IND vs ENG: Rohit Sharma Creates History, Becomes Asian Batter With Most ODI Centuries in SENA Countries

Rohit Sharma, who faced a lot of flak for a string of poor scores, announced his comeback in white-ball cricket in style. The Hitman brought his 15th century brought by an Asian player in the SENA countries (South Africa, England, New Zealand & Australia). Rohit slammed a brilliant century at the Lord's Cricket Ground.

Interestingly, in the 15th century, Sharma became the first batter in the Indian ODI to score a century at Lord's, surpassing the score set by Sourav Ganguly (vs England in 2004). Incidentally, Rohit is also the oldest player to score an ODI century at Lord's and the oldest Indian to score an international century at the venue in any format.

• 15 - 𝗥𝗼𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮*
• 10 - Virat Kohli
• 10 - Sanath Jayasuriya
• 10 - K Sangakkara
• 9 - Sachin Tendulkar
• 8 - Sourav Ganguly
• 8 - Shikhar Dhawan

Rohit Sharma Rises Above The Occasion

Rohit Sharma walked into the third ODI at Lord's with intense speculation surrounding his international future. Reports have suggested that the ongoing England series could mark the veteran opener's final assignment in Indian colours, with the selectors believed to be preparing for a generational transition.

According to The Indian Express, the BCCI's senior selection committee has decided to move in a new direction after the conclusion of the tour. The report further stated that the selection panel held discussions with both Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir regarding the team's long-term plans.

With the 2027 ODI World Cup in mind, the management is reportedly keen to build a younger squad, with Yashasvi Jaiswal emerging as the frontrunner to partner Shubman Gill at the top of the order. While no official announcement has been made, the reports have fuelled widespread debate over whether the Lord's ODI could be Rohit's final appearance for India in international cricket.

Bethell/Duckett Make A Mockery Of Indian Bowling!

Ben Duckett made a mockery of an inexperienced Indian bowling lineup that did not have India's talismanic bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah's absence due to an impact injury on his knee.

India's pace attack struggled to make an impact at Lord's, with Prasidh Krishna (2/69), Arshdeep Singh (0/72), Prince Yadav (1/79) and debutant Gurnoor Brar (0/97) finding little success against England's dominant top order. Despite sharing 51 ODI appearances between them, the quartet failed to consistently trouble the hosts on a batting-friendly surface.

Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell executed their game plan to perfection. After a relatively steady start that yielded 58 runs in the opening Powerplay, the pair shifted gears between overs 11 and 30, taking complete control of the innings and piling pressure on the Indian attack.

India also appeared to miss the presence of a specialist second spinner alongside Axar Patel, who returned figures of 0/61 from his 10 overs. Kuldeep Yadav's limited opportunities under head coach Gautam Gambhir have often sparked debate, and the lack of another frontline spin option was evident as England's batters dictated terms throughout the innings.