While Rohit Sharma and the widespread speculation surrounding his retirement dominated public discourse in the lead-up to the third ODI at Lord's, it was England, ranked seventh in the ICC ODI rankings, who stole the show by beating the top-ranked India and clinching the series.

"I thought we fought hard and communicated really well, just as we did throughout the T20Is. To come away with a series win against the world No. 1 team is a fantastic achievement," said England captain Harry Brook after the game.

England's imposing 387 first-innings total was built on a 192-run opening partnership between Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett. Brook hailed his openers saying, "We spoke a lot about the template we wanted to play with. The way Beth (Bethell) and Ducky (Duckett) started the innings was phenomenal.

"To be none down after 20 or 30 overs, without looking like taking many risks, was an outstanding partnership. Then Rooty (Joe Root) did what Rooty does, and the way Jos (Buttler) finished the innings was awesome to watch. It was a very, very good all-round batting performance," he said.

India's spirited chase was led by Rohit Sharma's swashbuckling ton but the innings lost steam with Bethell and Sam Curran delivering tight spells in tandem. "I actually came off for an over and had a chat with Baz (McCullum). It comes back to communication, to be honest. It's been outstanding throughout this series and the T20Is. We decided to stick with Jacob (Bethell), and he ended up bowling seven or eight overs straight through. That turned out to be a really vital part of the game. I thought everyone stuck to the plan really well. We fought, we scrapped as hard as we could. It was tough at times, but we got the job done," said Brook.

Joe Root, who bagged the Player of the Series award for scores of 99*, 76* and 74*, believed the series represented another step in England's development. "I think when you've got an opportunity to beat the number one team in the world and bounce back from that first game in the manner that we have, that's the most rewarding thing.

"For us to build off the back of Sri Lanka with a brilliant series win there, to now win this series, it shows that progression. It shows that we're going in the right direction and trending in a really positive way with the World Cup further down the line. So, lots of good signs. Nice to contribute, but ultimately it's just great to see the guys developing, learning and, as a team, gradually getting better," he added.

Reflecting on the loss, India captain Shubman Gill felt that costly overs at the death ultimately proved detrimental. "I think we were right in the game up until the 40th over. We gave too many runs in the last three overs, around 60 runs, I think. That's where the game went a little bit too far ahead for us to pull back," he said.

India's bowlers were also wayward during the Powerplay, allowing both Bethell and Duckett to settle in on a surface that offered variable bounce off a length. "In this match particularly, we didn't bowl well, especially after the Powerplay. I think they bowled too many off-side deliveries in the Powerplay. And then the way both the openers capitalised after the powerplay was just tremendous. We never really gave ourselves a chance to come back into the game. And then in the death overs, I think they got, like I said, too far ahead from us. But many positives for us in the series, almost everyone getting runs and taking wickets," Gill reflected.

Gill ended by acknowledging Rohit's contribution saying, "I mean, they (Kohli and Rohit) have done really well over the years in different parts of the world. And very, very pleased with how, Rohit Bhai batted today, especially getting 140. And I think the wicket got a little bit slow in the end. It wasn't easy to hit those runs. But I think the way he batted was really a treat to watch."