Rohit Sharma scored unbeaten 137 in easy victory at Trent Bridge after England set India a below-par total of 269
And with that, we shall leave you. More OBOing to come tomorrow as England’s women face New Zealand. Join us then.
And here’s your match report. Some further thoughts from our man at Trent Bridge, Ali Martin, will follow in due course.
Related: Rohit Sharma and Kuldeep Yadav star as India thrash England in first ODI
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Incidentally, Kuldeep’s figures of 6-25 were the best for a spinner in an ODI in England, and the best for a left-arm spinner full-stop.
That would seem to be the most obvious problem for England to solve, how to play Kuldeep. Because at the moment they look like me trying to grapple with a cryptic crossword when the left-arm wristy comes on.
And Kuldeep gets man of the match. Quite refreshing: usually a shoo-in when a batsman gets a century.
Kohli also suggested, as would seems sensible, that Kuldeep might play in the Tests starting in a couple of weeks.
Virat Kohli also speaks: “As clinical as it can be. We knew it was a really good wicket to play on, but with our wrist spinners we knew it would be tricky for them. Kuldeep was outstanding - to give away 25 runs for six wickets was outstanding. We need players who can make an impact, and these two guys [Kuldeep and Chahal] did that.”
Eoin Morgan speaks: “Not our best day. India completely outplayed us. Both games offered a bit more turn than usual, so we might need to find a better way of playing. Lord’s will be a bit different. Kuldeep extracted more than any other spinner. We need to improve, particularly in that area. To be honest, I think it is ideal: before the World Cup we need to be exposed to our areas of weakness, including against wrist spin.”
Well, that was what you might call comprehensive. England never really got going after losing those early wickets, Kuldeep made them look like buffons and never looked like controlling Kohli and Sharma. The latter played another brilliant, basically chanceless innings, and you would think that if he stays playing like this then England will do well to win another game in this series.
Moeen bowls a big wide, then Rahul goes for a massive hit to end it, gets a thick inside edge for a single and a forgettable game ends in forgettable fashion.
40th over: India 267-2 (Sharma 137, Rahul 8) - target 269 Oh, look at this, Joe Root is bowling. Unless I’m much mistaken it looks like he’s trying some seam up balls, and...well, it doesn’t go brilliantly. Five wides come from one that goes way down leg and scoots past Buttler. He returns to the offies, and at the end of the over India require two further runs.
39th over: India 258-2 (Sharma 134, Rahul 7) - target 269 Moeen’s back, and has a long conversation with Morgan about field placings. Always a good one, that: what exactly do you suppose they’re discussing when the game is so patently lost? He drops one shortish, and Sharma is on it like a flash, slapping to the boundary between mid-wicket and long-on.
38th over: India 249-2 (Sharma 126, Rahul 6) - target 269 A few of what they would call in baseball ‘hard hit balls’ - actually, you’d probably call them that anywhere - don’t get much reward. Three singles from the over.
37th over: India 246-2 (Sharma 124, Rahul 5) - target 269 Hmmm, a limp game appears to be ending in an even more limp fashion which is a b...oh, Sharma lashes a pitched up wide one from Rashid over the covers. 23 required.
36th over: India 239-2 (Sharma 118, Rahul 4) - target 269 Willey goes for a yorker to Rahul, goes up for lbw but there was a big inside edge on that. Actually, it was more the face of the bat. Just two runs from that over, and they’re having a drink, so why don’t you?
35th over: India 237-2 (Sharma 117, Rahul 3) - target 269 After a decent enough over, Rashid drops an absolute stinker of a long-hop to Sharma who gives it the necessary, thwacked for a one-bounce four just in front of mid-wicket. A couple more are cut to third man, and India require only another 32 runs.
Most runs chasing in ODIs
Tendulkar - 8720, 232 innings, ave 42, 17 hundreds
Kohli - 5847, 118 innings, ave 68, 22 hundreds
Jayasuriya - 5742, ave 29, 10 hundreds
Kohli has the best ODI average ever when chasing (20 innings)
Kohli is the ODI GOAT. Don't @ me.
