Joe Root produced another match-winning innings as England defeated India by four wickets in the second one-day international on Thursday. As a result, the hosts levelled the three-match series at 1-1 ahead of the decider at Lord’s.
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England suffered an immediate setback when Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Ben Duckett with the first ball of the innings. Soon after, the home side slipped to 8-2 before falling further to 125-5 on a challenging pitch.
However, Root remained composed throughout the chase. He scored an unbeaten 99 from 133 balls, including nine boundaries, and guided England to the target of 234 with 35 balls to spare.
The former England captain narrowly missed his 21st ODI century. Instead, Gus Atkinson struck the winning boundary to leave Root stranded one run short of the milestone.
After the match, Root said winning the game mattered more than reaching three figures. He added that England had kept the series alive with a determined performance.
Furthermore, Root praised England’s bowling attack for restricting India to a below-par total after the visitors had made a strong start.
Earlier, Jofra Archer led England’s bowling effort with figures of 3-47. Meanwhile, India looked set for a score above 300 after Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer built a solid partnership.
Kohli scored 65, while Iyer contributed 66. However, England fought back with disciplined short-pitched bowling and reduced India from 178-3 to 233 all out.
India lost their final seven wickets for just 55 runs, allowing England to regain control of the match.
India captain Shubman Gill admitted his side failed to capitalize on its strong position. According to Gill, India expected to score more than 300 runs but lost too many wickets during the middle overs.
Now, the series will conclude at Lord’s, where both teams will compete for the ODI series victory.
