Lucknow: Team India are looking quite invincible after notching up their sixth win in as many matches in the ODI World Cup.
Rohit Sharma’s team seemed to have put up a slightly below-par total of 229/9 on the board after having been asked to bat first by England.
But the way India’s bowlers defended that score at the Ekana Stadium here was a sight to behold.
The English batsmen were at sixes and sevens to cope with the accurate Jasprit Bumrah (3/32). Mohammad Shami (4/22) then made the ball talk, while the wily Kuldeep Yadav bagged 2 wickets, including rival captain Jos Buttler with a gem of a ball which spun a mile.
Defending champions England were bowled out for 129, ending their chances of making the semifinals after suffering their fifth defeat in six matches.
It wasn’t an easy pitch to bat on, with both pacers and spinners getting some assistance.
The only batsman to look a class apart was Rohit, whose knock of 89 (101 balls, 10×4, 3×6) was the only half-century in the game. It was even more crucial as India had been reduced to 40/3 in 12 overs.
Suryakumar Yadav (49) and KL Rahul (39) played crucial supporting roles for the home team.
Brief scores: India 229/9 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 89, Suryakumar Yadav 49, KL Rahul 39; David Willey 3/45, Chris Woakes 2/33, Adil Rashid 2/35). England 129 all out in 34.5 overs (Md Shami 4/22, Jasprit Bumrah 3/32, Kuldeep Yadav 2/24).
Result: India won by 100 runs
Man of the Match: Rohit Sharma
Points position: India 1st (12 points in 6 games); England 10th (2 pts in 6 games).
India’s next match: Vs Sri Lanka (Nov 2).
