Imagine this: It’s a tense evening in India vs England 2nd ODI Match, and India is chasing a challenging target of 305 runs against England.
The crowd is on the edge of their seats as Rohit Sharma steps up and delivers a breathtaking century, his 32nd in ODIs, lighting up the stadium with his explosive batting.
Wickets fall, partnerships break, and the pressure mounts.
How did India clinch this thrilling victory? What made Rohit’s innings so special?
And what went wrong for England despite their improved batting performance? If you’re a cricket fan, this is a story you can’t miss.
Dive into the details of this nail-biting match, relive the key moments, and discover why this game was a masterclass in chasing under pressure.
Keep reading – you won’t want to stop!
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India vs England 2nd ODI Highlights
Rohit Sharma smashed a brilliant century (119 runs off 90 balls), his 32nd in ODI cricket, to help India win the second ODI against England in Cuttack.
This victory secured the series for India.
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Chasing a tough target of 305 runs, Rohit’s amazing batting and his 136-run partnership with Shubman Gill (60 runs off 52 balls) set the stage for India’s win.
Shreyas Iyer (44 runs) and Axar Patel (41* runs) also played important roles to guide India to victory, even though a few wickets fell near the end.
India Batting
England’s total of 304 runs seemed challenging at first, especially on a slow pitch where the ball sometimes stopped unexpectedly. Spinners and slower deliveries were hard to hit.
Rohit made it look simple, hitting two sixes early on – one over deep square leg and another over deep cover – showing he was in great form.
His aggressive batting allowed Gill to settle in, though Gill also played some beautiful shots.
India scored 77 runs in the first ten overs without losing any wickets, which set the tone for the chase.
Even when England spread the field, Rohit and Gill kept scoring runs, with Rohit leading the way.
During his innings, Rohit also surpassed Chris Gayle to become the second-highest six-hitter in ODI history.
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England’s spinner Adil Rashid found some turn, but by the time he came on, Rohit and Gill were so confident that they handled him easily.
The pitch also didn’t behave as tricky as it did during England’s innings.
Jamie Overton finally broke the partnership with a fiery yorker.
Just before that, Gill had hit him for a six, but Overton came back strong to dismiss Gill.
This brought Virat Kohli to the crease, but he struggled and was eventually out after edging a ball from Rashid. England felt a bit of hope at this point, but India was still in control.
Rohit and Shreyas Iyer then added 70 runs quickly, with Rohit dominating the partnership.
It looked like they would finish the game themselves, but Rohit got out to a full toss, miscuing it to mid-wicket.
Liam Livingstone took the wicket, but it was too late for England.
Iyer and Axar kept India on track, though Iyer was run out due to a mix-up. KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya fell near the end, but Axar and Ravindra Jadeja finished the game with 33 balls to spare.
England Batting
Earlier, England had a better batting performance compared to the first ODI.
Joe Root (69 runs) and Ben Duckett (65 runs) scored fifties, while Liam Livingstone (41 runs) played a quick cameo.
England started well but slowed down against India’s spinners.
Varun Chakaravarthy, on his ODI debut, broke the opening partnership and slowed England’s scoring.
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Ravindra Jadeja was particularly tough to face, mixing his pace and lengths to trouble the batters.
Jadeja dismissed Duckett and later took Root’s wicket, which was a big blow for England.
Livingstone tried to boost the total with some big hits, and Adil Rashid also hit a few boundaries at the end.
However, England could have scored more if they had batted smarter.
In the end, India’s chase, led by Rohit, made England’s total look small. England’s captain Jos Buttler might regret his decision at the toss, as the afternoon was better for spinners, while batting became easier in the evening.
The final match of the series will be played in Ahmedabad on February 12.
Although the series is already decided, both teams will want to use this game as practice before the Champions Trophy.