34th over: India 228-2 (Sharma 110, Rahul 1) - target 269 Willey back into the attack, and a slip is in for new bat Rahul. Just a couple of runs from the over.
33rd over: India 226-2 (Sharma 109, Rahul 0) - target 269 Not sure anyone really saw that one coming.
Huh. Seemingly from nowhere Rashid gets some big rip past the edge, Kohli sneaks out of his ground and Buttler smartly does the rest.
32nd over: India 224-1 (Sharma 108, Kohli 74) - target 269 Sharma eschews the use of his bottom hand as he sashays down the track and smites a one-handed six over long-off. Poor old Moeen.
31st over: India 215-1 (Sharma 101, Kohli 72) - target 269 Sharma goes to his century in the most flamboyant style, launching a colossal six somewhere in the direction of the Trent off Rashid. Brilliant innings, his third century in his last six limited overs internationals.
30th over: India 207-1 (Sharma 94, Kohli 71) - target 269 Moeen’s been reasonably tidy in his six overs so far, and that one was particularly neat: two singles from it. Not that it matters much at this stage, from England’s perspective.
29th over: India 205-1 (Sharma 93, Kohli 70) - target 269 Oh! Roy almost takes a sensational catch as Sharma absolutely leathers a cut quite a way wide of him at point, which he gets his right hand to but the catch doesn’t stick. Almost feels harsh to call that a drop, but ultimately it was. Plunkett achieves the rare feat of beating Kohli’s outside edge with a nice rising one on off stump, then Kohli puts him back in his place with the loveliest off drive to the cover fence you ever did see.
28th over: India 199-1 (Sharma 92, Kohli 65) - target 269 Woof. Sharma comes down and carts Moeen over cow corner, a man taking a lovely clean catch in the crowd, then plays an absolutely hideous cross-batted shot which nonetheless goes for four, Plunkett just failing to save at the long-off fence. Kohli helps himself to another few runs, and India casually take 16 from the over.
27th over: India 183-1 (Sharma 81, Kohli 60) - target 269 The other way Sharma might deal with any cramping issues is just to hit boundaries: he picks up one with a dabbed shot through third man. A single, then substitute fielder Dawid Malan (not sure who he’s on for) does very well to save a couple of runs on the cover fence from Kohli.
26th over: India 175-1 (Sharma 76, Kohli 57) - target 269 Sharma may have done himself a mischief in playing that last pull. Might have just been a spot of cramp, as the physio comes out with hydration of some description. He might be able to just stand at the other end if Kohli carries on like this, playing a beautiful delicate late cut for a boundary from the last ball of Moeen’s over.
25th over: India 169-1 (Sharma 75, Kohli 52) - target 269 Wood is the latest England bowler to attempt the futility of reeling these Indian batsmen in, and his greeted by the full face of Kohli’s bat, flashing in front of his eyes as a four is lashed to the cover fence. A half century for Kohli, and he looks like he’s having a net out there. As does Sharma, who plays a delicious ramp shot over what probably would have been third or fourth slip, getting a boundary for himself. And then, to compound the misery, to grind Wood’s nose further into the dirt, a beautiful whipped pull goes in front of fine leg for another brilliant Sharma boundary.
24th over: India 154-1 (Sharma 66, Kohli 46) - target 269 Moeen gets another try with the ball. It’s a bit difficult to tell if he kept the batsmen quiet, with just two singles from the over, or they simply decided to take a breather.
@NickMiller79 Given the batting might of these two teams, England's best chance with the ball would be on wickets with a bit in them for the fast bowlers. Their strategy of outbatting the opposition by scoring 350+ is not going to work with India.
23rd over: India 152-1 (Sharma 65, Kohli 45) - target 269 Rashid is swept perfectly by Sharma behind square for another four, then collects a couple with an under-edged pull that Wood pulls in, but takes a colossal chunk out of the Trent Bridge outfield in doing so. Sharma then takes a slightly earthier approach by launching a slog over mid-on, which skips for one more boundary.
