Pant, Pandya script stunning win for India against England

Rishabh Pant's magnificent hundred and Hardik Pandya's all-round brilliance (4-24 and 71 off 55 balls) played big roles in India's stunning five-wicket win over England in the deciding one-day international at Old Trafford, Manchester, on Sunday.

Chasing 260, India were in big trouble at 72 for four in the 17th over, but Pandya joined Pant (125 not out off 113 balls) and the two batters played superbly to put India in the hunt for a memorable win.

Pandya fell in the 36th over after adding 133 runs for the fifth wicket with Pant.

But the wicketkeper-batsman kept his calm and guided India home for a series-clinching victory with the help of Ravindra Jadeja (7 not out off 15 balls).

Pandya, 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.

England were now 12-2 off two overs.

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.

Stokes had advanced down the pitch several times during his 27 but Hardik out-thought him with a bouncer that cramped the left-handed batsman for room and led to a simple return catch, with England now 74-4 in the 14th over.

The fiery Siraj then twice hit Buttler on the helmet.

Buttler, however, recovered to hit two hit huge sixes off Chahal during a 65-ball fifty also including three fours.

It was a morale-boosting innings for Buttler following scores of nought, four, 18, 30 and four since he succeeded Morgan.

Hardik , however, struck twice in an over to remove the big-hitting Livingstone and Buttler.

Livingstone, two balls after pulling Hardik for six, tried to repeat the shot only to find Jadeja on the rope at deep square leg.

Jadeja, India’s best fielder, took an even better catch three balls later to get rid of Buttler after running round from deep square to midwicket.