Rohit Sharma answered his critics with a brilliant 32nd century, guiding India to a solid four-wicket win against England in the second ODI at Cuttack on Sunday. With this victory, India secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
England, opting to bat first on a favourable pitch, were bowled out for 304 runs in 49.5 overs. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja shone with the ball, taking 3/35, troubling the English batters throughout.
Chasing the target of 305, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma showed his class, smashing a 90-ball 119, which marked his 32nd ODI century. His performance was a throwback to his World Cup 2023 form, with precise timing and beautiful shots. India comfortably achieved the target in 44.3 overs.
Shubman Gill also played a key role, scoring a quick 60 off 52 balls, including nine boundaries and a six. Together, Rohit and Gill built a strong opening partnership of 136 runs—their sixth-century stand.
Virat Kohli, returning after missing the first ODI due to knee swelling, was dismissed for just 5 runs by Adil Rashid. This marked the fourth time Rashid has dismissed Kohli in ODIs.
Shreyas Iyer added 44 runs and shared a 70-run partnership with Rohit before the Indian skipper got out to a full toss, caught by Rashid with an excellent running catch. The middle order struggled briefly, as Iyer got run out, and KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya were dismissed cheaply for 10 runs each.
However, Axar Patel (41 not out) and Jadeja (11 not out) ensured there were no further hiccups, completing the chase with 33 balls remaining.
Rohit’s outstanding knock helped him surpass Rahul Dravid’s ODI run tally of 10,889. He has now entered the top 10 ODI run-scorers with a total of 10,987 runs and is just 13 runs away from reaching the 11,000-run milestone.
Rohit’s innings was filled with elegant pull shots, cuts, and clean hitting. He even surprised fans with a reverse sweep against Rashid. Starting aggressively, he flicked a six over mid-wicket and followed it up with a six over cover off Saqib Mahmood.
A brief floodlight failure when Rohit was on 29 didn’t affect his momentum. Upon resumption, he continued scoring freely, reaching his fifty in 30 balls. His century, his first in 14 innings, came in 76 balls and included powerful sixes and boundaries.
Bowling brilliance from Jadeja:
Earlier in the match, Jadeja’s spin bowling broke England’s momentum. He dismissed Ben Duckett (65 off 56) and Joe Root (69 off 72), who were building a strong partnership. Jadeja later sent Jamie Overton back, finishing with 3 wickets and showing great control.
England’s innings relied on contributions from Duckett, Root, and captain Jos Buttler (34 off 35). Liam Livingstone’s quick 41 off 32 balls and Adil Rashid’s 14 runs helped them cross 300, but three run-outs in the final overs restricted them to 304 in 49.5 overs.
While Harshit Rana was a bit expensive with figures of 9-0-62-0, debutant Varun Chakravarthy bowled well, picking up one wicket for 54 runs despite two missed review opportunities. Shubman Gill impressed in the field with three catches.
The final ODI of the series will be played in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
