Cuttack: Some big blows in the death overs helped England cross 300 in the second ODI against India at the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday.
Liam Livingstone struck 2 fours and 2 sixes, and tailender Adil Rashid smashed three consecutive boundaries to guide England to 304, with 43 runs coming in the last 4 overs.
Half-centuries by Ben Duckett (65 off 56 balls) and Joe Root (69 off 72) gave England the platform to post a big total on a slowish pitch, where some balls kept low.
The packed crowd at Barabati didn’t have much to cheer about initially as the England openers raced to 81 in the 11th over. Then, the Indian spinners tightened the screws. Ravindra Jadeja was the standout bowler, registering figures of 3/35 in 10 overs. Debutant Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Shami, Harshit Rana and Hardik Pandya claimed a wicket apiece.
Shubman Gill pulled off two fine catches – running back 20-25 metres to grasp Harry Brook’s mishit off Rana and then diving forward at mid-off to pick the ball inches off the ground to send back skipper Jos Buttler.
Brief Scores: England 304 in 49.5 overs (Joe Root 69, Ben Duckett 65, Liam Livingstone 41; Ravindra Jadeja 3/35).
