India vs England: An in-form Shreyas Iyer makes India’s middle order much stronger for Champions Trophy | Cricket News

There was for all purposes just one real fretful moment for India in England’s chase of a 357-run target in the third ODI in Ahmedabad. In six overs, England had blurred away to 60 without loss, and the left-handed dasher Ben Duckett was already on 34. It’s when India’s captain Rohit Sharma intervened.Duckett had been limping from the start, with a groin niggle, but crash-landing the ball to all parts with his stand-and-deliver routine. After he smashed four consecutive seam-up balls from Arshdeep Singh, Rohit had enough at mid-off. With his characteric shrug of disdain, he called the attention of Arshdeep, gesturing to his thigh. The point was made: that Duckett is struggling with a groin injury that hampers his movement and balls should be crafted keeping that in mind. Not offer balls that he can just stand and whack. Arshdeep got the message and slipped in a slower ball off the final ball of that over. A nod of approval came from Rohit.
Arshdeep started his next over as well with a slower delivery that was patted back Duckett. The next ball was another change of pace — the knuckle-ball, and this time Duckett was sucked into a big heave-ho. And as the ball settled into his palms, a happy Rohit touched his head with his index-finger, indicating the rewards of using the brain.

Yet another fabulous show and #TeamIndia reger a thumping 142-run victory in the third and final ODI to take the series 3-0!
Details – https://t.co/S88KfhFzri… #INDvENG @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/ZoUuyCg2ar
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 12, 2025
That dismissal in the seventh over changed the character of the game, and the mood of the Indian team. Rohit had a couple more gestures at the fielders, urging them to focus more; once it was Harshit Rana who was gently wandering around fine-leg and nearly converted a single into two and Rohit spread his arms and had a spray. Little interventions like that, and India began to attack with more energy and focus.
Story continues below this ad

England combust
Re-energised the success of the slower ball, Arshdeep kept using them, and induced the other aggressive opener Phil Salt into bunting a slower bouncer to Axar at point in the 9th over.
Kuldeep Yadav, who had replaced Varun Chakravarthy for this game, found a nice rhythm, and ripped a loopy googly to get Tom Banton nick a forward prod to KL Rahul the wicketkeeper. The chase was all but done 14 balls later when in the 21st over, Axar Patel bowled a pretty full ball outside off, inducing Joe Root into inside-edging his intended cover drive onto the stumps.
Any residual doubts about the fate of the game was stubbed out when Jos Buttler edged a cut shot off Harshit Rana to his stumps to leave England hobbling at 154 for 5 in the 25th over. Even the most optimic England supporter would have given up hope in the 27th over when Harry Brook chopped a defensive block off Rana to his stumps to leave England gasping at 161 for 6.
In contrast, India had controlled the mini-stumbles in their batting innings rather masterfully to post a big total. When Rohit Sharma fell in the seventh ball of the game, playing inside a line of Mark Wood delivery that didn’t tail in as much as he expected and edging it behind, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli stitched a substantial stand. They took their time as Wood, in particular, was shaping the ball at pace to test their outside edges a few times. But they didn’t show any recklessness, trying their best to ease into the game, and picking the bowlers to attack.

A Shubman Gill Special 💯
Watch #TeamIndia Vice-captain’s 7th ODI TON 🎥🔽#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank | @ShubmanGill https://t.co/3IMLIRXDet
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 12, 2025
When Kohli’s nemesis Adil Rashid took him out again — 5th time in ODIs, 11th across formats, India rallied back with Gill and Shreyas Iyer. It was a rather fine delivery from Rashid. At Cuttack too he had taken out Kohli but there the batsman could be accused of pushing out at a leg break away from the body. Not in Ahmedabad. It landed on a length around the leg stump line and even as Kohli leaned forward to offer the full bat face as a shield, the ball spun that bit more to brush the bat splice enroute to the keeper. Indian batsmen in the years gone would use their wrs to tap such leg breaks to the cover point region – Mohammad Azharuddin springs to mind, but they aren’t as masterful these days. Kohli has had his issues with leg spinners; Australia’s Adam Zampa has taken him down 8 times across formats.Story continues below this ad
Gill was almost ruthless with his shot selection, or rather the bowlers he targeted. Saqib Mahmood and the spinners bled and he flowed unhindered to his hundred.
Perhaps, Shreyas Iyer’s knock would have given as much comfort to the Indians as Gill’s. Only Virat Kohli’s swollen knee had forced them to give Shreyas a go in the first ODI, a baffling decision that has been made sillier his every knock in this series. He has been trying a few tweaks to counter the short ball this season. In a Ranji game, he had stood with a very open stance — the head facing mid-on apart from the splayed feet.
In this series, he has changed that head position again towards a more traditional down the pitch look, though retained that open-foot placement. He has retreated behind the crease and that open-stance has allowed him to let his hands go smoothly and he has unfurled a few crunchy pulls. Mark Wood and co. had the pace to test out his technique, and he handled them pretty well. It’s a work in progress of course, but Shreyas in the lower middle order is a done deal with his counterattacking approach. India have Rahul to present the more circumspect option in case of a big collapse, in case Shreyas’s counterattack fails.

He pulled Saqib Mahmood, flayed Gus Atkinson – a deft help-along six over fine-leg to a ball on the thighs, a particular highlight, and smashed the spinners. He fell, tickling a down-leg ball from Rashid but then had firmly put India on course for a 350-plus total. Rashid also took out Hardik Pandya, who had just carted him for two consecutive sixes, with another beauty – the ball ripping from leg stump line past the defensive prod to peg back the off stump. Though India couldn’t explode in the end, the middle over carnage was enough for them to sail through to 356, a total that proved way beyond England.