England openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell etched their names into the record books with a sensational opening stand against India in the third ODI at Lord’s. After winning the toss and opting to bat first, England’s decision paid rich dividends as the duo stitched together a 192-run partnership, the highest opening stand for England against India in ODI history.
Highest Opening Partnerships for England vs India in ODIs
- 192 – Ben Duckett & Jacob Bethell, Lord’s (2026)
- 160 – Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow, Edgbaston (2019)
- 158 – Alastair Cook & Ian Bell, Rajkot (2013)
- 135 – Jason Roy & Jonny Bairstow, Pune (2021)
The stand also became the highest opening partnership ever recorded at Lord’s in ODI cricket and the fourth-highest partnership for any wicket at the iconic venue.
Highest Partnerships for Any Wicket at Lord’s in ODIs
- 226 – Andrew Strauss & Andrew Flintoff vs West Indies (4th wicket, 2004)
- 213 – Graeme Hick & Neil Fairbrother vs West Indies (3rd wicket, 1991)
- 202 – Graham Gooch & David Gower vs Australia (2nd wicket, 1985)
- 192 – Ben Duckett & Jacob Bethell vs India (1st wicket, 2026)
India finally found a breakthrough in the 32nd over when Prasidh Krishna dismissed Bethell for a superb 91 off 93 balls. Looking set for a maiden ODI century, the left-hander attempted to whip a short ball over the leg side but found Rohit Sharma stationed at deep square leg. Bethell’s sparkling knock featured 11 fours and two sixes, while Prasidh celebrated only modestly, aware of the damage the opening pair had already inflicted on the Indian bowling attack.
Playing XIs for India vs England at Lord’s
India: Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill (c), Virat Kohli, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Gurnoor Brar, Prince Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna.England: Ben Duckett, Jacob Bethell, Joe Root, Harry Brook (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Gus Atkinson, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Josh Tongue.
