Gill ton helps India sweep England in ODI series

Top-order batter Shubman Gill kept up his good form with a sparkling century to help India hammer England by 142 runs and sweep the ODI series 3-0 on Wednesday.

Gill’s 112 off 102 balls steered India to 356 after being sent in to bat first at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

England started strongly in their reply but once left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh removed the openers, wickets then tumbled at regular intervals and the tourists were all out for 214 in 34.2 overs.

India’s domination in the white-ball series, which started with a 4-1 win in the T20 matches, comes ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.

Gill reigned supreme with 259 runs in three matches as he capped off the series with his 7th ODI ton after scores of 87 and 60 in the first two matches.

Gill put on 116 runs for the second wicket with Virat Kohli, who hit 52, laying the foundation for the total.

Shreyas Iyer also hit a 64-ball 78 as England’s bowlers struggled, apart from leg-spinner Adil Rashid’s impressive 4-64.

Skipper Rohit Sharma departed for one, caught behind off Mark Wood in a disappointing outing after his 119 in the previous match.

However, Gill, who reclaimed the opening spot from Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Kohli steadied the ship.

Kohli reached a run-a-ball fifty to get back among the runs after an inconsistent Test series in Australia and raised the decibel level at a half-filled 132,000 capacity stadium.

Rashid got Kohli with a delivery that pitched in the middle and spun sharply to take the bat’s edge and was caught by wicketkeeper Phil Salt.

Gill, who hit 14 fours and three sixes, kept up the pace and put on 104 with Iyer before he was bowled off a googly by Rashid.

Iyer reached his second half-century of the series but also fell to Rashid, who struck again when he bowled Hardik Pandya after being hit for two straight sixes.

The England openers smashed 60 in 38 balls with the left-handed Ben Duckett, who hit 34, taking a liking to Arshdeep, hitting him for four straight boundaries.

Arshdeep hit back to dismiss Duckett and then Salt, for 23, in successive overs before Tom Banton and Joe Root put up some resistance in a stand of 46.

However, Kuldeep Yadav got Banton caught behind for 38 and fellow spinner Axar Patel bowled Root for 24, as the England batting fell apart.

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