England staged a remarkable comeback to defeat India by four wickets in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff (IND vs ENG). Chasing India’s target of 234, England got off to a disastrous start, as they lost Ben Duckett (0) in the very first over off Jasprit Bumrah. Jacob Bethell (4) also fell to Prasidh Krishna soon after.
At a crucial juncture, England’s most reliable batsman, Joe Root, took charge. Root held one end firmly and played a match-winning unbeaten 99 off 133 balls, including nine fours. Although he fell just one run short of his century, his knock paved the way for the hosts’ victory.
In the middle order, Root was well supported by captain Harry Brook (16), Sam Curran (26), and Will Jacks (30), who batted sensibly and made small but significant contributions. Finally, Gus Atkinson’s explosive 23* off 16 balls took England to a winning total of 235 for 6 in 44.1 overs.
For India, Gurnoor Brar took two wickets, while Bumrah, Krishna, Axar Patel, and Shivam Dube each took one wicket apiece. With this impressive victory, England leveled the three-match ODI series 1-1, making the final match of the series extremely exciting and decisive.
Collapse of Indian batting and lethal bowling of England
Despite half-century innings from Virat Kohli (65) and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer (66), the Indian team was all out for 233 runs in 44 overs. While Kohli was free-flowing, Rohit Sharma (26) was seen struggling. The Indian middle order was badly hampered by the lethal spell of Jofra Archer (3/47). Apart from this, Atkinson took 3/50 while Saqib Mahmood finished with 2/52.
Brief scores:
England 235 for 6 (Root 99*, Gurnoor 2-67) beat India 233 (Iyer 66, Kohli 65, Archer 3-47) by four wickets
Player of the Match: Joe Root
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