India dismiss England for 259 in 3rd ODI

Ag AFP

MANCHESTER: Hardik Pandya took a career-best 4-24 as India dismissed England for 259 in the deciding one-day international at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The pace-bowling all-rounder helped India compensate for the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, due to back spasms, from the finale of a three-match series all square at 1-1.

England captain Jos Buttler top-scored with 60 on his Lancashire home ground -- his highest innings since he succeeded the now retired Eoin Morgan as white-ball skipper. He shared stands of 75 and 49 with Moeen Ali and Liam Livingstone respectively, but just when it seemed 50-over world champions England were about to cut loose, India pegged them back.

There were 25 balls of the innings remaining when No. 11 Reece Topley was bowled by leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (3-6) -- the only one of the 10 wickets England lost that didn’t fall to a catch.

England started brightly after India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss.

Jason Roy struck three fours in the first over of the day, from Mohammed Shami, off-driving the opening ball for a boundary before clipping the third and fourth deliveries through the legside.

But it was a different story at the other end as Mohammed Siraj, recalled in place of the injured Bumrah in the only change by either side following England’s series-levelling 100-run win at Lord’s, started with a double-wicket maiden. Jonny Bairstow fell for a three-ball duck, caught at mid-off from a leading edge as he tried to work the ball legside.

Yorkshire team-mate Joe Root, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, also exited for a three-ball nought, squared up by a full-length delivery he edged to Rohit at second slip.

Roy and new batsman Ben Stokes, England’s red-ball captain, repaired some of the damage with an attractive stand of 54 in eight overs.

But both men were dismissed by Hardik.

Roy, who has been struggling for runs this season, appeared to be getting into top gear when on 41, having hit seven fours, he could not decide whether to pull or flick the ball off his hip and skyed a simple catch to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.