Rohit Sharma’s 119 leads India to series win over England

Rohit Sharma’s 32nd hundred in the ODI format headlined India’s four-wicket victory over England in Cuttack on Sunday, as the home team chased a target of 304 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series. 

Rohit’s 119 off 90 balls was his first score of 50 or more since October and came as a huge boost for India’s captain ahead of this month’s ICC Champions Trophy. Rohit, who will turn 38 in April, has averaged under 11 in Test cricket since September and failed in the first ODI last week, thus extending a woeful run. 

But in Cuttack, on a featherbed of a track, he smashed 12 fours and seven sixes to roar back into form as India were handed a rousing start to their chase. With Shubman Gill extending his excellent ODI record with 60 off 52 balls, an opening stand of 136 in 16.4 overs set India on course for victory, which was completed with Axar Patel not out on 41 off 43 balls. 

As in the Nagpur ODI, here too India’s chase was sloppy towards the end with KL Rahul again failing and Hardik Pandya out very close to the finish line. Shreyas Iyer looked set to end the game in the presence of Axar before he was needlessly run out for 44. Still, India won with 5.3 over to spare which means that England have lost all four of their bilateral ODI series since they crashed out of the 2023 World Cup in the group stage. 

After Jos Buttler opted to bat, England appeared on course for a bigger total than 304 as Ben Duckett (65) dominated an opening partnership of 81 with Phil Salt and Joe Root (69) hit his 40th ODI half-century. However, both set batsmen were dismissed by India’s best bowler, Ravindra Jadeja, who took 3/35 in what was his second clinical performance in a row. 

Root survived a first-ball review against the debutant Varun Chakravarthy and added 66 for the third wicket with Harry Brook (31) before falling to Harshit Rana for the second match in a row, courtesy a stunning catch from Gill running and diving at long-on. 

Buttler and Root then put on 50 in quick time, with Root getting his fifty off 60 balls. However, like Brook, Buttler also perished in the thirties when he was also well held by Gill off the bowling of Hardik Pandya. At 230/4 after 40 overs, England should have got significantly more than 304 in 49.5 overs, which is where India get due credit. Root, on 69, hit a ball from Jadeja to Virat Kohli at long-on, and in his next over the spinner dismissed Jamie Overton. Liam Livingstone threated with 41 off 32 balls, which dragged England past 300. 

That total was made to look miniscule the way Rohit came out in the chase. He struck three sixes before a floodlight failure forced the teams off the field, and roughly 35 minutes later when play resumed, the Indian captain picked up from where he was interrupted. Mark Wood was hit for six, Adil Rashid was disdainfully swatted for two fours as Rohit collected his fifty off 30 balls, and a solid opening stand left Buttler frustrated.

Gill was sedate in comparison to Rohit, but still reached a 45-ball half-century. He was eventually bowled for 60 by Overton, and then Kohli nicked a delivery from Adil Rashid as India briefly stumbled. 

Rohit refused to get bogged down and hit Rashid for a six to get to three figures in 76 deliveries, and the fun continued until he departed for 119 with India still 85 runs shy of their target. Iyer’s 44 and Axar’s not out innings helped get the job done, and India added another bilateral ODI series to their name. One last match remains for both teams, in Ahmedabad, before the Champions Trophy.