Cuttack, Feb 9 (NationPress) Rohit Sharma, the captain, ended his batting drought with a brilliant 119, steering India to a four-wicket victory over England in the second ODI at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday.

This remarkable 32nd ODI century from Rohit, featuring 12 fours and seven sixes, combined with Shubman Gill's 60 and valuable contributions from Shreyas Iyer (44) and Axar Patel (41 not out), enabled India to chase down 305 runs with 33 balls to spare, thus securing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The sight of Rohit returning to his best form must have provided immense relief to him and key figures in Indian cricket, especially with the Champions Trophy approaching later this month.

Rohit was in sublime touch, showcasing his signature free-flowing shots, deft wrist movements, and excellent timing, all of which delighted fans. As India chased 305, Rohit began with a fortunate thick edge that flew over backward point for a boundary off Gus Atkinson in the second over. His innings quickly elevated in quality, flicking Atkinson for a six and dispatching Saqib Mahmood for another maximum.

Shubman Gill matched Rohit's brilliance, executing his trademark short-arm jab and flicking over the in-field for two boundaries. Rohit showed his prowess by lifting Mahmood over long-off for six, while Gill found the boundary with a deft outside edge.

Following a 35-minute delay due to a floodlight failure, Rohit resumed his innings in commanding style, guiding Mahmood over fine leg for four and then smashing a six over long-on. He greeted Adil Rashid with a sweeping four and another boundary through point, reaching his fifty in just 30 balls.

After the power-play, Gill slog-swept Rashid for a six and executed a short-arm jab for four more boundaries off Mark Wood. When Rashid returned, Gill found the cover fence twice, securing his impressive 15th ODI fifty.

With Rohit dispatching Gus Atkinson for four and six, along with Gill's boundaries off Jamie Overton, India's chase resembled a one-sided affair. However, Overton struck back by dismissing Gill with a perfectly executed off-stump yorker, ending their 136-run partnership.

Rashid soon joined the wicket-takers with a delivery that turned away, catching Virat Kohli's edge, which was detected by UltraEdge, leading to Kohli's dismissal for five.

After Shreyas Iyer got off the mark against Overton, Rohit swept Rashid for four and hit Overton for six before reaching his century by dancing down the pitch and hitting the leg-spinner over mid-off for a six, achieving his 32nd ODI century with style.

Rohit continued his assault after his century, reverse-sweeping and glancing Rashid for boundaries, and carving Wood over backward point for another four. After Iyer struck two fours and a six off Wood, Rohit toe-ended a slog to short mid-wicket off a full toss from Liam Livingstone, departing for 119 off 90 balls.

After Rohit's exit, Iyer and Axar Patel slowed down, although Axar found the boundaries. But the last ball of the 37th over saw a mix-up in search of a second run, resulting in Iyer's run-out for 44, causing a slight wobble for India.

KL Rahul fell for 10 after attempting to pull a short ball from Overton, providing a glove edge behind to Salt. Hardik Pandya managed two fours off Atkinson before pulling the pacer straight to mid-wicket. Nevertheless, Axar and Jadeja ensured India crossed the finish line, with Jadeja executing a beautiful inside-out cover drive for four, sealing a resounding victory for the home side.

Earlier, Joe Root and Ben Duckett scored 69 and 65 respectively, while Liam Livingstone added a finishing touch with his 41 as England amassed a formidable total of 304 in 49.5 overs, despite losing their last seven wickets for just 85 runs. For India, Ravindra Jadeja was the standout bowler, claiming 3-35 in his ten overs and maintaining an economy rate below four, while the other bowlers had rates exceeding five.

Choosing to bat first, Duckett started strongly, giving England a rapid start with short and wide deliveries, resulting in nine boundaries. In contrast, Salt struggled and despite being dropped by Axar Patel early on, he failed to capitalize and eventually top-edged a big shot, granting debutant spinner Varun Chakaravarthy his first ODI wicket.

Duckett reached his fifty off 36 balls but fell to Jadeja while attempting a risky shot. Root steadied the innings, playing strategically against spinners to accumulate boundaries through reverse-sweeps and pulls.

As Gill made a crucial catch running back from mid-off off Harshit Rana's bowling, Root and Jos Buttler were tasked with maintaining England’s momentum. However, shortly after Root reached his fifty, Buttler lofted a slower ball from Pandya, leading to a catch at mid-off.

The turning point for England came in the 43rd over when Root, against the run of play, couldn't keep his shot down against Jadeja and was caught at long-off, marking the fifth time he has fallen to Jadeja.

With England’s score sitting at 248/5, Livingstone struck boundaries off Rana and Mohammed Shami, while Rashid also scored three fours off Shami. Although England managed only 74 runs in the final ten overs, losing six wickets in the process, they surpassed 300, thanks to contributions from Root, Duckett, and Livingstone. But then Rohit turned the match in India's favor.

Brief Scores: England 304 in 49.5 overs (Joe Root 69, Ben Duckett 65; Ravindra Jadeja 3-35) lost to India 308/6 in 44.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 119, Shubman Gill 60; Jamie Overton 2-27) by four wickets.