With a massive 86-run defeat under the bag, India got outplayed by the ‘Three Lions’ at Lords.
MS Dhoni’s finishing strategy didn’t pay rich dividend while Virat Kohli and Co. faltered to pocket the ODI series. Hosts’ skipper Eoin Morgan called the toss right and elected to bat.
And the opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy forged a solid stand to anchor the innings. The visitors made a comeback in the game courtesy their in-form spinner Kuldeep Yadav, but a calculative ton from Joe Root put England on a safe platform.
India were left to chase a daunting 323 to win after Morgan, Root and David Willey stepped up on the gas. It was Root’s 12th ODI ton, and it came at a good time. The men in blue lost three wickets inside the power-play.
Openers Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul, failed to provide a good start and that put pressure on the chasers.
Speaking after the game, Virat Kohli said,
“I think we started off well with the bat; it was a good wicket to play on. Did slow up in the second half but when we lost wickets early, that’s where we lost it a bit. You need wickets in hand during such chases, so when you lose early wickets, it’s tough to recover.
Kohli credits English bowlers
The Indian skipper credited the spin-duo of England, as they brought back their side in the game.
“These are games where you test the character of the guys. Obviously, Bumrah and Bhuvi have done it for long, but it’s nice to test the character of the guys. Crucial to back the guys ahead. Those three wickets early on played a massive part. But both Moeen and Rashid sensed the opportunity, they are good bowlers and created pressure. If we hadn’t lost early wickets, we might have been able to attack them more,” he added.
Kohli also defended Dhoni, saying critics want to point their knives at the veteran every time the former fails. He said it was a collective failure and no one should be singled out.
“This thing comes up whenever he (Dhoni) doesn’t have a good day. People just wait to jump on him. On days when things don’t work, it can happen and immediately, people jump on him. Today was a bad day for all of us, not just him.”
