In the Cardiff ODI, England defeated India by 4 wickets thanks to a brilliant innings by Joe Root (99*). India had scored 233 runs batting first. With this win, the three-match series is now level at 1-1.
Batting first, the Indian team could not even complete their 50 overs and were bowled out for 233 runs. In response, despite a poor start, England achieved the target in the 45th over, losing 6 wickets.
When England came out to chase the target of 234 runs, their start was extremely poor. Jasprit Bumrah sent Ben Duckett to the pavilion on the very first ball.
Then, in the fourth over, Prasidh Krishna dismissed Jacob Bethell. England had lost both their opening batsmen for just 8 runs.
However, after this, the Indian bowlers could not maintain the pressure. Joe Root anchored at one end, batted brilliantly, and completely turned the course of the match.
Wickets kept falling from the other end for England, but Joe Root held one end firm and only rested after securing the win for his team.
Root first built small partnerships with Harry Brook, then Sam Curran, and later with Jos Buttler. He then secured the victory for England by forming crucial partnerships with Will Jacks and Gus Atkinson.
This unbeaten innings by Root proved costly for Team India, as the Indian batsmen failed to build any such big partnership. The series decider will now be played on July 19 at Lord's.
In this match, after losing the toss and being put in to bat first, the Indian team had a very poor start. There was a partnership of 44 runs between Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, but it came at a very slow pace.
India got their first blow in the eighth over in the form of Shubman Gill (31). After this, captain Rohit Sharma also got out in the 18th over after scoring 26 runs off 47 balls.
The team's middle order also completely faltered. Batsmen like Ishan Kishan (1), Washington Sundar (2), Axar Patel (1), and Shivam Dube (4) returned to the pavilion cheaply.
However, the half-century innings of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer somewhat stabilized the Indian innings. In the end, Jasprit Bumrah's crucial contribution of 20 runs in 13 balls helped the team cross the 230-run mark.
For England, Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson bowled brilliantly, taking three wickets each. Saqib Mahmood got two successes, while Sam Curran and Will Jacks also got one wicket each.
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