England was 80/2 after 8.4 overs in the third ODI after getting off to a strong start. In the middle, Tom Banton and Joe Root were forming a strong partnership and had already exchanged 46 runs for the third wicket. Ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav did the honours for India, who desperately needed a breakthrough.
In the 18th over of the innings, Kuldeep arrived to bowl. Kuldeep removed the ball’s pace on the final ball of the over and let the delivery float in midair. Banton was forced to extend forward in defence as the ball pitched a short fuller. When he did, it took a slight edge, and KL Rahul was able to catch the ball despite his initial blunder. The England hitter left the visitors on 126/3 after walking back with 38 off 41, but his attempt at a review was unsuccessful.
Check the post of Tom Banton’s dismissal:
Tom Banton goes for 38 in 41 balls. pic.twitter.com/9rtTtdQ895
— Aashutosh Goswami (@imAashutoshh) February 12, 2025
We wish to spare children from the strain: Rohit Sharma
It was anticipated that India would make some changes to their starting lineup before the match, and it was confirmed when Rohit Sharma joined Jos Buttler at the toss. Kuldeep replaced Varun Chakaravarthy, who had been rested throughout the second ODI. After Washington Sundar joined the game and played his first ODI of the series, Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami were rested.
In the previous two games, we bowled first, so I wanted to bat first and score runs. Getting a win in the final game was crucial. In the last two games, the fielders showed themselves well; they are quite young. Our goal is to maintain our success in the field.
(On Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana) Since they are still in the early stages of their careers, we want to relieve them of some of the pressure and let them do what they do best. They have a lot of potential. Jadeja and Shami have been rested, and Varun has a sore calf, so we’ve made some adjustments. Thus, Arshdeep, Kuldeep, and Washi enter the side,” Rohit stated during the toss.