2nd ODI: Rohit Sharma's Brilliant 119 Secures India a Four-Wicket Victory Over England, Clinching Series Lead

Cuttack, Feb 9 (NationPress) Indian captain Rohit Sharma ended a prolonged dry spell with an impressive 119, leading India to a four-wicket victory against England in the second ODI at the Barabati Stadium on Sunday.

Rohit’s fantastic 32nd ODI century, 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 successfully chase down 305 runs with 33 balls to spare, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Witnessing a dominant Rohit regain his form must have been a source of immense relief for him and several key figures in Indian cricket. His performance showcased his characteristic style – a blend of free-flowing shots, adept wristwork, and superb timing – delivering an entertaining spectacle for fans.

As India pursued 305, Rohit began his innings with a thick edge that flew over backward point for four runs off Gus Atkinson in the second over. From there, Rohit’s innings blossomed – flicking Atkinson for six and smashing Saqib Mahmood for another maximum.

On the other side, Shubman Gill was in fine form, executing his signature short-arm jab and flicking through the in-field for two boundaries. Rohit skillfully lifted Mahmood over long-off for a six, while Gill added to the tally with a boundary from an outside edge.

Following a 35-minute delay due to a floodlight failure, Rohit resumed with vigor – glancing Mahmood over fine leg for four, then hitting a six over long-on. He welcomed Adil Rashid with a sweep for four, followed by a cut through point for another boundary, reaching his fifty in just 30 balls.

After the power-play concluded, Gill slog-swept Rashid for six before executing four boundaries off Mark Wood. When Rashid returned, Gill found the extra cover fence twice for boundaries, achieving a splendid 15th ODI fifty.

As Rohit dispatched Atkinson for four and six, and Gill pulled and glanced Jamie Overton for boundaries, it seemed like a smooth path for India. However, Overton struck back, claiming Gill's wicket with a perfect off-stump yorker, ending their 136-run opening partnership.

Rashid also got into the wicket-takers' list, managing to catch the feather edge of Virat Kohli’s bat, detected by UltraEdge on review, 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 to hit the leg-spinner over mid-off for a six, marking his 32nd ODI century in a relaxed manner.

Rohit continued to score aggressively after his century – reverse-sweeping and glancing Rashid for boundaries, then 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 and fell for 119 off 90 balls.

After Rohit’s exit, Iyer and Axar Patel slowed down slightly, with Axar hitting boundaries. Yet, on the last ball of the 37th over, a mix-up for a second run led to Iyer’s run-out for 44, initiating a minor wobble for India.

KL Rahul fell for 10 after attempting to pull a short ball from Overton but edged it behind to Salt. Hardik Pandya struck two fours off Atkinson before pulling 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 team.

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