England openers Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell etched their names in the record books with a sensational opening stand against India in the third ODI at Lord’s. After winning the toss and electing to bat first, England’s decision paid huge dividends as the duo put 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 and Jacob Bethell, Lord (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 and Andrew Flintoff v West Indies (4th wicket, 2004)
- 213 – Graeme Hick and Neil Fairbrother v West Indies (3rd wicket, 1991)
- 202 – Graham Gooch & David Gower v Australia (2nd wicket, 1985)
- 192 – Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell v India (1st wicket, 2026)
India finally found a breakthrough in the 32nd over when Prasidh Krishna dismissed Bethell for a brilliant 91 off 93 balls. Looking for a maiden ODI century, the left-hander tried to whip a short ball down the leg side but found Rohit Sharma fielded at deep square leg. Bethell’s scintillating knock contained 11 fours and two sixes, while Prasidh celebrated only modestly, aware of the damage the opening pair had done to India’s bowling attack.
Playing XIs for India against 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.