22nd over: India 140-1 (Sharma 54, Kohli 44) - target 269 Sharma goes to 50 with the most careful, considered cut to the boundary that he almost took 20 minutes to ponder over it. What a brilliant player he is.
21st over: India 133-1 (Sharma 49, Kohli 42) - target 269 Kohli tries a fierce cut off Rashid but only really gets a toe-end on it, and Bairstow has to make another smart stop on the fence to keep them to two. Three other singles from the over.
20th over: India 128-1 (Sharma 48, Kohli 38) - target 269 Stokes tries a slower ball but it loops out of his hand and barely lands on the cut strip. Don’t mind the intention: it looks like the only way he’s going to get either of these batsmen out. Stokes is lucky to get away with another wide - for height, this one - but otherwise it’s a tight over, two more singles from it.
19th over: India 125-1 (Sharma 47, Kohli 37) - target 269 Rashid isn’t really getting much turn. Certainly not as much as Kuldeep did earlier. Three singles from the sort of quiet over India can afford. England really need to go all out for wickets.
@NickMiller79 it already looks like both the teams are just going through the motions now
18th over: India 122-1 (Sharma 45, Kohli 36) - target 269 Stokes replaces Plunkett as the skies grow a little darker. He nearly banjaxes Kohli with a slower ball that is driven in the air, but ultimately safely out to Root on the cover fence. Then a regulation speed ball, half-volley though it is, goes a bit straighter, wide of mid-off and to the boundary. And that will be drinks.
17th over: India 114-1 (Sharma 44, Kohli 29) - target 269 Rashid nearly gets through Kohli, an inside edge which rattles between his pads and nearly hits leg stump. Two singles and a two, nicely saved by Bairstow on the third man fence, from the over.
16th over: India 110-1 (Sharma 43, Kohli 26) - target 269
@NickMiller79 Kohli appears to be on autopilot
15th over: India 104-1 (Sharma 42, Kohli 21) - target 269 It briefly looks like a good over for England, until Sharma sweeps with power but consummate control control behind square for four, off the last ball of Rashid’s over.
14th over: India 98-1 (Sharma 37, Kohli 20) - target 269 Plunkett continues, and is milked for three singles, then a very lovely two flicked through mid-wicket. Only an act of god or a collective Indian existential crisis will stop them knocking these runs off in brisk order.
13th over: India 93-1 (Sharma 35, Kohli 17) - target 269 Dilly Rashid gets a bowl, and sends down a tidy over. But these batsmen are so comfortable playing spin - even very good legspin like this - that they look in absolutely no danger. A point emphasised when Kohli spanks a shortish - but not outrageously short - ball from off stump to the point fence.
12th over: India 87-1 (Sharma 34, Kohli 12) - target 269 Smart running from Kohli takes two when there should have only been one. A couple more quick singles, and really this is all India need from this point.
11th over: India 83-1 (Sharma 33, Kohli 9) - target 269 Here’s Ben Stokes with the ball, Eoin Morgan mixing things up with his attack. He gives Sharma some driving practice with a half-volley begging to be driven to the boundary, and he duly obliges.
10th over: India 74-1 (Sharma 27, Kohli 6) - target 269 Liam Plunkett is into the attack, and he does quite well. He restricts India to a couple of singles, guided down to third man by both batsmen.
9th over: India 72-1 (Sharma 26, Kohli 5) - target 269 And Virat is away in style, a lovely pushed off drive through the covers and to the boundary. A single, then Sharma adds another pair of fours with a terrific jab that threads the thin path betwixt point and third man, then a more orthodox square cut.
8th over: India 59-1 (Sharma 17, Kohli 0) - target 269 Always a funny one when you’ve got a player as brilliant as Kohli in the opposition: taking a wicket is great, but you do how have to face a genius...
