Kohli's vulnerability to spin continues and other takeaways as England crush India in deciding ODI

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  • Kohli fell to spin for the third time in the series.

    England thumped India by eight wickets in the decider at Headingley on Tuesday to capture the three-match ODI series 2-1.

    Eoin Morgan’s men simply outclassed the visitors in all departments at Leeds as they made up for the disappointment of losing the T20 series.

    After restricting India to 256-8, the hosts ran out comfortable victors as they notched up the target in just shy of 45 overs.

    Here, we look at the key talking points from the deciding ODI.

    DHAWAN’S RUN-OUT WOES CONTINUE

    Shikhar Dhawan has not had the best of series with the left-handed opener struggling to convert his starts. On a day when India lost Rohit Sharma early after a cautious start, they really needed Dhawan to score big for once. It looked like the opener was going to rectify his mistakes as he sauntered to 44 with some confident strokeplay.

    However, disaster struck soon for Dhawan and India when Virat Kohli bunted the ball towards mid-wicket in the 18th over off Adil Rashid. Kohli took a step-forward to go for a quick-single but then immediately changed his mind and held up his hands.

    By then, Dhawan had already raced away to the middle of the pitch and by the time he could turn around and dash for safety, Ben Stokes picked up the ball in a jiffy and dislodged the stumps with a superb direct hit. It was the second time in the tour that Dhawan had been run-out in similar fashion after facing the same fate in Cardiff during the third and final T20 series match.

    KOHLI FALLS TO SPIN ONCE AGAIN

    For a player who is considered to be one of the best players of spin in the world currently if not the best, Kohli’s vulnerability to the slower bowlers in the series has been surprising to say the least.

    In the first ODI, he was well-set with a half-century before being completely outfoxed by a leg-spinner from Rashid. In the second 50-over contest at Lord’s, he failed to connect with an off-spinner from Moeen Ali and was trapped on the pads.

    On Monday, the India skipper was once again looking in supreme touch despite others around him faltering. The 29-year-old had raced away to a run-a-ball 71 and was looking good for his 36th ODI ton before Rashid produced a ripper of a leg-spinner to take out his off-stump. Queue a bewildered look, reminiscent to that of Mike Gatting all those years ago after Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’.

    India’s hopes of salvaging a big total all-but went after Kohli departed the crease.

    Kohli was looking in great touch before his dismissal.

    Kohli was looking in great touch before his dismissal.

    RASHID SHINES AS DHONI STRUGGLES ONCE AGAIN

    Before the start of the series, there looked like being only one winner in the battle between India’s batsmen and England’s spinners in Rashid and Moeen Ali. However, after three matches, it is the England spinners who have come out having the last laugh.

    The leg-spinner was in terrific form at Headingley as he accounted for three big dismissals that set India back big time. While his delivery to take out Kohli was one for the ages, he also had the beating of the well-set Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina.

    Meanwhile, MS Dhoni’s struggles to up the scoring-rate continued in Leeds with the India stalwart sluggishly getting to a 66-ball 42. After being booed for his low-scoring rate at Lord’s, the wicketkeeper-batsman once again looked like a shadow of his former self.

    Moeen and Rashid prospered while Dhoni struggled as they ran through their overs quickly with the veteran out in the middle. It was a smart plot by Morgan to bowl out his spinners with Dhoni unable to bring out the big hits but, more importantly, it was a damning indictment of the 37-year-old’s waning powers with the bat.

    Adil Rashid was terrific with the ball.

    Adil Rashid was terrific with the ball.

    ROOT AND MORGAN MAKE IT LOOK EASY

    In a modest chase of 257, Jonny Bairstow had already won half the battle for England after the opener slammed seven boundaries in his 13-ball cameo 30. From then on, the hosts cruised to the target as Joe Root and Morgan came together. The former continued from where he left off at Lord’s as he handled India’s wrist-spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav with consummate ease.

    The right-hander showed his class yet again as he brought up his second consecutive ton with the series-clinching shot while Morgan too, looked in supreme touch against the spinners as the Men in Blue were left bereft of any answers against the pair.

    The pair stitched together their ninth century partnership since the 2015 World Cup, the most by any double-act in the same period in world cricket, as they led England to the most comfortable of wins in a crunch deciding clash.

    Root and Morgan did not give a sniff to India's bowlers.

    Root and Morgan did not give a sniff to India’s bowlers.

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