Pant ton sees India to ODI series win over England

Rishabh Pant’s maiden one-day international century guided India to a five-wicket win over England at Old Trafford on Sunday to give the tourists a 2-1 series success against the 50-over world champions.

Pant made 125 not out, winning the game with a reverse-swept four off Joe Root as India finished on 261-5 after chasing down a target of 260 with 7.5 overs to spare.

Victory meant India had become just the third side to win an ODI series away to England since 2015, having already claimed the preceding Twenty20 series 2-1. 

The 24-year-old Pant received excellent support in a partnership of 133 in 19 overs with all-rounder Hardik Pandya after India had been faltering at 72-4.

- ‘Aspire to play like this’ -

Hardik made 71 after taking career-best figures of 4-24 in England’s 259 all out built on captain Jos Buttler’s 60 on his Lancashire home ground.

“Hopefully I will remember this for the rest of my life,” said Pant at the presentation ceremony.

“You always aspire to play like this when your team is in trouble.”

India captain Rohit Sharma was buoyed by the form of his side ahead of October’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

“We came here and wanted to achieve something as a group in white-ball cricket and I thought that we achieved a fair bit,” he said.

“We want to create bench strength as injuries are bound to happen,” added Rohit.

Both Hardik and Pant benefitted from England errors early in their respective innings.

Pant was reprieved on 18 when opposing wicketkeeper Buttler missed a routine stumping chance off spinner Moeen Ali.

“If you give good players a chance they will hurt you and had we taken those chances we had a good hold with a long tail,” said Buttler. 

And Hardik had made just six when he pulled Brydon Carse over the head of Craig Overton at fine leg after the fielder had carelessly walked in from the boundary edge.