Ben Duckett Smashes Century At Lord's, Becomes First Batter To Score Hundred In India Vs England ODI Series 2026

London, July 19: England opener Ben Duckett brought up a brilliant century in the third and final ODI against India at Lord's, becoming the first batter to score a hundred in the 2026 India vs England ODI series. The left-hander reached the milestone off 108 balls and put England in complete control of the series decider.

Duckett looked comfortable from the start and punished the Indian bowlers all around the ground. He mixed elegant drives with powerful strokes, finding the boundary regularly as India's attack struggled to stop the flow of runs. At the time of his century, Duckett had smashed 15 fours and guided England past the 220-run mark with plenty of overs still remaining.

India's bowlers looked ordinary throughout the innings, failing to build pressure or create regular wicket-taking chances. Without injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, the visitors lacked the cutting edge needed on a batting-friendly Lord's pitch. England's batters played with confidence, scoring freely against both the seamers and spinners.

Before Duckett's knock, no batter had managed to reach three figures in the series. The closest came in the second ODI when Joe Root remained unbeaten on 99 in Cardiff after England chased down the target before he could complete his century.

For India, captain Shubman Gill's unbeaten 80 in the opening ODI had been the highest individual score, while Shreyas Iyer (66) and Virat Kohli (65) also made useful contributions in the series.

Duckett's century ensured that the series finally witnessed its first individual hundred and it came in the biggest match of the contest. His commanding innings put England in a strong position as they looked to clinch the three-match ODI series at Lord's.