Joe Root was the star of the show for England as the side defeated India in the second ODI of the ongoing three-game series. Letting India bat first, England conceded a total of 233 runs in the first innings, and it was Rootโs 99*-run knock that helped the hosts win the game.ย
The target for England was set at 234 runs, and Root joined the ground in the first over, following Ben Duckettโs dismissal by Jasprit Bumrah on the first ball. The batter then continued to play until the last over and ended the game with an unbeaten knock of 99 runs.ย
However, his missing the century did not seem to have any effect on the veteran batter, as he claimed that he had told Gus Atkinson to go for the win and not worry about his ton.
“I told him to just get it done. If they want to set fields like that and give us a chance to win the game, then let’s take it. It’s all about winning, and there’s no better feeling in cricket than being there at the end; you chase something down,” Root said after the game.ย
“It would’ve felt a lot worse if we’d lost. That’s why you play to win. And for us to have that carrot ahead of us, winning at Lord’s and the chance to beat the number one team in the world is really exciting. I’m delighted that we found a way of doing it ugly and doing it in a way that probably doesn’t suit a lot of the other guys and what they’re used to doing and how they’re used to playing,โ he added.
Root achieved a unique feat with his knock
With 12 runs required from the final eight overs, Root was at 97. Following his single at the beginning of the 43rd over, which was also Bumrah’s final over, Atkinson played nearly every ball of the 43rd and 44th overs, taking a single off the last ball.
At the start of the 45th over, Root was at the non-striker’s end, and England needed four runs for their win. Prasidh Krishna started the over with a wide ball, and just before the second ball of the over, Root came down to have a word with Atkinson. With three more needed for the win, Atkinson faced the ball, swung the bat, and hitย a four, finishing the game with 35 balls to spare. Finishing his knock at 99*, Root became the first-ever Englishman to be stranded on 99 in ODI cricket.
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