have to be extended into their ODI game as well. England, having chased down 337 quite easily a couple of days ago, India had no other way after having been put in to bat again, but to keep the run rate up despite the fall of wickets. While Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan’s 100-run opening stand came at a substantially quicker clip than in the first two ODIs, the Indian middle-order crumbled quickly. Four wickets had fallen by the halfway mark, and India were going at just above 6-an-over.

A typical ODI innings would have dictated preserving wickets for the next 12-15 overs before the assault at the back end. But, the new approach allowed the batsmen in the middle to keep going after the bowling. And India couldn’t have asked for two better batsmen to champion the cause than Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya. A host of audacious shots with the confidence of clearing the boundary at ease made for a blend which over the next 64 balls yielded 99 runs. By the time Pant was dismissed, the run rate had escalated beyond 7 - an acceleration during the middle overs previously not dared of.

As is the case with any approach, the pro of acceleration and the necessity to dream big brought with it the con of not having enough wickets in the tank for the back end. India were dismissed for 329, the last 10 overs yielding only 46 runs.

For India, the first 2 ODIs had driven home the necessity to pick up wickets early. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided the early breakthrough with Roy’s off-stump knocked back by the perfect inswinger. When Bairstow was dismissed a couple of overs later, the score of 329 would’ve swollen in stature. Ben Stokes rode his luck, but ironically perished to a full-toss, while Buttler’s poor form in the ODIs continued. Liam Livingstone and Dawid Malan tried to rebuild the chase, but at 201/7, the game seemed all but over.

Enter Sam Curran. His boyish charm made way for a scary monster as with every passing hit, the lingering feeling of “Could it really be” began taking shape. First with Aadil Rashid, and then with Mark Wood, Curran kept pushing the game till the very end. Dropped catches and misfields began creeping into the Indian effort. Complacency had set in, while Curran’s rising confidence now jolted the Indians back from their slumber. A fantastic diving catch to his left by Captain Kohli saw the back of Aadil Rashid.

But in Mark Wood, Curran found an able ally. It took an unfortunate slip at the non-striker’s end from Curran to see Mark Wood run out at the other while trying to sneak in a second run. By then the game was still in England and Curran’s grasp with 13 needed off 5. T Natarajan held his nerve to deliver a victory for Team India by 7 runs. England might have lost the series but the fact that India had to adapt their game to match the English style would be a heartening sign for the World Champions. To have beaten a strong English side across all 3 formats would give India immense satisfaction.