Joe Root produced another chasing masterclass to guide England to a four-wicket win over India in the second ODI in Cardiff, finishing unbeaten on 99 and helping the hosts level the three-match series 1-1. And it goes on Virat Kohli on average while hunting. Walking on the first ball of England’s innings after Ben Duckett was dismissed for a duck, Root absorbed early pressure from Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna before taking complete control of the 234-run chase. His composed 99* off 133 deliveries, with nine boundaries, anchored England’s innings as he stitched crucial partnerships with Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Gus Atkinson to guide the hosts home.The knock also saw Root surpass Virat Kohli in the list of highest batting averages in successful ODI runs (minimum 2000 runs).Highest batting average in successful ODI chases (min. 2,000 runs):
- MS Dhoni – 102.71
- Joe Root – 91.59
- Virat Kohli – 89.07
- AB de Villiers – 82.77
- Michael Clarke – 73.86
After the win, Root said the result mattered a lot more than the century left.“Being there at the end and doing the job is probably the best feeling you can get in cricket. You don’t play for milestones; you play to win matches. The series is alive now, and that’s exactly what we want to go into today,” said Root in the post match presentation. Reflecting on the chase, Root admitted that the batting was challenging throughout the match and credited England’s bowlers for restricting India after the Kohli-Iyer partnership had threatened to take the game away.“It was difficult to bat the whole game. Our bowlers did a brilliant job of bringing things back after that partnership and it gave us a score we felt we could chase. We knew we had to beat the tempo, absorb the pressure in phases and stay calm. Sometimes you have to win scrappy and dirty, and today was one of those days,” he added.
Root chased down the target with ease
India squandered a commanding position after being asked to bat first at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Despite a solid 114-run stand between Virat Kohli (65) and Shreyas Iyer (66) that took the visitors to 180/3, a dramatic middle-order collapse saw them lose their last seven wickets for 53 runs and be bowled out for 233. Jofra Archer (3/47) and Gus Atkinson (3/50) starred with the ball, while Jasprit Bumrah’s unbeaten 20 helped India pass the 230-run mark.England’s chase got off to a disastrous start as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Ben Duckett with the first ball of the innings before Prasidh Krishna reduced the hosts to 8/2. However, Joe Root anchored the chase with a superb 99 off 133 balls*, receiving valuable support from Will Jacks (30), Sam Curran (26) and *Gus Atkinson (23)**. Atkinson hit the winning boundary to seal a four-wicket victory, leaving Root agonizingly stranded one run short of a century.The result leveled the three-match ODI series 1-1, with the decider to be played at Lord’s on July 19.