Joe Root delivered a masterclass in ODI batting, anchoring England’s successful chase of 234 against India in the second ODI with an unbeaten 99 off 133 balls. At a time when wickets fell around him, the veteran stood firm, compiling a composed knock studded with nine boundaries to guide England home with the calmness and assurance that have defined his one-day career.Root’s innings earned glowing praise from former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble, who compared the England stalwart’s importance to his team with that of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma for India.“Joe Root is to England what Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are to India. Root is the only batter in that England side who still plays with an old-school ODI mindset. The other batters came out attacking from the start, but Root took his time, anchored the innings, and brought calmness to the chase,” Kumble told JioHotstar. “His ability to rotate the strike and find gaps makes him incredibly reliable. You know he won’t play a risky shot at the wrong time. That kind of game awareness is invaluable, ” he said. Kumble also highlighted the similarities between Root, Kohli and Rohit, saying the trio’s success stems from their ability to score consistently while keeping risks to a minimum.“What makes Root, Kohli and Rohit so successful is that their run-scoring looks effortless. They don’t premeditate. They react to the ball. They play low-risk, high-reward cricket rather than high-risk, high-reward cricket. When you have that kind of class, grace and mindset, it makes life easier for the entire team,” 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 get 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 cross 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 struck 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 set to be played at Lord’s on July 19.
