Rohit Sharma hits century as India surge to ODI series victory over England
England will enter the Champions Trophy this month after four consecutive one-day international series defeats, their latest confirmed by the relentless blade of Rohit Sharma.
Questions about Sharma’s future have piled up in recent weeks, as would be the case for any 37‑year‑old player out of nick. But a one-day series at home is a radically different challenge to a Test tour of Australia, and the aura of a white-ball king remains. Sharma struck a 90‑ball 119, his 49th international hundred, as India hunted down a target of 305 in Cuttack with four wickets and 5.3 overs to spare.
Related: I was wrong to say Bazball is a cult. It’s actually a death cult | Barney Ronay
Sharma, India’s captain, went big, something England’s batting lineup could only threaten to do. Each member of the visiting top six reached 26 but none went to 70, Ben Duckett and Joe Root the two half‑centurions. Breaching 300 meant for a lively contest in the second half, or so we thought. Sharma found support through Shubman Gill’s 60 and, while wickets tumbled near the end, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja applied the finishing touches. India lead the series 2-0, with a knockabout at the Ahmedabad coliseum to round things off.
England’s record on this tour stands at one win and six defeats, their last ODI series victory preceding the 2023 World Cup. It’s tough reading as another major tournament approaches, their plans complicated by a hamstring injury sustained by Jacob Bethell. He is expected to miss the Champions Trophy. Somerset’s Tom Banton has been called up as cover for the series finale on Wednesday, a reward for county and franchise runs.
“We just needed one or two of us to kick on and play a real innings of note and push our score up to 330‑350 kind of territory,” said Jos Buttler, England’s white-ball captain. “The cycle of the team, there’s a few players who are just gaining experience and days like this are great lessons, which is what you want. You’ve got to accelerate that learning and keep pushing the guys in the right direction.
“We’re doing some things right, we always want to do some things better, but the way Rohit played showed the way we want to play our cricket is the correct way to play cricket.”
Just like the first one-dayer, England had little trouble early on. Duckett was the aggressor, brutal square of the wicket, his half-century taking only 36 balls. But the top two didn’t pass the spin test, with Duckett and Phil Salt perishing to slog‑sweeps. Duckett’s dismissal for 65 in Jadeja’s first over felt particularly significant. Bethell’s absence made the opener England’s only southpaw; Jadeja could settle in nicely against the righties, his eventual figures an immaculate three for 35 from 10.
Root and Harry Brook brought restraint in a stand of 66, acknowledging that you’ve got to eat your veggies in this format if you want dessert at the death. But Gill leapt brilliantly to dismiss Brook for 31, and while another fifty stand would follow between Root and Buttler, the latter departed for 34. Even Root, England’s most successful hundred-maker in this format, failed to advance. The reverse sweep against the turning ball was his friend, making the attempted drive over long-off a surprise. Virat Kohli held on off Jadeja’s bowling to end the knock on 69.
Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for 'The Guardian'.
If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
Turn on sport notifications.
Jamie Overton has admitted to being a work in progress against spin, so an unsuccessful launch against Jadeja’s final ball of the day was questionable with the quicks still to come. Liam Livingstone was crucial in delivering 300, blasting a couple of sixes off Harshit Rana and finding support in Adil Rashid, who took three consecutive fours off Mohammed Shami.
Sharma began the response with a flurry of sixes, whipping Gus Atkinson and taking a couple off Saqib Mahmood. England were missing the extra pace up top of Jofra Archer, rested after playing every match on this tour. Sharma was disrupted only by electrical troubles, a malfunctioning floodlight tower prompted a half-hour break during the seventh over. When play resumed the right‑hander survived a marginal lbw call to Mark Wood, England’s review showing the ball clipping the bail. The next ball went for six: the feeling grew that this would have to be Sharma’s night.
Gill was a classy support act at the other end as the pair managed Rashid with ease, the century stand brought up inside 14 overs. Two delicious bits of bowling brought England back. Overton thundered in a 87mph yorker to take Gill’s off stump before Rashid floated up a leg-spinner, enticing Kohli to push outside off and edge to the keeper.
Sharma’s hundred, appropriately, came with another thump over the ropes and off his 76th ball. There wasn’t much of a celebration but that’ll happen when you’ve done this umpteen times. Sharma wasn’t to bat through, mistiming a Livingstone full toss in the 30th over, but he’d already decided the game’s direction.
