IND vs ENG: Indian bowlers had an unforgettable outing in the Lord’s Cricket Ground as they were thrashed all around the park by the English batters.
Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell began the proceedings for the hosts, as the duo stitched together a 192-run partnership between the two.
Duckett led the charge with a magnificent 141 off 135 balls, surpassing Sir Viv Richards’ 51-year-old record (138 in 1975) for the highest individual men’s ODI score at Lord’s. On the other hand, Bethell played a brilliant supporting role with 91, falling just short of a deserved century. Just when it looked like India was crawling back in the game, former England captain Joe Root stepped in and steered the ship, finishing on an unbeaten 74 from just 48 deliveries.
The icing on the cake was, however, provided by Jos Buttler, who provided a stunning late flourish with an explosive 41 off 13 balls, including four fours and three sixes. India’s bowlers struggled throughout in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. Debutant Gurnoor Brar endured a difficult outing, conceding 97 runs in his 10 overs to register the most expensive bowling figures ever recorded in an ODI at Lord’s, while Prasidh Krishna claimed two wickets and Prince Yadav dismissed Duckett.
Gurnoor Brar’s Unforgettable Lords Debut
Emerging Indian pacer Gurnoor Brar, who played his first match in Lords for India, had a day to forget. The fast bowler leaked a staggering 97 runs from his quota of 10 overs. Shubman Gill, the captain of India’s ODI and Test teams, allowed Gurnoor Brar to use his full bowling quota, trusting on wicket taking abilitiy. The output was completely different, something the bowler himself would want to forget as soon as possible.
The spell now ranks as the third-most expensive by an Indian bowler in ODI history and is the costliest wicketless spell by an Indian in the format.
The record for the most runs conceded by an Indian bowler in an ODI remains with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who returned figures of 1/106 against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2015. Vinay Kumar occupies second place after conceding 1/102 against Australia in Bengaluru in 2013.
While both Bhuvneshwar and Vinay managed to claim a wicket despite their expensive spells, Brar went wicketless, making his figures of 0/97 the most expensive ODI spell by an Indian bowler without taking a wicket.
Most Expensive Bowling Figures by an Indian in ODIs:
- 1/106 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs South Africa, Mumbai (2015)
- 1/102 – Vinay Kumar vs Australia, Bengaluru (2013)
- 0/97 – Gurnoor Brar vs England, Lord’s (2026)
How Did Netizens React To India’s Performance?
Netizens lambasted the men in blue as they leaked away a staggering 388 in the first innings. Even former Indian team player Dinesh Karthik termed the performance as the worst phase of Indian cricket: