Cardiff, July 17: England defeated India by four wickets in the second One-Day International (ODI) in Cardiff on Thursday, leveling the three-match series 1-1 after successfully chasing a target of 234.
After being invited to bat first, India were bowled out for 233 in 44 overs. Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a composed 99 not out, falling just one run short of a century as the innings ended before he could reach the milestone.
Shreyas Iyer added a valuable half-century, but the remaining batters struggled against England’s disciplined bowling attack.
England’s pace bowlers kept India under pressure throughout the innings.Jofra Archer led the attack with 3 wickets for 47 runs, while Gus Atkinson also claimed three wickets.
Saqib Mahmood chipped in with two wickets to restrict India to a modest total.In reply, England suffered an early setback when Ben Duckett was dismissed off the first ball by Jasprit Bumrah.
India continued to make inroads as Prasidh Krishna removed Jacob Bethell, Hardik Pandya dismissed Harry Brook for 16, and Gurnoor Brar accounted for Will Jacks, who scored 30.
Jos Buttler also departed after scoring 17.Despite the early wickets, Joe Root produced a match-winning unbeaten 99, guiding England to 235/6 in 44.1 overs and sealing victory with nine balls to spare.
The win helped England draw level in the series at 1-1, setting up a decisive third ODI. While India’s batting relied heavily on Kohli and Iyer, England’s disciplined bowling and Root’s calm finish proved to be the difference in the contest.
