India clinched the ODI series against England 2-0 after a spectacular 119-run knock from captain Rohit Sharma powered them to a four-wicket victory in the second ODI at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
Buttler Hails Rohit’s Knock
England captain Jos Buttler praised Rohit Sharma’s fiery century, calling it a “great innings” that proved decisive in the match.
“We got into some nice positions with the bat, but we need a few of us to catch fire and push us to 350. Another great innings from Rohit; he’s been doing it in ODI cricket for a while. Maybe it skidded on a bit and played well, but the opposition played well,” Buttler told ESPNcricinfo.
Match Summary
- England won the toss and chose to bat first.
- Joe Root (69 off 72 balls, 6 fours) and Ben Duckett (65 off 56 balls, 10 fours) led the charge, helping England post 304 runs in the first innings.
- Liam Livingstone (41 off 32 balls, 2 fours, 2 sixes) and Jos Buttler (34 off 35 balls, 2 fours) also made valuable contributions.
- Ravindra Jadeja starred with the ball for India, claiming three wickets in his 10-over spell.
In response, India started strong with a 136-run opening stand between Rohit Sharma (119 off 90 balls, 12 fours, 7 sixes) and Shubman Gill (60 off 52 balls, 9 fours, 1 six).
- Shreyas Iyer (44 off 47 balls, 3 fours, 1 six) and Axar Patel (41 off 43 balls, 4 fours)* provided crucial support in the middle order, guiding India to victory with six balls to spare.
- England’s bowling attack struggled, with Jamie Overton being the pick of the bowlers with two wickets.
Series Decider in Ahmedabad
India will now head to Ahmedabad for the third ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, aiming for a clean sweep against England.