Jasprit Bumrah’s absence due to an impact injury on his left knee was certainly a blow for India and that proved to be telling for the visitors.

The four-pronged pace attack comprising Prasidh Krishna (2/69 in 10 overs), Arshdeep Singh (0/72 in 10 overs), Prince Yadav (1/79 on 10 overs) and Gurnoor Brar (0/97 in 10 overs), with a cumulative experience of 51 ODIs, lacked both skill and experience against an in-form batting line-up.

Duckett and Bethell (91 off 93 balls) were fantastic in terms of planning and execution. The batting powerplay of first 10 overs yielded 58 runs but the wheels came off between overs 11 to 30 when they literally ran the bowlers ragged.

With head coach Gautam Gambhir using Kuldeep Yadav in only 38 games out of a total 103 matches (across three formats) since his appointment, the lack of a second spinner save Axar Patel (0/61 in 10 overs) did hurt India.

While Duckett hit 18 boundaries in all apart from a six, Bethell, who looked comparatively more fluent at the onset, hit 11 fours and a six, before being holed out in the deep off Prasidh Krishna’s bowling.

Joe Root (74 no off 48 balls) continued his golden run of form with another half-century — his third in three games — to take the total past 350-run mark. Jos Buttler (41 no off 13 balls) also joined in the fun as Brar got a harsh lesson in international cricket, going for almost 100 runs.

At the onset, it didn’t help matters that rookie Prince, bowling up the famous Lord’s slope, struggled with his length as Bethell pulled him for a six over deep mid-wicket and then slapped him in the gap between deep mid-wicket and mid-on for a boundary.

The rusty Arshdeep Singh didn’t hold his line while Prasidh Krishna, despite beating Bethell’s bat on a number of occasions, also bowled the odd loose delivery.

However, Bethell did well to complete his half-century off 51 balls while England reached the team total of 100 by the 16th over. By that time, Indian bowlers have already conceded 15 boundaries and the lines were horribly wrong, allowing the opening pair to nicely settle into a rhythm. In all, they conceded 42 boundaries and six sixes.

It also established the fact that all the other Indian pacers look good when the brilliant Bumrah is at work at one end and that effectiveness vanishes once he is absent. One saw that in the T20Is and now in ODIs too.

The lead-up to the series decider had firmly been on Rohit. As reported by The Indian Express, the selectors have already informed him about their decision to move on. The message was relayed to him before the series, and prior to the outing at Lord’s, Rohit had seldom appeared the batsman one had got used to. Both at Edgbaston and particularly at Cardiff, he had appeared a batsman who was perhaps playing with a cluttered mind. The result of it was, no matter how much he tried, he struggled for rhythm.

But on Sunday, Rohit came across as a different batsman. Not that he didn’t struggle. His innings was scratchy at the start, but he showed the hunger to fight it out. And once he got to his fifty at run-a-ball, he appeared a different batsman, accelerating to his century off the next 34 deliveries as he entered the Lord’s honours board for the first time and possibly in his last innings at the iconic venue. It was an innings that that had lessons for the new gen batsmen in terms of how to construct an innings in an ODI.

On a pitch where England’s batsmen piled on 387 – the highest ODI score at the venue, the host seamers didn’t make it easy for Rohit. With their tight lines and movement off the surface, they asked questions repeatedly. There was an instance where Rohit tried to break the shackles by stepping out and hitting over the straight field, and edged it over slip for a boundary.

Beyond that, he wouldn’t take any undue risk. He would show the respect the deliveries merited. There would be times he would be beaten and respond with a cheeky smile. There would be occasions when he would get the bat down only at the last fraction of a second, with the willow making a sound that revealed the connection was far from the sweet spot. It was almost like the sound of the ball hitting the bat, not the other way round. But Rohit wasn’t minding any of it.

With Rohit showing the courage to fight it out, he would reap the rewards as well. In the seventh over as Josh Tongue came on, he offered a few bad deliveries. First up, Rohit would flick him fine before following it up with his trademark pull. The Lord’s crowd, not for the first time in the day, will start chanting his name. Two deliveries later in the same over, Rohit would deposit one into the square-leg stands – a short delivery, the batsman picking up the length early, and pulling it with total disdain. Suddenly, despite a sedate beginning, Rohit was outscoring the captain.

The road though wouldn’t be smooth. Tongue would tie Rohit down with a maiden. Off three deliveries in that over, as the seamer kept attacking the stumps, he would bring out his flick, but such is the form that all of it went straight to the fielder at mid-wicket. The frustration grew, but the 39-year-old didn’t commit hara-kiri.

