India vs England: Fast bowler Shardul Thakur picked up 4/67 from his 10 overs but the Player of the Match award went to Sam Curran for his 95 not out off 83 balls.
India pulled out a seven-run win against England in the final ODI to clinch the series 2-1 on Sunday. The contest turned out to be a nail-biting affair as the result was delivered off the last ball. Indian pacers Shardul Thakur and Bhuvneshwar Kumar were the top wicket-takers, returning figures of 4/67 and 3/42 respectively.
Despite such strong performances, neither received any award which left India captain Virat Kohli surprised. While speaking at the post-match press conference, the India skipper admitted that he was surmised that Thakur was not adjudged Player of the Match, while Bhuvneshwar missed out on the Man-of-the-Series honours.
“I mean I'm surprised that he wasn't the Man of the Match. Four wickets and scoring 30 runs and Bhuvi another contender for Man of the Series. These guys were the difference in middle overs and powerplay. A lot of credit to them for bowling so well in adverse conditions,” Kohli said.
Sam Curran was handed the Man-of-the-Match Award for his heroic 83-ball 95 not while opener Jonny Bairstow got the Man-of-the-Series award for his tally of 218 runs in the three games, including a hundred to top the run-scorers' chart.
India dropped at least four catches, including that of Curran, at crucial junctures, to pile the pressure but Kohli sought to play it down.
“It's most disappointing for the guy who drops the catch, but as much as you get disappointed, catches get put down and sometimes they cost you. That is a part of the game. There's no lack of intent, and our body language was outstanding. Eventually, we got over the line,” he said.
Asked about spending two months inside a bio-secure bubble during this England tour, Kohli said: “Scheduling needs to be looked at in future, since playing in bubbles will be difficult, and everyone can't have the same mental capacity all the time. But I'm looking forward to the IPL for now.”