Rohit Sharma answered his critics with a magnificent 32nd century, leading India to a decisive four-wicket victory over England in the second ODI at Cuttack on Sunday, taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
England, choosing to bat first on a favorable pitch, were dismissed for 304 runs in 49.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja maintained his dominance over the English batters with figures of 3/35.
As it happened | Scorecard
The 37-year-old Indian captain made the chase look effortless, returning to his World Cup 2023 form with precise timing and elegant strokeplay. His 90-ball 119 marked his 32nd ODI century, arriving just before the upcoming Champions Trophy.
India reached their target in 44.3 overs. The final match is scheduled for Wednesday in Ahmedabad.
Shubman Gill contributed a swift 60 from 52 balls, including nine fours and a six. He partnered with Rohit for their sixth century partnership, posting 136 runs for the opening wicket.
Virat Kohli, returning after missing the Nagpur ODI due to knee swelling, was dismissed for 5 runs by Adil Rashid’s leg-break. This marked Rashid’s fourth ODI dismissal of Kohli.
Shreyas Iyer scored 44 runs in a 70-run partnership with Rohit before the captain’s dismissal to a full toss, caught by Rashid with an impressive backward running catch.
The middle order saw quick dismissals with Iyer run out, while KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya departed for 10 runs each.
Axar Patel remained unbeaten on 41, partnering with Ravindra Jadeja (11 not out) to complete the victory with 33 balls remaining.
Rohit’s innings helped him surpass Rahul Dravid’s ODI run tally of 10,889, entering the top-10 ODI run-scorers list with 10,987 runs. He needs just 13 more runs to reach 11,000 ODI runs.
The Indian captain’s innings featured precise pull shots, elegant cuts, and clean hitting. He even executed a reverse sweep against Rashid, showcasing his complete dominance.
Rohit started aggressively, hitting Gus Atkinson for a four and effortlessly flicking a six over mid-wicket. He continued his assault against Saqib Mahmood with a magnificent six over cover.
A 35-minute floodlight interruption when Rohit was on 29 didn’t affect his momentum. Upon resumption, he continued scoring freely against Mahmood and Mark Wood.
He survived an LBW appeal on 36 against Wood, with the ball just clipping the leg stump. He responded by hitting the next delivery for six over mid-on, reaching his fifty in 30 balls.
Rohit handled Rashid confidently, scoring boundaries through cuts and sweeps. He reached his century in 76 balls with a six over long-off, his first hundred in 14 innings and second-fastest overall after his 63-ball century against Afghanistan in the 2023 World Cup.
Earlier, Jadeja’s crucial breakthroughs disrupted England’s innings, removing Ben Duckett (65 off 56) and Joe Root (69 off 72).
England built their innings through contributions from Duckett, Root, and captain Jos Buttler (34 off 35). They were well-positioned at 200/3 in 35 overs but lost momentum due to Jadeja’s disciplined bowling.
Liam Livingstone’s quick 41 from 32 balls and Adil Rashid’s rapid 14 runs helped England reach 300. However, three run-outs in the final overs saw them dismissed in 49.5 overs.
Jadeja’s tactical bowling first removed Duckett, who miscued a wide delivery to mid-on. He then dismissed Root for the fifth time in ODIs with a slower, flighted delivery caught by Kohli at deep extra cover.
The spinner completed his spell by dismissing Jamie Overton, caught by Gill at cover. Gill took three catches in total, though India’s decision-making was questionable with two unsuccessful reviews against Root off debutant Varun Chakravarthy, who finished with 1/54.
Harshit Rana proved expensive, conceding 62 runs in 9 overs, including 14 runs in two overs as Duckett expertly found gaps in the field.
