Rohit Returns to Form as India Clinches ODI Series Against England
After a string of poor performances, Rohit Sharma finally found his rhythm, leading India to a series victory with a game to spare.
It was almost a repeat of the first match—England got off to a flying start but collapsed again, failing to post a competitive total. In yet another one-sided contest, India comfortably chased down the target and sealed the series 2-0.
A key highlight for India in this match was their captain Rohit Sharma regaining form ahead of the Champions Trophy. He put an end to his rough patch with a brilliant century, guiding India to a 4-wicket victory in the second ODI.
On Sunday in Cuttack, England looked well-set at 219/3 after 39 overs, thanks to fifties from Ben Duckett and Joe Root. However, they suffered a dramatic collapse, losing seven wickets for just 85 runs—including three run-outs—and were bowled out for 304 with one ball to spare. India comfortably chased down the target with 33 balls remaining.
With this win, India took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. England has now lost seven consecutive ODI series in India.
Several similarities to the first match stood out—Ravindra Jadeja once again delivered a stellar bowling performance, taking three wickets, and finished the match in style with a boundary. Axar Patel, batting at No. 5 again, played another impactful innings.
But the undisputed star of the match was Rohit Sharma. After 12 international innings without a fifty, he finally crossed the mark, smashing 119 off 90 balls with seven sixes and 12 fours to claim the Player of the Match award.
During India’s chase, Rohit set a record in the second over by smashing Gus Atkinson for a four and a six in consecutive balls. With this, he overtook Chris Gayle (331) to claim the second spot in the all-time list of most sixes in ODI cricket.
India was cruising at 48/0 in 6.1 overs when a floodlight failure briefly halted play. However, it didn’t disrupt their momentum as they raced to 77/0 in 10 overs without losing a wicket.
Rohit reached his fifty in just 30 balls, while vice-captain Shubman Gill scored his second consecutive half-century, reaching 50 off 45 balls. Their opening partnership of 136 runs ended when Gill departed after scoring 60 off 52 balls.
Virat Kohli, who missed the first match due to a knee injury, returned but failed to make an impact, scoring just five runs before edging a leg-spinner Adil Rashid delivery to the keeper.
Rohit carried on, bringing up his 32nd ODI century off just 76 balls while sharing a 70-run stand with Shreyas Iyer. However, his brilliant knock ended when Liam Livingstone dismissed him.
Shreyas (44 off 47) was run out, while KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya failed to capitalize on their starts. But Axar Patel, alongside Jadeja, guided India home. Axar remained unbeaten on 41 off 43 balls.
Earlier, England got off to a strong start after winning the toss and electing to bat. They raced to 75/0 in the first 10 overs.
Phil Salt was given a lifeline on 6 when Axar dropped a simple catch, but he couldn’t make it count, departing for 26 off 29 balls as debutant Varun Chakravarthy struck.
Varun, a mystery spinner who impressed in T20s, made his ODI debut at 33 years and 164 days—the second-oldest Indian to debut in ODIs after Farokh Engineer (36 years, 138 days).
Ben Duckett was in fine touch, racing to a 36-ball fifty. He scored 65 off 56 before becoming Jadeja’s first victim.
Joe Root built two fifty-plus partnerships—one with Harry Brook (31 off 52) and another with Jos Buttler (34 off 35). Root was well on his way to a century before Jadeja struck again, dismissing him for 69 off 72 balls.
England struggled to finish strong, but Liam Livingstone’s quickfire 41 off 42 balls, featuring two sixes and two fours, pushed them past 300. However, it wasn’t enough to challenge India.
With this defeat, England now faces the challenge of avoiding a whitewash in the final ODI in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
Match Summary:
- England: 304 all out in 49.5 overs (Salt 26, Duckett 65, Root 69, Brook 31, Buttler 34, Livingstone 41; Shami 1/66, Harshit 1/62, Pandya 1/53, Varun 1/54, Jadeja 3/35, Axar 0/32)
- India: 308/6 in 44.3 overs (Rohit 119, Gill 60, Kohli 5, Shreyas 44, Axar 41*, Rahul 10, Pandya 10, Jadeja 11*; Saqib 0/36, Atkinson 1/65, Wood 1/57, Rashid 1/78, Overton 2/27, Livingstone 1/29, Root 0/15)
Result: India won by 4 wickets.
Series: India leads 2-0 in the three-match series.
Player of the Match: Rohit Sharma.
