IND Vs ENG 3rd ODI: So Close, Yet So Far For Sam Curran Who Almost Won It For England

India won the 3rd ODI and also the series, but Sam Curran made it extremely difficult for the Indian team.

Image Source: AFP

The 22-year old Curran almost won the match for England. He came to bat at number eight and scored 95 runs which in itself is a big achievement. The visitors required 14 of the last over, but at one point the visitors required 130 to win with just three wicket in hand. Moeen Ali got out when England’s score was 200-6.

The English fans would have shut the TV once Moeen Ali got out after a well-made 29. But, Sam Curran had different plans. It was a perfect series ender for England. No one would have expected England to come back the way they did. Towards the end of the Innings, Sam Curran refused a lot of singles when Mark Wood was the non-striker, just like how MS Dhoni would do back in the day. Curran got a life-line when Hardik Pandya dropped him. Curran made the most of that dropped catch.

Coming in to bat at number 8, Sam Curran was extraordinary with his batting. First a little partnership with Moeen Ali and then with Rashid paved the way for almost a famous England win. But so close, yet so far for the England side. If the English would have added some runs at the top of the order, then it would have been a different story for the visitors.

Nonetheless, this match marked the end of a competitive series that ended with a win for India. India managed a hat-trick of series wins in Tests, T20Is and now in the ODIs as well. But to go down in the fashion that they did, it shows that the England team have a mindset of a champion team. Even after India won the match, Sam Curran was the real hero who almost won it for England.