Lovely adjustment from Dhawan, who premeditates a sweep but, on spotting the ball was too short for the shot, instead he plays a sort of pull from one knee. Nothing lovely about the next shot: he gets giddy, runs down the track and goes for a big heave, which he only manages to thick edge and loop to Rashid in the gully.
7th over: India 53-0 (Dhawan 35, Sharma 17) - target 269 Wood continues, and is absolutely carted with a languid straight drive, which sails over mid-off for six. Remarkable shot which, as a result of it hitting concrete in the stands, requires a change of ball.
6th over: India 45-0 (Dhawan 34, Sharma 10) - target 269 Spin required already, and Moeen Ali is into the attack from the Pavilion End. Sharma goes back and smacks a terrific back-foot drive to the cover fence, which combined with four simple singles, makes it a straightforward eight from that over. If they carry on like this we’ll be done by the 36th over.
5th over: India 37-0 (Dhawan 32, Sharma 4) - target 269 Another four, Dhawan this time glancing one fine as Wood falls over in his delivery stride for I think the fourth time already today. Then another, combined with a half caught & bowled chance, hit firmly back towards the bowler, but probably too far to his left. Then another, to the same place as the first in this over, but this time from a pull he just got enough on. He’s taking the game away from England all on his own.
4th over: India 24-0 (Dhawan 19, Sharma 4) - target 269 Another buffet ball from Willey but another lovely shot from Dhawan, flicked off his pads for another boundary. England have enough problems without deliveries like that.
3rd over: India 19-0 (Dhawan 14, Sharma 4) - target 269 Wood sends a short one down the leg side, there’s a noise and Buttler goes up for the catch a little half-heartedly. Looked like it just flicked his arm guard. A couple of singles and a wide from the over.
2nd over: India 16-0 (Dhawan 13, Sharma 3) - target 269 Big Dave Willey has the ball from the other end, looking to get some early swing. Which he does, but Dhawan goes with the arc of the ball to cream a couple of cover drives to the boundary. Those two were essentially off side half-volleys, so Willey mixes things up a bit by giving Dhawan a half-volley on his pads, which is clipped to the ropes despite the best efforts of Ben Stokes.
1st over: India 3-0 (Dhawan 1, Sharma 2) - target 269 Wood starts with an absolute snorter, moving away, beating Sharma and somehow missing off stump. Two singles later Wood beats the edge again, and while he can look rather innocuous sometimes, but that was a decent first over from the Durham quick.
The players are out. It’ll be Shikhar Dawan and Rohit Sharma to open the batting, and from the Radcliffe Road End Mark Wood has the ball.
Well hello. This total does look rather light, but perhaps our perceptions are coloured slightly by the absurd outlier (on a different sort of pitch) that was the 481 against Australia. Still, you would expect India to knock these off without too much sweat. Your thoughts on the matter either via email - Nick.Miller.casual@theGuardian.com - or Twitter - @NickMiller79.
Nick Miller will guide you through India’s reply. Fireworks? Yes please!
A superb performance by Kuldeep - 23 years old and walking off with 6-25, the best figures by a spinner against England in ODI cricket, beating the record set by Sanath Jayasuriya of 6-29 in 1993. England were all at sea, trapped into indecision by his accuracy and variation,
He’s got some fans too:
Very well bowled
49.5 overs: England 268 all out (Wood not out 0) Well, that wasn’t quite what we expected on this wicket, at this ground, where England broke the world record against Australia earlier this year.
Out! Going for a ridiculous second run to deep backward- point
Rashid flat-bats a low full toss to deep point.
49th over: England 259-8 ( Plunkett 1, Rashid 22) Wow! Rashid flicks Siddarth over his left shoulder for six, as if digging a children’s sandcastle, racing against the tide. And then again, if more awkwardly, for four. One over left.
48th over: England 246-8 ( Plunkett 0, Rashid 14) Moeen throws the bat, beautifully, pulling behind square for six, then a four . Then he’s out, but he had to go for it. England nearing 250 - it doesn’t look enough.
