ENG vs IND, Second ODI Report: Joe Root’s unbeaten 99 propels England to series-level victory

Results in brief: England (235/6 in 44.1 ovs) beat India (233 in 44 ovs) by four wickets to level the three-match ODI series 1-1 in Cardiff.

Joe Root was stranded on 99 not out but guided England to a four-wicket win over India in the second ODI at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Thursday as the hosts leveled the three-match series at 1-1.

After England’s pace attack bowled India out for 233 in 44 overs, Root anchored the chase with another measured innings and took the hosts home with 20 balls to spare. He became the first English batsman to finish an ODI innings unbeaten on 99 and only the 17th player overall to be stuck on that score.

IND vs ENG, 2nd ODI: Highlights | Scorecard

More importantly for England, Root has ensured that the three-match series will be decided at Lord’s on Sunday.

Harry Brook’s decision to bowl first proved decisive as England’s seamen never allowed India to settle for long. Jofra Archer and Gus Atkinson claimed three wickets apiece while Saqib Mahmood grabbed two as the hosts shared nine of the 10 wickets they conceded. India had two batsmen with half-centuries and were well placed for a strong total before another famous collapse left them with a total that always looked within England’s reach.

Shubman Gill set the early pace with a brisk 31 off 30 deliveries, but Rohit Sharma’s difficult run in the format continued at the other end. Struggling to turn the strike around, the former skipper spent long periods tied down by England’s disciplined bowling and eventually made 26 off 47 balls before he edged out a Will Jacks sweep in favor of Jose Buttler. It was another innings in which Rohit never looked composed, leaving Gill to do most of the early scoring before Virat Kohli arrived at the crease.

However, Kohli looked much more confident than in recent weeks. He drove fluidly through the offside, was quick to latch on to anything that was kicked over and handled Archer’s pace with confidence during a well-constructed 65 off 66 balls. At the other end, Shreyas Iyer again showed why he has become India’s most reliable middle-order batsman in the format, making 66 off 71 deliveries. England tested him consistently with the short ball but he responded with authority, pulling Archer for a six to get another fifty.

Their partnership put India back in control after the first wicket, and at 179 for four, the visitors looked set to pass 250. However, England wrested the initiative back through Archer. The fast bowler extracted the extra bounce from the backhand delivery to force a leading edge from Kohli and the breakthrough set off a collapse that India could not stop.

Washington Sundar took two wickets, Axar Patel one and Shivam Dube fell for a duck as England tore through the lower middle order. India lost four wickets for just 15 runs in 26 deliveries, undoing the platform built by Kohli and Iyer. Bumrah’s unbeaten 20 took the total to 233, but at the break in the innings it looked 30 or 40 runs short of what India looked capable of posting.

Archer finished with 3 for 47, Atkinson returned 3 for 50 and Mahmood claimed 2 for 52 as the English started the chase with another disciplined display.

India’s defense could not have started better. Bumrah dismissed Ben Duckett with the first ball of the innings and drew an outside edge that Ishan Kishan comfortably took behind the stumps before Prasidh Krishna removed Jacob Bethell after opening a maiden to leave England at 11 for two.

However, those early breakthroughs brought Root to the crease sooner than England would have expected. The former captain absorbed the pressure without changing his method, first rebuilding alongside Harry Brook before adding an important partnership with Will Jacks and Sam Curran. He never let the required rate become an issue, rotating the strike consistently and cashing in whenever India erred on the length.

Root’s innings was not built on a flurry of boundaries. Nine fours punctuated an otherwise patient knock, with most of his runs coming through crisp running between the wickets and intelligent placement. Each partnership broke at the finish and each quiet phase was followed by another spell of accumulation, leaving India looking for wickets that never came.

Gus Atkinson eventually settled the match with a hooked six off Bumrah, completing the chase with 20 balls remaining and leaving Root unbeaten on 99. The missed century was more of a statistical joke than the story of the evening as England responded impressively to their defeat in the series opener to head to Lord’s with momentum for Sunday’s decider.

For India, Kohli’s return to form and another assured innings from Iyer were encouraging signs, but Rohit’s continued struggles and the collapse after Kohli’s dismissal once again exposed the fragility of the batting line-up. In contrast, England were clinical with the ball and composed in the chase, with Root once again providing a calm head around which the innings revolved.

– The end

Issued by:

Saurabh Kumar

Published on:

17 Jul 2026 01:40 IST