As Sam Curran came on, Rohit wouldn’t let him settle. At Cardiff, the left-arm seamer had troubled him, but here Rohit would get down and sweep him off the stumps. When Curran tried to alter his length by digging one short, Rohit would pounce on it, with a front-foot pull deep into the stands.

With Gill farming a majority of the strike, the rhythm continued to desert him, before successive boundaries off Gus Atkinson – first a sweep and then a scoop, bringing up his fifty. From there on he was a different batsman. The initial years of Rohit’s batting in ODIs is built in the old fashioned way – start slowly, pace the innings and accelerate once he has the hang of the attack and conditions. Here, he followed the template, although the improvisations were visible every now and then. Between 50 to 100, Rohit’s inning was as commanding as any big knocks he has played. When Jofra Archer came back for a spell, he took him head on, but it was the two consecutive sixes off Tongue that showed Rohit was in the mood. Up until then, there was a bit of self doubt. But as Tongue delivered one in the slot, with a still head, he tonked it over long-on before hitting the next one over the bowler for another hold the pose shot. That six took him into the 90s, from where the century seemed inevitable as he went back to a standing ovation, wondering if he would get another opportunity and what more he should do.

“But having said all of that, there is a way in which some of the seniors will want to finish, and I do wish they are given that opportunity because of what they’ve achieved for the country. But in saying that, it is not the easiest thing to achieve because sometimes not all fairy tales have a happy ending,” he added.

The 41-year-old sympathised with chief selector Ajit Agarkar, admitting that it was not easy to decide between having one of the finest white-ball players in the team and blooding in one of the future superstars with just over a year to go for the ODI World Cup.

“Right now, India is at a place where no other cricketing nation is. The number of cricketers that could fill up spots across the XI for any player is obviously the highest it has ever been, and it is definitely the highest right now among any cricketing nation.”

“So, there is going to be pressure for every player involved, and that’s what makes playing for the country right now so much more difficult. As a selector as well, it’s not easy. If you’re sitting in Ajit Agarkar’s chair, to weigh the possibility of having a current superstar or one that could be a superstar in a few years, we’re talking about some of the greatest that have played the game,” Karthik said.

The 2007 T20 World Cup winner said that regardless of when and where Sharma finished his career, his legacy as one of India’s greatest white-ball players was unquestionable.

“Irrespective of whenever he [Rohit] finishes, I do feel he’s been one of India’s greatest white-ball cricketers. The kind of attitude he’s brought to the table, and the kind of memories he’s created on and off the field with so many players, is what will keep him smiling for the rest of his life,” he said.

Ahead of the third and final ODI on Sunday, India’s bowling coach Morne Morkel has expressed confidence in Sharma overcoming his lean run and figuring out a way to score runs.

“It is hard work with a new ball up front. We’ve seen throughout the series that the ball is moving around. Batting up front is not easy. No doubt Rohit will work it out.”

“He has done it in the past, he is experienced. And he just brings that calmness to the batting line-up. So without a doubt, no worries and concerns at all with the way he is going about things,” he said.

India are eyeing their first series win away from home since December 2023 in the format.

IND vs ENG 3rd ODI predicted XIs

India predicted ODI XI: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, KL Rahul (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

ALSO READ | India’s poor Lord’s record: 4 Losses, 1 Tie, 2 wins since 1983 World Cup

England predicted ODI XI: Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Joe Root, Harry Brook(c), Jos Buttler(w), Jacob Bethell, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood, Tom Banton, Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, James Coles, Rehan Ahmed.

ALSO READ | India’s poor Lord’s record: 4 Losses, 1 Tie, 2 wins since 1983 World Cup

India vs England 2nd ODI Live Streaming details

When and where to watch IND vs ENG 3rd ODI?

The India vs England 3rd ODI match will take place on Sunday, July 19, at the Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, England. The match will begin at 3:30 PM IST, with the toss taking place at 3:00 PM IST.

How to watch the live telecast of India vs England 3rd ODI match?

In India, the live telecast of the India vs England 3rd ODI match will be made available on the Sony Sports Network.

ALSO READ | Lord’s brings Gill a chance to stamp his authority on ODI side

How to watch the live streaming of India vs England 3rd ODI match?

In India, the live streaming of the India vs England 3rd ODI match will be available on the JioHotstar app and website with an active subscription.

IND vs ENG 3rd ODI Match Squads