Moeen tries another flick, this time high over midwicket, where Kohli takes a high comfortable catch.
47th over: England 234-7 ( Ali 14, Rashid 12) Two fours from Siddarth’s over: a superbly-timed shot by Rashid, wristily-hit straight down the ground - the first boundary for 74 balls. Then Moeen stands and delivers a flowing crack through the extra-cover boundary for another four.
46th over: England 223-7 ( Ali 10, Rashid 5) Ali and Rashid try their best, but they’ve got no time to get their eye in.
45th over: England 217-7 ( Ali 7, Rashid 0) Two more wickets for Kuldeep in his final over. What a start! 6-25! It’s only the third time an opposition spinner has taken a five-wicket haul in an ODI in England - the others were Randiv and Murali.
Willey swings high, and is caught in the deep by Rahul and that’s Kuldeep’s sixth wicket!
Another one for Kuldeep! Stokes sweeps to backward point where Siddarth throws himself to the right and clings onto the ball with both hands.
44th over: England 212-5 (Ali 7, Stokes 50) Moeen is hit on the helmet from a rapid bouncer as he tries to hook Siddarth . He seems unbothered and unhurt. And that’s Stokes’ fifty - a good-hearted but pedestrian effort, off 102 balls. He gives his bat a pefunctorary raise.
This game has a hint of the domestic T20 game last week between Yorkshire and Durham where Stokes was 90 not out but couldn’t catch Yorkshire. That though was off 68 balls.
43rd over: England 212-5 (Ali 6, Stokes 49) Umesh returns, as Kohli keeps one over from Kuldeep up his sleeve. Stokes edges closer to what would be his slowest fifty in ODI cricket, his slowest to date is off 63 balls. So far he’s faced 101.
42nd over: England 209-5 (Ali 3, Stokes 46) Ali reaches wide to sweep Chahal, then Stokes pulls him to the boundary where Hardik dives, stops the ball, and parries it to his teammate. Just the single. England just can’t escape the stranglehold. Four from the over.
41st over: England 205-5 (Ali 3, Stokes 46) Kuldeep sends one fizzing past Stokes’ outside edge. That’s gorgeous. England are still to score a boundary off any of his 54 deliveries. He’s got one over left.
40th over: England 202-5 (Ali 1, Stokes 45) And that’s the 200 up for England. Stokes tries to reverse-sweep Chahal off the last ball of the over, but he can’t connect in his usual way. Ten overs left.
39th over: England 197-5 (Ali 0, Stokes 39) A beautiful over from Kuldeep, pinning Stokes back on his stumps, altering his speed and his line. And then the wicket of Buttler. The hare has gone, and England are left with the tortoise. Kuldeep 4-20 .
And another one for Kuldeep, a fine catch by Dhoni off the face of the bat.
38th over: England 195-4 (Buttler 53, Stokes 39) Hardik tries a slower ball bouncer, Stokes attempts to pull, has second thoughts, takes his eye away and topples to the right. He shakes his head. Another tight over by India - three from it - they are turning the screw. What can England do with 12 overs? In theory, loads, with these two in. But they’ve lost their mojo a bit.
37th over: England 192-4 (Buttler 52, Stokes 38) Stokes is looking increasingly frustrated, struggling to pierce the ring, hitting fielders when he gets the ball away. England need Buttler to dominate the strike. Siddarth is neat, good, only conceding three from the over. And they tick by.
36th over: England 188-4 (Buttler 50, Stokes 37) England in danger of getting stuck here as Stokes, rusty, struggles to find his rhythm. Buttler reaches another fifty, his 18th in ODIs. Even against this attack, he’s looking in magnificent form - touch, timing, he’s got it all.
35th over: England 183-4 (Buttler 46, Stokes 36) Buttler is scoring at more than a run a ball (46 off 40), Stokes at around half a run a ball (36 off 74).
34th over: England 179-4 (Buttler 44, Stokes 34) Umesh again, and that’s a super stroke by Buttler, a quick-fire drive through mid-off to the boundary.
