England defeated India by four wickets in the second ODI at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. With the win, the series is now locked level, with the decider set to be played on July 19 at the iconic Lordโs. If reports are to be believed, it could be Rohit Sharmaโs last dance in international cricket as the selectors are likely to move on from the veteran.
It comes after another poor batting show by the Mumbai cricketer. He took plenty of time to settle down, but ended up scoring only 26 runs off 47 balls. Captain Shubman Gill looked in good form, but he failed to make it count, departing for 26. Star batter Virat Kohli then took over the business and registered yet another half-century. He kept the scoreboard ticking, despite losing Gill and Ishan Kishan in quick succession and allowed pressure off Shreyas Iyer.
After Kohli departed for 65, Shreyas looked in decent touch. However, there was little to no support for the cricketer in the middle. The middle order batters failed to get going, as Washington Sundar made two, Axar Patel one and Shivam Dube registered a golden duck. Thus, from 178/3, India were suddenly 210/8 and that shaped the fate of the game.ย
Iyer eventually completed his half-century, adding 66 runs as India were bundled for 233 runs in the first innings. For England, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson claimed three wickets each, while Saqib Mahmood picked two. India, in the meantime, definitely missed the service of KL Rahul, who provides much-needed stability in the middle order and that was missing tonight.ย
Joe Root proved too hot to handle
In the second innings, India picked up two quick wickets of Ben Duckett and Jacob Bethell through Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna, but they failed to keep at it. Once Joe Root settled, he dictated the play, registering his fifth consecutive 50+ score in ODIs. He ended up scoring unbeaten 99 runs, as England won the match with 35 balls to spare. He stitched important partnerships with Will Jacks and Sam Curran and that was enough at the end of the day.ย
India need to produce a much better batting show in the final ODI to seal the series. The middle order lacks character as Washington and Axar as number six and seven may not be ideal options, despite both playing vital role in helping India win the opening match of the series.ย
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