Ind vs Eng 2nd ODI: Vintage Rohit, wily Jadeja hand India series-victory at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium

Riding on captain Rohit Sharma’s blistering century, India swatted away England by four wickets in the second ODI at the historic Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.

With the convincing victory, the Men in Blue took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-match ODI series. India hammered England by 4 wickets in 44.3 overs, while chasing 305 runs. The win was manufactured by India captain Rohit Sharma, who roared back to form with a sensational hundred ahead of the Champions Trophy.

Rohit’s whirlwind ton of 119 runs off 90 balls with 12 fours and seven sixes, had the Cuttack crowd on their feet, who had poured in numbers to watch the first ODI match at the venue. Chants of ‘Rohit, Rohit’ reverberated in the stands.

Rohit was ably supported by his deputy Shubman Gill (60, 52b, 9x4, 1x6) and in-form Shreyas Iyer (44, 47b, 3x4, 1x6). Spin all-rounder Axar Patel also played an effective knock (41 no, 43b, 4x4). 

Rohit and Gill stitched together an opening partnership of 136 to build a strong foundation and help India register the convincing win. Though India lost a flurry of wickets during the end part of the chase, unbeaten Axar and Ravindra Jadeja (11 no) ensured no further damage and sealed India’s victory in 44.3 overs.

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Earlier, opting to bat first, the visitors were bundled out for 304 in 49.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja continued his stranglehold over English batters with brilliant figures of 3 for 35 as India bowled out the visitors for a sub-par score on a pitch that was conducive for batting.

At 200/3 in 35 overs, England seemed on course for a 330-plus total, but Jadeja’s disciplined bowling stifled their momentum, denying them the extra 15-20 runs.

Jadeja’s crucial breakthroughs came against the run of play as he dismissed an aggressive Ben Duckett (65 off 56 balls) and a well-set Joe Root (69 off 72 balls), preventing England from building on their strong start.

England would have struggled to reach 300 if not for Liam Livingstone’s brisk 41 off 32 balls (2x4, 2x6) and Adil Rashid’s explosive five-ball 14, which included three consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Shami.

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