I covered a women’s ODI the other day and they do rattle through their overs a heck of a lot quicker. Don’t think either Heather Knight or Suzie Bates are as inveterate fiddlers as Kohli though.
33rd over: England 172-4 (Buttler 38, Stokes 33) Siddarth is back, pink headband, elasticated John McEnroe stylee. England take a quick single, and there’s a direct hit from Sharma, but Stokes is back safely. Next ball Stokes pulls away and points at mid-wicket just as Siddarth is about to bowl. It’s too late for Siddarth, who lets go, and Stokes apologies. England still holding back - softly, softly, catchee monkey? Hmmm.
32nd over: England 166-4 (Buttler 34, Stokes 31) Umesh Yadav gets the ball back, but still England hesitate. Eighteen overs left. Buttler loosens the shoulder to hit the ball square but there’s a man on the boundary and he just gets the single. Four from the over.
31st over: England 162-4 (Buttler 33, Stokes 28) Kuldeep, who has something of the matinee idol in his thick pomaded hair and long-sleeved shirt, continues pinning England to the crease. Not a big shot to be seen, four sensible singles.
Meanwhile...
30th over: England 158-4 (Buttler 29, Stokes 28) And that’s the fifty partnership from 60 balls, 28 of them to Buttler, 23 to Stokes. Chahal trying all the tricks, displaying the jewel box, but England resisting his wares. Tick, tick.
29th over: England 154-4 (Buttler 27, Stokes 26) Only one off this over from Kuldeep, it seems England have decided watchful waiting is the right tactic here. And not getting out. Kuldeep: 6-0-13-3.
28th over: England 153-4 (Buttler 27, Stokes 25) Buttler watches Chahal carefully, then opens his shoulders, lofts his arms, and sends the ball soaring up to the extra cover boundary for four. Two balls later he repeats the shot, only flatter - along the ground, past the fielder for another boundary, and he overtakes Stokes. Pandia wings in a throw as England take a quick single and hits Chahal on the ankle, down he goes, skittle-like, to the ground.
27th over: England 142-4 (Buttler 18, Stokes 23) Kuldeep returns. England gulp. He’s through that over in a jiffy, three from him. That’s three wickets for 12 from his five overs and they’re struggling to pick him both on the pitch and even in commentary box, where generally these things are much easier.
James Soper is missing Alex Hales, “A man very much in form (averaging around 57 in domestic ODIs this year) and really in form on his home ground”. I suspect he’s not the only one. Hales due to be having a scan this afternoon, though he would have been left out anyway - which was harsh.
26th over: England 139-4 (Buttler 17, Stokes 21) Very steady - three singles to Stokes, two to Buttler, and a dot.
25th over: England 134-4 (Buttler 15, Stokes 18) Buttler edges Hardik for four, edges again for a quick single. Then, eye in, drives elegantly, extra-cover perfection, for another boundary. He and Stokes punch gloves.
24th over: England 124-4 (Buttler 5 Stokes 18) India are emasculating England’s big men at the moment, their huge crowd-pleasing shots, their shoulder-rotating swipes have become nurdles and nudges, even forward-defences. And as I write that Stokes cuts a wide one square, through a fielder-less expanse for four.
23rd over: England 116-4 (Buttler 2, Stokes 13) Hardik gets one past Stokes’s outside edge, but the next he thwacks, long, through extra-cover for four. His shoulders drop briefly with relief. Then a sharp single. That’s more like it.
22nd over: England 111-4 (Buttler 2, Stokes 8) Chahal, wily, taming England with brains and wrist not strength. He switches, to come around the wicket to Stokes. One off the over.
21st over: England 110-4 (Buttler 1, Stokes 5) England forced to be circumspect by circumstances. Three off the over. Someone’s going to get it - who will it be? They won’t dare against Kuldeep. Would they take on Chahal? A stat courtesy of TMS - England have scored only 36 runs in their second block of ten overs. Their worst performance in that block since the last World Cup.
