Joe Root’s ton helps England level series 1-1

England defeat India by 86 runs in second ODI of three match series at the home of cricket. Joe Root scored a comeback ton to guide hosts to a strong total and well supported by England bowlers who dismissed team India to a mere 236 runs in 50 overs. Liam Plunkett was the pick of the bowlers picking up four wickets in his 10 overs.

The hosts begun the day with a surprising decision to bat first as the mantra to win in batting friendly conditions like England is to chase. But the fear of playing spin on a 50 over old pitch with the added pressure of chasing down a target played around in the mind of Eoin Morgan. As a result he decided to bat first. This was a perfect example of the quote that says “Fear doesn’t shut you up, it wakes you up”.

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England started well once again on the score of 69 for no loss after 10 overs. The true test was about to begin as Kuldeep Yadav was brought in by skipper Virat Kohli. And he did something that we have been familiar with since the last one week. He got rid of Jonny Bairstow on the second ball itself. It was more of fear than skill that got the hard hitting opener. So was the case with Jason Roy who looked well set to get a big score but he perished soon after his opening partner. Eoin Morgan and Joe Root steadied the ship and ensured that there were no further hiccups. The skipper got to a well deserved fifty before mishitting one straight down Shikhar Dhawan’s throat. And guess who the bowler was? It was Kuldeep Yadav once again.

Indian bowlers capitalised once the left hand batsman departed. They took wickets at regular intervals and it looked as if England will end with yet another disappointing performance with the bat. But Joe Root, who is under the pump since a lot of days forced himself back into form. He hold one end throughout the duration he was on the pitch and scored a sublime 113 runs of 116 balls to get England to a score that was more than handy. A target of 323 was set with the help of a late cameo by David Willey. He clinched his maiden half century in just 31 balls.

In reply, India crumbled with some nothing shots to give away their precious wickets. Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina looked to rebuilt and to some extent they succeeded before the Indian skipper played across the line to Moeen Ali and gave away his priceless wicket. Once the run machine walked back to the pavilion, it was curtains for team India as they stumbled to 236 runs in 50 overs. Liam Plunkett picked up four wickets in his 10 overs to ensure that England level the three match series 1-1.

Brief Scores: England 322/7 (Joe Root 113, Kuldeep Yadav 3-68) beat India 236 all out in 50 overs (Suresh Raina 46, Liam Plunkett 4-46) by 86 runs.