India pulled off a stunning run chase in Pune to take the early series lead against England who will be desperate to hit back and pick up their first victory of a long and disastrous tour. Join The Roar for live scores of the second ODI in Cuttack from 7pm (AEDT).
India seemingly did themselves no favours when they won the toss, electing to bowl in the first match of the series, but they proved themselves to be the dominant team with a massive chase after a bowling effort that may have held England to a below par score.
The tourists came racing out of the blocks, going along at almost six runs per over for the first 20, with Jason Roy and Joe Root leading the way at the top of the order.
Trying to put the foot down through the middle overs saw the English lose a couple of wickets at crucial times that probably ended up costing them 20 or 30 absolutely crucial runs, despite Ben Stokes scoring 62 from 40.
Ravindra Jadeja led the way with the ball, only going for 50 runs from his ten overs, while opener Hardik Pandya was also solid.
India got off to a disastrous start in their run chase, something that has carried over from their previous series against New Zealand and they will need to address before this series ends and the Champions Trophy begins later in the year.
It was a case of Virat Kohli to the rescue once again for the hosts, though, the captain scoring 122 from 105 balls to hold an end and keep the innings moving.
He was able to build a 200-run stand for the fifth wicket in just 24.3 overs with Kedar Jadhav. By the time the pair was dismissed, the job was easy enough for the tail to do and they reached the total with 11 balls to go and three wickets remaining.
England’s bowlers simply had no answers, and only getting five overs (which conceded 50 runs) from Adil Rashid was a major part of the problem.
Prediction
India are simply a juggernaut at home and proved last game that no score will be safe. It’s hard to see England chasing anything over the 350 mark, even on a good wicket.
India are going to win and go ahead 2-0, it’s just a question of by how many.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores fo the second ODI in Cuttack from 7pm (AEDT) and don’t forget to add a comment in the section below.
Follow Scott on Twitter @sk_pryde
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
The Third Umpire ruled that he was standing outside his crease and the ball was dipping, making it a fair delivery - but the…
England's tour of India has ended in abject fashion as the tourists were hammered by an innings and 64 runs inside three days, with…
India have bowled England out for a below-par 218 and cruised to 1-135 in reply to seize early control of the fifth and final…
India have accomplished a nervy run-chase to secure a five-wicket victory against England in the fourth cricket Test in Ranchi. Chasing a modest 192…
In the build up to the India vs England Test series, there were reasonable predictions that India would be the ultimate challenge for Bazball.…
Until quite recently, you would look through an Indian Test XI and see experience everywhere: Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja with the…