20th over: England 107-4 (Buttler 1, Stokes 5) Chahal is in on the act with spin is proving problematic for England this afternoon. Buttler, mister run-machine himself, walks out. The crowd expects. He drives, confidently, to his first ball, and is off the mark straight away.
Chahal throws the ball up and Morgan, trying to get the run-rate going, chips him up and into midwicket’s hands
19th over: England 104-3 (Morgan 19, Stokes 3) Hardik is the man with the ball as the England dressing-room peers through the glass darkly. Stokes hits with the toe of his bat for a single. And that’s six! A flat-batted pull by Morgan off a high-bouncing ball brings up the hundred. Then he drives him, next ball, straight, to the boundary for four.
18th over: England 92-3 (Morgan 8, Stokes 2) Morgan has decided that Raina is the man they need to tuck into, taking his first ball down to the boundary. It is slow work for England at the moment though - six runs in the last six overs.
17th over: England 87-3 (Morgan 3, Stokes 2) Kuldeep apparently started off in his cricketing career as a fast bowler. Not a bad choice then to switch. Stokes carefully prods, he’s not a man made for prodding, he’s a man made for yomping. We’ll see how this strategy goes.
16th over: England 86-3 (Morgan 2, Stokes 2) Raina, a chunkier figure, less threatening, spins the ball over to Stokes, who defends thoughtfully, then gets a single. A slapped drive by Morgan brings another run.
15th over: England 83-3 (Morgan 1, Stokes 1) Kuldeep with his angled run twists and turns. Kohli plays musical fielders. England prod and twitch, then take a hesitant, then hurried, single - their first run for 15 balls. Kuldeep 3 overs, 3 for 8.
14th over: England 82-3 (Morgan 1, Stokes 0) A maiden for Raina as England take a long, deep, heavy, breath.
13th over: England 82-3 (Morgan 1, Stokes 0) Not sure all that practise against Merlyn has quite paid off. England not picking Kuldeep, who so far on the tour of Ireland and the Uk has taken15 wickets at 6.8.
Bairstow is bamboozled by the wrong’un, a little faster and fuller than before. It is given not out, but Kohli reviews. It shows Bairstow was hit on the back leg and there’s no escape.
Root is completely deceived by a ball from Kuldeep that spins back in. He plays down the wrong line and is hit on the knee roll. Out, out out.
12th over: England 81-1 (Root 3, Bairstow 38) Root and Bairstow tweak at Chahal, running four singles. Root is twitchy, bat and legs in a tangle to Chahal’s penultimate ball.
11th over: England 77-1 (Root 1, Bairstow 36) An important breakthrough for India, now Root must come in and bat against the spinners on a dry pitch. He’s the only England batsman rated in the ODI top ten, but he’s considered under pressure. Crikey, life can be unfair sometimes.
Roy tries to reverse sweep, slips, slightly loses his balance, and chips Kuldeep to cover where Yadav takes an easy catch
10th over: England 71-0 (Roy 36, Bairstow 33) Hardik replaces Siddarth, Roy flicks him to the short boundary, wristily, behind square for four. A very clever shot. And that’s the power play over - England on top, if they haven’t been allowed to totally let loose.
This from Smylers: “As cricketing stats go ‘Root dismissals, if yorkers included’ doesn’t really make sense, but as a crossword clue (for a word unrelated to cricket) it was enough to get me runner-up in a competition on this site’s Crossword Blog (https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2018/jul/09/crossword-roundup-whats-so-corny-about-corn). Anybody else managed to crowbar cricketing references into places that, frankly, weren’t asking for them?”
9th over: England 63-0 (Roy 29, Bairstow 32) Aha, we have spin. This is where it gets interesting. Chahal, a slip of a man, shirt half in, half out, pink arm sleeves under his shirt, steps in and rolls his wrist. England are wary, nervous, scuttling a few singles. A reverse-sweep for four by Roy off the last ball isn’t totally convincing.
