Joe Root produced another chasing masterclass to guide England to a four-wicket victory over India in the second ODI at Cardiff, finishing unbeaten on 99 and helping the hosts level the three-match series 1-1. And goes ahead of Virat Kohli in average while chasing. Walking in on the very first ball of England’s innings after Ben Duckett was dismissed for a duck, Root absorbed the early pressure from Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna before taking complete control of the 234-run chase. His composed 99* off 133 deliveries, featuring nine boundaries, anchored England’s innings as he stitched together crucial partnerships with Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Gus Atkinson to steer the hosts home.The knock also saw Root overtake Virat Kohli in the list of highest batting averages in successful ODI run chases (minimum 2,000 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
Following the victory, Root said the result mattered far more than the missed century.“Being there at the end and getting the job done is probably the best feeling you can get in cricket. You don’t play for milestones; you play to win games. The series is alive now, and that’s exactly what we wanted heading into today,” Root said in the post match presentation. Reflecting on the chase, Root admitted 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 all game. Our bowlers did a brilliant job to pull things back after that partnership and gave us a score we felt we could chase. We knew we had to bat time, absorb pressure in phases and stay calm. Sometimes you’ve got to win scrappy and ugly, 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 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.
