A century to start the tour and one to finish, Rishabh Pant has had one memorable trip to England this year. The left-hander came up clutch in a crucial juncture of a series decider and he showed why he was one of the most exciting stars in world cricket at the moment with a fine, fine hundred that propelled India to a memorable five-wicket win that helped them bag the ODI series 3-2. A game-changing 133-run partnership between the mature Hardik Pandya and Pant was the difference between both teams at Old Trafford on Sunday, and it was enough for them to walk away with a fine Indian victory on English soil, reminiscent of the famous NatWest 2002 series win. Rishabh Pant’s Century Helps India Win ODI Series Against England, Netizens Laud Keeper-Batter for His Incredible Effort

Chasing 260 to win, India lost their stellar top-three Rohit Sharma (17), Shikhar Dhawan (1) and Virat Kohli (17) with just 38 runs on the board. And to make matters worse, Suryakumar Yadav too departed after scoring 16 runs. It was then that Pant and Pandya decided to hang around and continue India's fight. The duo soaked in all the pressure, mixed caution with aggression and kept the scoreboard ticking along for India. It was Pandya, who was the aggressor at the first with the all-rounder making an impactful 71 off 54 deliveries, once again proving his worth to the national team when fully fit. After Pandya's innings was brought to an end, Pant (125*) decided to accelerate and finish off the match in a pretty quick time.

Earlier, it was Pandya, who came up with a short-balling masterclass to rattle the English batters and end up with figures of 4/24. England, much like that they have done this series, failed to bat for the whole of 50 overs after losing the toss and subsequently, some early wickets. Mohammed Siraj made life difficult for England early on as he got rid of Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root. When all other wickets continued falling, skipper Jos Buttler held one end strong with a patient 80-ball 60, that arrested England's collapse at one point in time. Eventually, the hosts were bowled out for 259 in 45.5 overs. Virat Kohli 71st Century Funny Memes and Jokes Goes Viral After Indian Batsman Gets Out for 17 Runs in IND vs ENG 3rd ODI 2022

Here are some stat highlights of the match: 

#This is India's first ODI series win in England after eight years.

#Rohit Sharma is the first Indian captain to win ODI & T20 series in England.

#It was also his seventh consecutive series win.

#Rishabh Pant scored his maiden ODI hundred.

#Rishabh Pant joined KL Rahul and Rahul Dravid as the Indian wicketkeepers to score ODI centuries outside Asia.

#Pant's 125* is also the highest score by an Indian wicketkeeper in away ODIs.

#Hardik Pandya scored his 8th ODI fifty.

#He also became the fourth Indian to take four wickets and score a half-century in one ODI

#Pandya became the first one to do it in ODI and T20Is. He also is the first to achieve this feat in overseas conditions.

#Pandya's 4/24 is his best figures in ODIs.

#Moeen Ali became the 29th England batsman to score 2000+ runs in ODI cricket.

#Jos Buttler scored his 22nd ODI fifty.

India would head to the Caribbean when they would take on West Indies in three ODIs and five T20Is. England meanwhile would get ready to face South Africa at home, two days later.

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2022 11:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).