India clinched the ODI series against England in emphatic fashion as skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with a blistering century at the Barabati Stadium. The Men-in-Blue outclassed England in a dominant run chase, showcasing their batting prowess under pressure.
𝗔 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗮 𝘄𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗰𝗸! ✅
The Rohit Sharma-led #TeamIndia beat England by 4⃣ wickets in the 2nd ODI & take an unassailable lead in the ODI series! 👏 👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/NReW1eEQtF#INDvENG | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/G63vdfozd5
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 9, 2025
Right from the first over, Rohit looked in ominous touch, dispatching the England bowlers to all corners of the ground. He capitalized on the powerplay, racing to his half-century in just 30 balls, setting the tone for India’s innings. At the other end, Shubman Gill played the perfect foil, initially rotating the strike before launching his own attacking strokes once the field spread out. Together, the duo dismantled England’s bowling attack, making the chase look effortless.
The visitors struggled to contain India’s batting juggernaut. Their bowlers, including experienced spinner Adil Rashid, failed to apply pressure, frequently erring in line and length. Even when the pitch offered some turn, Rohit remained untroubled, dictating the game with supreme confidence. His majestic stroke play saw him notch up his 32nd ODI hundred, reaffirming his class and silencing critics who had questioned his recent form.
India’s batting depth was once again on display as the team continued to experiment with Axar Patel at No. 5. He built a steady stand with Shreyas Iyer before an unfortunate run-out ended his innings. England found some late breakthroughs, but by then, India had already put the result beyond doubt.
Earlier in the first innings, England put up an improved batting performance in the second ODI against India at the Barabati Stadium, posting a total of 304 runs on the board. Ben Duckett set the tone early, playing aggressively from the outset and capitalizing on the Indian pacers’ short and wide deliveries.
Duckett raced to a fluent fifty but fell shortly after, attempting to take on Ravindra Jadeja. Joe Root and Harry Brook then steadied the innings with a solid 50-run stand, but just as England seemed to be taking control, Brook was dismissed against the run of play.
However, the visitors stumbled in the final stretch, losing wickets in clusters during the death overs. Despite a spirited cameo from Liam Livingstone, England could only muster 74 runs in the last ten overs, falling short of a potentially bigger total.
Ravindra Jadeja emerged as India’s standout bowler, finishing with three wickets and applying the brakes just when England looked to accelerate. One wicket each was bagged by Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Mohammed Shami in their respective spells.
England: Philip Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c), Liam Livingstone, Jamie Overton, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood.
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Varun Chakravarthy.
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