8th over: England 56-0 (Roy 24, Bairstow 30) A flick, a veritable flick for six from Bairstow brings up the fifty for England. How does he do that? It seems all in the wrist, with minimal use of those pumped up arms. Trent Bridge roars in delight.
7th over: England 47-0 (Roy 23, Bairstow 22) It is Roy’s turn to dominate, meatier than Bairstow, less fluent, just as devastating. First a thick outside-edge down to the boundary, then a clever shot through the vacant third man. Ten from the over.
6th over: England 37-0 (Roy 14, Bairstow 21) Siddarth has an expensive over from the Ratcliffe Road end. Bairstow is looking devastating, hits Siddarth on the up through the off side for four, repeats it slightly straighter next ball but just gets the single - his first run that isn’t a boundary. Then Roy joins in with a huge bat-whafting, tip-toeing four though the off side.
Some statty stuff: since the last world cup England have won 46 ODIs, lost 19, India won 39, lost 19 - the only two teams to have won more than 2 x the games they’ve lost. Hope that scans.
5th over: England 26-0 (Roy 8, Bairstow 16) Roy keeps driving, keeps failing to get past India’s first line of defence. He punches one past Yadav on his follow-through, oooosh, it catches him hard on the side of his left hand. A potential caught and bowled if you were feeling particularly vindictive. Bairstow is seeing the ball better, tickles the last ball of the over round his legs down to the boundary.
4th over: England 21-0 (Roy 7, Bairstow 12) Skiddy Siddarth keeps things tight, one ball keeps a little low, another bounces unevenly, and England struggle to pierce the inner ring. Kohli fiddling with his slip cordon -wider, closer, one slip, two.
3rd over: England 20-0 (Roy 6, Bairstow 12) Forget what I said about a slow start, Bairstow has other ideas. He off-drives Yadav for a glorious four, and the next ball betters it with a superlative back-foot punch to the cover-boundary.
A satorial suggestion fromNuggehalli Nigam“How do we get the English public interested in this game after the football mania? Perhaps Shastri should wear a waistcoat and look pensive?”
2nd over: England 11-0 (Roy 5, Bairstow 4) Siddarth Kaul, pink headband, left ear-stud, fancy, is on the money until the fifth ball, which Bairstow pulls with a angled bat to the boundary. A slow start by England standards.
1st over: England 6-0 (Roy 4, Bairstow 0) A mixed bag from the ponytailed Yadav. The first ball is full, Roy edges and the ball flies past first slip down to the boundary for four. Then an away-swinger beats a static Bairstow. A wide. Then a huge appeal, high and straight against Bairstow - but India decide not to appeal. Hawkeye though, says out.
And we’re off, through the tunnel of flags, out onto dry, dry Trent Bridge.
TEAMS
England: Jonny Bairstow, Jason Roy, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan (capt), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, David Willey, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.
I’ve just seen a man walking across the outfield in a waterproof jacket, which suggests that the weather has toned down its attitude for the occasion. But expect runs aplenty: last time England batted here they knocked up a mammoth 481 for 6. In fact Trent Bridge is one of their very favourite grounds, the last time they lost an ODI here was in 2014 when India beat them by six wickets.
Virat Kohli wins the toss and will bowl first. He oozes confidence out in the middle. “It looks like a pretty hard pitch, we’ve chased well so far... we back ourselves to bowl first.”
Eoin Morgan confirms that he would have done the same.
Hello sore heads and none, and welcome to the first of the three-match ODI series between England and India. Today we’re at Trent bridge - where local boy Alex Hales is out with a side injury (though he would have been left out anyway) and Dawid Malan has been called up as cover. Joe Root - one half-century in six ODI innings this summer - is back after his turn carrying the drinks in last IT20 game. Ben Stokes is back too, batting at No.5, despite being very light on bowling. Mark Wood returns.
India are without the injured Jasprit Bumrah, but with the wrist-spin wizards Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. England have been practising against Merlyn - we wait to see how that has gone.
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