Rishabh Pant maiden ODI 100, guides India to win the match and series by 2-1, against ENG

 At 72 for four in a chase of 260, India was in trouble. However, the top team of Pant (125 not out off 113 balls) and Hardik (71 off 55 and 4/24) engaged in a competition to outdo one another, and the visitors succeeded with 47 balls remaining.

Sunday, July 17, 2022, at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester, England, during the third one-day international cricket match between England and India, India's Rishabh Pant celebrates after achieving a century.(PC:Indian Express)

In Sunday's series-deciding game between India and England, Rishabh Pant hit his first ODI century. The left-hander scored five consecutive fours in the 42nd over of the game, which was bowled by David Willey, and added another four to end the contest. India ultimately prevailed by 5 wickets to win the game and the series 2-1.

The pair of Pant (125 not out off 113 balls) and Hardik (71 off 55) engaged in a bout of one-upmanship as the tourists finished the assignment with 47 balls to spare while India were in a bind at 72/4 in a pursuit of 260.

At Old Trafford, Pant and Hardik Pandya combined to hit 16 fours and two sixes.

As a disciplined India bowled out England for 259 with little than four overs remaining in the innings, Hardik earlier claimed a career-best 4/24.

Jos Buttler, the captain of England, hit the most runs with an 80-ball 60, but Pandya was the bowler that controlled the first half of the game.

Reece Topley, a lanky seamer, once more showed to be the master of destruction by quickly dismissing the trio of Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, and Virat Kohli.

While Rohit (17) reached out to a delivery that was angling away and nicking it to Joe Root at first slip, Dhawan's gloomy series performance continued.

After Topley bowled a ball that angled across, Kohli edged one to Buttler.

Kohli first appeared to be playing well, as has been the case with him frequently recently, but one minor error and the maestro was coming back shaking his head.

India defeats England at Old Trafford with ease thanks to Hardik Pandya's onslaught. Photograph(PC:The Guradian)

Early on in the second innings, there had been reason for optimism for England. The visitors were experiencing flashbacks to their 100-run loss at Lord's last Thursday when Reece Topley continued his recent trend of taking six wickets by eliminating India's top three batsmen with the new ball.

Pant and Hardik Pandya, though, brutalised Buttler's attack in a 133-run stand to help England win the series 2-1 in both the Twenty20s and the ODIs after they were reduced to 72 for four in the 17th over after Craig Overton had nicked off Suryakumar Yadav with some extra bounce. It was missed when Adil Rashid returned to face South Africa on Tuesday.

Pandya was out with 55 runs needed for a 55-ball 71 after earlier taking four wickets in seven overs of right-arm spite. However, Pant was unfazed and completed the task with a flourish after squeezing 15 fours and two sixes in total. His first century in 27 ODIs was a classic performance, and it boded well for more.

However, despite the fact that Pandya crackled all day and Pant batted like a left-handed Asterix after taking a magic potion, they did present opportunities. When the latter was on six, he blasted a four over Overton's head after the Somerset player misread its direction, while Buttler missed a stumping when the former was on 18. Give good players a second opportunity, and they'll hurt you, as Buttler later said. If you take those, we win the game.

Arshdeep singh and ICT with the trophy(PC:TOI)

Pandya had won this ego-driven contest; Buttler subsequently conceded, "It was just terrible batting." From 199 for 7 in the 37th over, England needed David Willey (18) and Overton to make things interesting (32). However, the innings was cut short by 25 balls when Chahal was reintroduced. Topley also read a googly as if it were written in Esperanto.

Shikhar Dhawan sliced to backward point, Rohit Sharma poked to slip on 17, and Virat Kohli extended his streak of international innings without a century to 79 when he dabbed at a delivery that slanted over. At least Topley got the new ball to speak his language.

Overall, though, England was unable to match Pandya's incisiveness with the ball and was unable to stop Pant from scoring a suitably stunning innings.