Ben Duckett was far from perfect at Lord’s. The opener had a control percentage of 80 when he was dismissed on 141 (135) in the India vs England 3rd ODI. The series was on the line, and Duckett, who didn’t look in great rhythm early on, cashed in on the opportunity to score his fourth career ODI hundred.
There were early plays and misses against Arshdeep Singh. The bounce troubled him several times during the course of his innings. He was hit on the gloves. Duped by the slower ball and edged in no man’s land. A close review against Axar Patel. Escaped from a run-out after completing his hundred. But these are normal aspects of cricket. You’ll always have things go with and against you. It’s how you wade through these situations that matters.
Ben Duckett shines as Indian bowlers fail
There was enough help on the surface. But the lines and lengths from India just weren’t correct. Barring Prasidh Krishna, every Indian bowler bowled on the leg stump way too often. Even Axar was found guilty of targeting the pads, as he attempted to stop Duckett and Jacob Bethell from scoring.
Nothing worked for India in Jasprit Bumrah‘s absence. Prasidh, the bowler who displayed the most control, was the man to break a massive 192-run opening stand between Duckett and Bethell. The English opener didn’t look assured. In fact, even Joe Root, who was unbeaten in the first two ODIs, didn’t look at ease.
Highest for England in ODIs against India
- 192 – Ben Duckett & Jacob Bethell, Lord’s 2026 (1st wicket)
- 186* – Joe Root & Eoin Morgan, Leeds 2018 (3rd wicket)
- 185 – Marcus Trescothick & Nasser Hussain, Lord’s 2002 (2nd wicket)
- 178 – Alastair Cook & Ian Bell, Southampton 2007 (2nd wicket)
The Lord’s pitch wasn’t that easy. But India’s insipid attack never managed to tie England down or generate chances. There was bounce and movement off the surface. Not always but enough to trouble batters. Change of pace wasn’t easy to read either. Yet, India leaked runs. At no point was England going slower than run-a-ball.
It was clear that this wasn’t a 400-surface. In fact, perhaps not even a 300 one. At the toss, India’s captain Shubman Gill had talked about keeping England to 280-300. That was his first assessment of the pitch and perhaps that was right.
But India’s bowlers, especially inexperienced Prince Yadav and Gurnoor Brar, just weren’t on the money. Even Arshdeep was far from bankable, and Axar always looked to escape rather than attack. In the end, it led to Duckett registering the highest-ever individual score at Lord’s in an ODI.
Cricket
Tilak Varma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi problem! Mistakes Iyer's India can't repeat vs Zimbabwe
