England v India: Joe Root's ton helps hosts level ODI series
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Highlights: Root and Willey propel England to victory
Second one-day international, Lord's |
England 322-7 (50 overs): Root 113, Morgan 53, Kuldeep 3-68 |
India 236 (50 overs): Raina 46, Kohli 45, Plunkett 4-46 |
England won by 86 runs; series level at 1-1 with one to play |
Joe Root's gritty century laid the foundations for England's series-levelling victory over India in the second one-day international at Lord's.
Root made 113, and David Willey's unbeaten 50 from 31 balls gave England the late impetus to reach 322-7.
Though India slipped to 60-3 in reply, the reassuring presence of captain Virat Kohli kept them in the game.
After he was lbw to Moeen Ali for 45, the tourists limped to 236, to lose by 86 runs.
The three-match series is left poised at 1-1 and will be decided at Headingley on Tuesday.
England hit back
Buttler takes 'stunner' of a catch to remove Rahul
A 2-1 defeat in the Twenty20 series and a huge loss in the first ODI on Thursday posed questions for England.
Are they really the favourites to win the World Cup on home soil next year? Are the hot, dry conditions playing into the hands of India: not just now, but in the five Tests that follow?
This win may not provide the answers, but England did outplay the formidable Indians and found a way to deal with left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
Kuldeep took 6-25 at Trent Bridge and it may have been his presence that prompted England to bat first, despite a green tinge to the surface and their usual preference to chase.
Kuldeep still claimed three fortuitous wickets, albeit in conceding 68 runs, with England looking set to fall short of 300 until Willey changed the momentum.
India got off to a rapid start, but gifted three wickets and were then strangled by England spinners Moeen and Adil Rashid.
Root's welcome runs
Root had a highest score of 35 in his previous eight limited-overs innings and was dropped for the deciding T20.
He arrived when England were at risk of a Trent Bridge repeat as openers Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy both fell to Kuldeep after a solid start.
The Test captain rebuilt with classy touches - manoeuvring, guiding and working the ball in the sunshine, sharing 103 with white-ball skipper Eoin Morgan, who swept his way to 53.
But when Morgan heaved a Kuldeep full toss into the hands of deep mid-wicket, it began a collapse that saw England lose four wickets for 50 runs.
Until that point, 42 overs in, India had been relentless with the ball and electric in the field.
Willey, though, arrived to clobber the ball through mid-off and square on the leg side, hitting five fours and a six.
Root continued serenely to his 12th ODI century, equalling Marcus Trescothick's England record. He celebrated with a six over long-on, before being run out by wicketkeeper MS Dhoni off the final ball of the innings.
India collapse after Kohli departure
Wood bowls Sharma to give England first wicket
For a while, when England were loose with the new ball and lacking energy in the field, India looked like reaching their target with ease.
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma tucked in, only to be dismissed by awful strokes. Rohit was bowled hacking at Mark Wood, Dhawan sliced Willey to point and KL Rahul's inside edge off Liam Plunkett was brilliantly held by England keeper Jos Buttler.
Still, Kohli is perhaps the greatest chaser in the history of one-day cricket and his calm accumulation in a stand of 80 with Suresh Raina was ominous for England, particularly as Raina was dropped by both Buttler and Roy.
In England's favour was the slowing nature of the baked surface on which their spinners were able to squeeze. When Kohli missed one from off-spinner Moeen to be leg before, India's best hope went with him.
A swishing Raina was bowled by leg-spinner Rashid for 46 and Umesh Yadav was stumped off the same bowler, either side of Buttler taking another tumbling catch off Plunkett, down the leg side to dismiss Hardik Pandya.
Dhoni, a wonderful chaser in his own right, remained, but showed little interest in taming the spiralling required run rate.
Boos and slow hand claps were heard from a crowd full of India fans as the contest petered out, with Dhoni eventually holing out off Plunkett for a curious 37 from 59 balls.
Watch: India's Dhoni booed at Lord's for refusing to run
Analysis
by England fast bowler James Anderson on Test Match Special
Dhoni is renowned for being so good in chases and difficult situations. I just feel he got today horribly wrong. I felt for the crowd. They wanted some sort of entertainment.
The last 15 overs, India took their foot off the gas completely. You're left scratching your head.
'We couldn't get going' - what the captains said
India captain Virat Kohli: "Today was a day where we couldn't get going. Those three wickets early on did play a massive role.
"Moeen and Rashid are quality bowlers. Both sensed that we can't really take risks at the particular stage. They did not try anything fancy, they just kept it tight.
"When you're chasing a big score you need that partnership."
England captain Eoin Morgan: "The two openers got us off to a great start again. We can't really take for granted the work that they do.
"They're against a good attack and they're taking advantage of the form that they're in. The biggest thing for me today was the skill level and our basics were a lot higher than the previous game. We bounced back beautifully.
"It's important we take that to Leeds and start again. India will come back hard at us."