Sixes galore as England hammer India in second ODI

"When you look at our top seven, all have scored under 60-ball 100s in international cricket. It is something we pride ourselves on being able to take the attack to the opposition - and that is the way we want to play."

Those were Eoin Morgan's words after England messed up a simple chase in the first One-Day International against India. Morgan (injured) wasn't there to lead England in the second ODI but his team followed the same template and made an absolute mockery of India's 338-run target at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on Friday (March 26). Jonny Bairstow (112-ball 124) and Ben Stokes (52-ball 99) smoked India all around the park as England clobbered 20 sixes in their innings, and earned a six-wicket series-levelling victory.

Asked to bat, India went with their own template which has worked for them in the past - keep wickets in the hand and go berserk in the final 10 overs. KL Rahul (114-ball 108) and Virat Kohli (79-ball 66) set up a solid platform for the lower middle-order before Rishabh Pant (40-ball 77) and Hardik Pandya (16-ball 35) helped India slam 126 runs in the final 10 overs. 

In response, Jason Roy (52-ball 55) and Bairstow once again got England off to a solid start before Stokes forced India into submission. The latter two were ruthless and struck 17 maximums between them. The duo took the attack to the Indian spinners and hit 87 runs in between overs 31 to 35. The visitors lost three wickets in quick succession but still managed to chase down the total in just 43.3 overs. The stage is now set for the finale which will be played on Sunday.

KOHLI, RAHUL SET A SOLID PLATFORM...

In the first ODI, Mark Wood troubled Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma with his pace and swing early in the innings, but the tearaway paceman was rested for the second ODI and that made the two openers' lives a bit easier. Dhawan and Rohit however were put to the test by two left-arm seamers - Sam Curran and Reece Topley. Playing his first ODI since August 2020, Topley bowled with great control and kept the pressure on the two openers. Dhawan has struggled against left-arm pacers in the recent past and the left-handed opener was once again undone by a such type of bowler. Topley generated good bounce and swing with the new ball and forced Dhawan (4) to go for a big drive, only to end up edging it to the second slip. 

Rohit however looked a lot more comfortable from the word go and got the ball rolling with an outstanding straight drive. The Indian vice-captain slammed Topley for three boundaries in the eighth over and got some momentum into the innings. Just when Rohit (25-ball 25) was commencing to dictate terms, the elegant right-hander gifted his wicket away to Sam Curran. Rohit was fed a proper half-volley on his leg-stump but the 33-year-old flicked it straight into the hands of Adil Rashid at short fine leg.

The onus was now on Kohli and Rahul to build a partnership but the two found it difficult to score at a good pace. Kohli got a couple of boundaries off Tom Curran, and in the process, became only the second batsman after Ricky Ponting (12,662) to complete 10,000 runs batting at No. 3. Ben Stokes and Tom Curran kept hitting the deck hard and kept the two batsmen on their toes. Spin was introduced into the attack for the first time in the 17th over and it was Moeen Ali who was preferred over Adil Rashid.

Moeen was economical but didn't really look threatening in his first few overs and Rashid was straightaway given the ball. Rahul greeted the legspinner with an eye-pleasing drive and brought up the 50-run partnership. The two played risk-free cricket but Rashid would have had Kohli if Jos Buttler wouldn't have dropped a regulation chance behind the stumps. The Indian skipper carried on and soon brought up his fifty off 62 deliveries - his fourth in as many innings. Rashid and Moeen kept bowling in tandem but the two batsmen kept the scoreboard moving with ones and twos. 

With Shreyas Iyer ruled out of the series because of a shoulder injury, Rahul walked in to bat at No. 4 and made the most of it. The right-hander from Karnataka, who smashed a fiery 62* in the first encounter, carried forward his good ODI form and brought up his second fifty of the series. After they reached their respective personal milestones, Kohli and Rahul started batting a lot more freely. The two smacked Rashid for a six each but the legspinner took his revenge in the 32nd over by dismissing Kohli for a 79-ball 66. The wait for the three-figure mark continued for the batting maestro as he was caught behind after putting on 121 runs for the third wicket with Rahul. 

... BEFORE PANT, HARDIK GO BERSERK

It was important for Rahul to carry on and that's exactly what he did. Pant took some time to settle in before smoking Rashid's final delivery for a six over deep mid-wicket to get things moving. Rahul needed some support from the other end and he got that from Pant. The wicketkeeper-batsman kept finding boundaries at regular intervals and took a lot of pressure off Rahul. Pant smoked Stokes for consecutive sixes in the 41st over, before Rahul joined the party and slammed Tom Curran for a six and a four to get into the 90s. 

