After Rohit’s 87-run knock highlighted India’s par outing with the bat, bowlers led by Mohammed Shami put up a superb show as the Indian juggernaut continued with their dominant and perfect run at the cricketing extravaganza.
Chasing a tricky 230 on a two-paced surface, a listless England batting order crumbled like a pack of cards, courtesy a Shami four-for, folding up for 129 in the 35th over to hand India a 100-run win.
With the win, India’s dream run in the tournament continued as they reclaimed the top spot in the standings. England on the other hand, slumped to their fifth defeat in 6 matches and are now virtually out of the reckoning for a place in the semis.
Here’s a look at the key moments of the India-England game at the Ekana Stadium:
As It Happened
India’s early stutter
Batting first for the first time in the tournament, India got off to a wobbly start, losing three of their top four batters inside the first 12 overs. While Shubman Gill got knocked over for 9 by Chris Woakes for the first breakthrough, in-form Virat Kohli soon joined Gill back in the pavilion for a 9-ball duck, becoming David Willey’s first victim in the 7th over. After Kohli got out for a duck for the first time ever in an ODI World Cup match, the onus was on Shreyas Iyer to steady India alongside skipper Rohit Sharma. But Iyer too fell to his weakness against the short ball as Chris Woakes bounced him out for 4. At the end of the 12th over, India found themselves reeling at 40 for 3.
Rohit and Rahul repair job
As India found themselves in early trouble, losing three for not much on the board, Rohit alongside KL Rahul began the repair job for the hosts. While Rohit looked fluent at one end, the Lucknow Super Giants skipper too looked in control at his IPL home venue. Both the batters superbly rotated the strike along with occasional boundaries to keep the innings moving. In the process, Rohit got to his 54th ODI half-century as India slowly but steadily raised the century at the half-way mark. But as both Rohit and Rahul grew in confidence, Willy came back into the attack and broke the threatening 91-run stand. As Rahul got caught behind for 39 in the 31st over, England had the breakthrough they were desperately looking for. Rohit and Suryakumar Yadav then made another brief recovery before the skipper unfortunately got out in the 37th over for 87 and missed out on a well-deserved ton.
Surya’s valiant effort pushed India to a decent total
After India lost set Rohit for 87, the hosts needed a partnership along with the need to gain momentum. But England bowlers kept chipping away at regular intervals, not allowing India batters to take control. While Ravindra Jadeja fell to Adil Rashid, Mohammed Shami too fell cheaply in the 47th over as India were reduced to 183 for 7. However, Jasprit Bumrah stepped up and added a crucial 25 runs for the 8th wicket. Looking to up the scoring rate, as Suryakumar fell for 49, India chances of reaching 250 diminished further. However, Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav added a crucial 21 runs for the 9th wicket, taking India to a par 229 for 9 in 50 overs.
World Cup 2023: India set target of 230 runs for England, Rohit Sharma top scores with 87 runs
Under-pressure England’s woeful start
Defending a par total, India were in need of early wickets and pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah delivered exactly that with his two-in-two burst in the fifth over. After Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan got off to a quick start, the latter chopped on as Bumrah drew first blood. The defending champions were then stunned as out-of-form Joe Root got trapped in front for a golden duck. Under-pressure England then suffered their third jolt as Ben Stokes played an atrocious shot off Mohammed Shami only to get knocked over for a 10-ball duck. Jonny Bairstow then became Shami’s second victim as he chopped on for 14. From 30 for 0, England lost their top four for next 10 runs and were reduced to 40 for 4 at the end of first powerplay.
Kuldeep’s dominance in middle overs
Tottering at 39 for 4, England were in desperate need of a partnership. Skipper Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali did try to build a stand but left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav produced a ripper to knock over Buttler on 10. With five wickets down for 52, the writing was on the wall for England. However, as Liam Livingstone and Moeen added 29 runs for the 6th wicket and looked to delay the inevitable, Shami returned to dismiss the latter for 15. Chris Woakes then became Ravindra Jadeja’s first victim and Livingstone was trapped in front for 27 as all England’s hopes went out of the window. Shami and Bumrah wrapped up the England tail to complete a commanding 100-run win.