India captain Shubman Gill criticized his team’s failure to stop the flow of runs at the end after England built 388, stating the hosts’ late attack eventually proved pivotal in the visitors’ 27-run defeat in the series-deciding third ODI at Lord’s on Sunday.
Gill reflected on the pivotal moment in the game, saying that India had a firm grip on the match until the end of England’s innings, at which point an expensive finish with the ball turned the tide of the match in the hosts’ favor.
“We were right in the game until the 45th over (when England batted). Gave away a lot of runs in the last three overs. That’s where the game went away from us,” PTI quoted Gill as saying at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“We thought if we had wickets in hand after 40 overs, we would be in the game. At the same time, we didn’t want to be too far behind. After the powerplay we tried to play at 6-6.5 runs per over and chase at 10 in the last 10 overs,” he said.
Despite the surface becoming more challenging for stroke-making, Gill was encouraged by Rohit Sharma’s fluent century, saying the veteran opener once again proved why he is still among the world’s best ODI batsmen.
“They (Rohit and Kohli) have done well over the years in different parts of the world. Pleased with how Rohit batted today. The wicket got slow in the end, wasn’t easy to bat, but treat to watch.”
After England had established a strong foundation via Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, and Joe Root, India conceded a lot of runs in the final overs, making the chase more difficult than expected. Gill acknowledged that after giving up too many runs in the opening powerplay, his bowlers never really recovered, letting England set the terms before concluding with a flourish.
“Almost everyone got runs. In this match particularly, we didn’t bowl well in the first powerplay. The way they capitalised never gave us chance to come back. At the death, they got too far away from us.”
England captain Harry Brook was thrilled with his team’s perseverance in winning the series against the top-ranked team in the world despite losing the first ODI.
“Extremely proud. Fought hard, communicated well and manage to escape away with a series win over the world No. 1. Spoken about setting a template. Duckett and Bethell were sensational. Outstanding partnership. Rooty doing what Root does. Jos finishing the innings was awesome to watch.”
Brook also disclosed that, despite some challenging times, he was encouraged to stick with Jacob Bethell’s stint after a brief discussion with head coach Brendon McCullum.
“I went off for an over and had a chat to Baz. He said why don’t you have a crack with Beth, and bowl him for seven or eight overs straight through. It was tough at times but we got the job done,” Brook said.