Pant then did the same with Tom Curran in the same over and completed his second ODI fifty off just 28 deliveries. The right-arm seamer was smacked for 22 runs in the 42nd over and the tide started to turn in India's favour. Rahul was under a lot of pressure after failing to perform in the T20I series but the stylish right-hander has silenced all his critics in the space of two games. Rahul completed his fifth ODI ton and is now back to his best. He crafted seven fours and two maximums in his 114-ball 108 before falling to Tom Curran in the 45th over. 

Rahul's departure actually worked in India's favour as Hardik Pandya arrived at the crease and hammered two sixes in his first three deliveries. Both Pant and Hardik smashed sixes for fun and put England on the back foot. Pant hit seven sixes and three fours in his 40-ball 77 - his highest ODI score - before perishing in the 47th over. Hardik however kept the attack going and struck four sixes during his knock, giving India a rapid finish.

ROY, BAIRSTOW AT IT AGAIN

Roy and Bairstow, who clobbered 89 in the powerplay in the first ODI, couldn't get off to a fiery start as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Prasidh Krishna were tidy with their line and lengths in the first few overs. The two seamers got good movement with the new ball and Roy in particular didn't look much comfortable. Bairstow didn't have much strike in the first seven-eight overs but Roy soon found his touch. Krishna, who was hit for 22 runs in his third over in the first encounter, once again leaked three fours in his third over and released all the pressure. Roy kept the boundaries flowing but England were slightly more sedate as per their standards. 

Bairstow survived a close lbw call, as the visitors put on 59 runs in the first 10 overs. India needed Kuldeep Yadav to fire and the left-arm wristspinner started very well. The 26-year-old bowled with a lot of confidence and kept on mixing his pace. Meanwhile, Roy finally went past the 50-run mark on this tour and he did that with a six over long-on. Bairstow too got into the act and smoked Shardul Thakur for three maximums in the space of two overs. 

In the process, the two openers also brought up the 100-run stand. This was their 13th 100-run partnership in ODIs - most by any England pair. The hosts needed something special to break this stand and they got that from Rohit. The Indian vice-captain put in a dive to his right at short mid-wicket and the two batsmen were stranded halfway on the pitch, resulting in Roy getting run out.

THERE WAS NO STOPPING BAIRSTOW, STOKES

Coming in at 3, Stokes displayed a lot of intent and announced his arrival by tonking Krunal Pandya for a huge six down the ground. The flamboyant all-rounder didn't allow Krunal to settle in, while Bairstow operated smartly and didn't take unnecessary risks. The game was running away from India and the hosts needed a couple of tight overs. England were 164/1 in 24 overs but Thakur, Bhuvneshwar and Kuldeep conceded only 16 in the next four overs to build some pressure on Bairstow and Stokes. 

Bairstow however waited for his opportunity and got to his 11th ODI ton with a maximum off Kuldeep. The left-arm wristspinner, who started well, lost all his focus and kept bowling hit-me deliveries. Stokes too kept the attack going and the shoulders started to drop in the Indian camp. The night kept getting worse for Kuldeep who was hit for three sixes in his penultimate over. The 26-year-old was blasted for eight sixes in this encounter - most by an Indian bowler since January 2011. 

Stokes then struck Krunal for three maximums in the next over and moved into the 90s in a matter of just two overs. The game was almost dead by then as the two England batsmen took the Indian bowlers to the cleaners. Stokes was racing towards his century but the left-hander fell one run short of what could have been the third-fastest century for England. Stokes slammed 10 sixes before falling to Bhuvneshwar in the 36th over. The game looked dead but that's when Krishna came back into the attack and dismissed Bairstow and Buttler (0) in the same over to bring India right back in the game.

England still needed 50 runs and had two new batsmen - Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone - at the crease. Kohli for some odd reason brought Krunal and Kuldeep back into the attack and the two spinners released all the pressure by leaking 14 runs in the next two overs. The two batsmen were set by then and debutant Livingstone killed the game by smashing Bhuvneshwar for two successive sixes. Malan (16*) and Livingstone (27*) put on an unbeaten stand of 50 and took England over the line without further hiccups.