Cuttack: It’s do or die for England as all roads lead to the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday afternoon.
A power-packed team in white-ball cricket, Jos Buttler’s men were blown away 1-4 by Team India in the T20 International series. And they started the three-match ODI series with another crushing defeat at Nagpur two days ago.
Unless they manage to turn around their fortunes at the Barabati, England will end up losing both white-ball series.
Current form obviously favours Rohit Sharma’s team, despite the captain’s endless personal struggles with the bat. But what does history suggest?
Well, India have a fantastic record in Cuttack, having won 13 of the 17 ODIs they have played here. But England can take heart from the fact that they are the only team to have beaten India twice in the 50-over format at Barabati Stadium.
Those wins came in December 1984 and January 2002. And in their last clash at Barabati, England came mighty close to pulling off a stunner despite chasing a gigantic target of 382.
England batters have displayed their vulnerabilities against spin, losing their way dramatically in a couple of T20Is and also in the Nagpur ODI. But it’s not beyond them to master the Indian attack and restore parity.
Here’s a look at the five ODIs played between India and England at Cuttack:
INDIA vs ENGLAND ODIs AT BARABATI STADIUM
1. Jan 27, 1982 – India won 5 wkts
Brief Scores: England 230/6 in 46 overs (Keith Fletcher 69, Ian Botham 52; Sandeep Patil 2/53, S Madanlal 2/56). India 231/5 in 42 overs (Sunil Gavaskar 71, Sandeep Patil 64; Derek Underwood 3/48). Man of the Match: Gavaskar.
2. Dec 27, 1984 – England won by 1 run
Brief Scores: India 252/5 in 49 overs (Ravi Shastri 102, Krishnamachari Srikkanth 99; Vic Marks 3/50, Mike Gatting 2/49). England 241/6 in 46 overs (Mike Gatting 59, Vic Marks 44, Paul Downton 44*; Roger Binny 2/48). Man of the Match: Shastri.
3. Jan 22, 2002 – England won by 16 runs
Brief Scores: England 250/7 in 50 overs (Paul Collingwood 71*, Michael Vaughan 63; Nasser Hussain 46). India 234 in 48.4 overs(Dinesh Mongia 49, Sachin Tendulkar 45; Darren Gough 3/46). Man of the Match: Collingwood.
4. Nov 26, 2008 – India won by 6 wickets
Brief Scores: England 270/4 in 50 overs (Kevin Pietersen 111*, Owais Shah 66*; Zaheer Khan 2/60). India 273/4 in 43.4 overs (Virender Sehwag 91, Suresh Raina 53*, Sachin Tendulkar 50, MS Dhoni 50). Man of the Match: Sehwag.
5. Jan 19, 2017 – India won by 15 runs
Brief Scores: India 381/6 in 50 overs (Yuvraj Singh 150, MS Dhoni 134; Chris Woakes 4/60). England 366/8 in 50 overs (Eoin Morgan 102, Jason Roy 82, Moeen Ali 55, Joe Root 54; R Ashwin 3/65, Jasprit Bumrah 2/81). Man of the Match: Yuvraj.
