CUTTACK, India – Rohit Sharma broke his recent slump with a stunning 32nd ODI century as India triumphed over England by four wickets in the second One Day International, securing the series on Sunday.
Having not reached a fifty since October and averaging below 11 in his last 16 international outings across all formats, Sharma delivered an impressive performance, completing his century in just 76 balls.
With this victory, India took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series, having also won the first ODI in Nagpur by the same margin. Additionally, the hosts claimed the earlier Twenty20 series with a commanding 4-1 victory.
Sharma finished with an impressive 119 runs from 90 deliveries, including an astounding seven sixes and twelve fours, contributing significantly to India’s total of 308 for 6 in just 44.3 overs. Shubman Gill also stood out, marking his second consecutive half-century in the series, scoring 60 runs off 52 deliveries with nine fours and a six.
In earlier proceedings, England won the toss and opted to bat first, ending their innings at 304 all out in 49.5 overs. Joe Root led the scoring for England with 69 runs off 72 balls, while Ben Duckett added 65 runs from 56 balls.
The match faced a temporary halt for approximately 20 minutes due to a floodlight failure at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack when one of the seven floodlight towers unexpectedly shut down during the seventh over of India’s innings.
Sharma electrified the crowd with his rapid half-century, reached in just 30 balls, and formed a formidable opening partnership of 136 runs with Gill, unaffected by the earlier floodlight disruption. Gill fell to a perfect yorker delivered by Jamie Overton in the 17th over.
Virat Kohli, returning from a knee issue sustained before the first ODI, scored only five runs before being caught behind off Adil Rashid’s delivery.
Aside from hitting seven sixes, Sharma’s achievement positioned him as the second-highest six-hitter in ODI history, amassing a total of 344, surpassing Chris Gayle’s 331 and only trailing Shahid Afridi’s 351.
India crossed the 200-run mark in the 27th over, but Sharma was dismissed in the 30th over from a full toss by Liam Livingstone. He made 70 runs off 61 balls in a partnership with Shreyas Iyer, who contributed 44 runs.
After Sharma’s departure, Iyer and Axar Patel put together 38 runs, although Iyer was run out following a mix-up. KL Rahul was also dismissed after being caught behind off Overton’s bowling, while Hardik Pandya followed suit after being caught out by Gus Atkinson. Patel, however, remained unbeaten with 41 runs off 43 balls, leading India to victory.
England had a steady start, with Duckett and Phil Salt establishing a partnership of 81 runs in just 65 balls for the first wicket. Varun Chakravarthy, who made his ODI debut, took his first wicket with Salt’s catch after a skier, becoming India’s oldest debutant since 1974 at age 33.
Duckett was dismissed off Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling, who secured figures of 3-35. Harry Brook managed 31 runs off 52 balls but fell while trying to accelerate the scoring, with Gill pulling off an impressive catch running back from mid-off.
Root and captain Jos Buttler added 51 runs for the fourth wicket, stabilizing the English innings and pushing their score past 200. However, Gill excelled again, taking another excellent catch to dismiss Buttler in the 39th over.
The final six wickets for England declined for just 85 runs, culminating in another subpar score despite the strong start. England made three changes to the lineup, featuring Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, and Overton, while Jofra Archer was rested and Jacob Bethell sat out due to a hamstring injury.
The third ODI will take place in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
