00:00Joe Root produced another masterclass under pressure as England defeated India by four wickets in the second ODI at Sophia
00:08Gardens, Cardiff, on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
00:13Chasing 2-34, Root remained unbeaten on 99 off 133 balls, striking nine boundaries, as England reached the target with
00:22nearly six overs to spare.
00:24The victory leveled the three-match series 1-1, with the decider set to be played at Lourdes in London
00:30on Sunday.
00:31Leading into the second ODI, history at Sophia Gardens had strongly favoured teams' batting second.
00:37Eight of the previous 12 ODIs at the venue, including each of the last four matches, had been won by
00:43the chasing side.
00:44For a brief period, India looked capable of overturning that trend.
00:49Jasper Bumrah and Prazat Krishna struck early to reduce England to 8-2 in the chase, raising hopes among the
00:56large Indian diaspora crowd in Cardiff.
00:58Bumrah made an immediate impact by dismissing Ben Duckett with the very first ball of the innings.
01:04Duckett edged behind to wicketkeeper Ishan Kashan, who had replaced the unwell Kiel Rahul in India's playing XI.
01:12Prazat Krishna then trapped Jacob Bethel on the back foot, forcing another edge behind.
01:17England's problems deepened when Captain Harry Brook, after scoring 16 off just 16 balls, attempted one scoop too many and
01:25lost his wicket.
01:26At that stage, India appeared to have seized control of the contest.
01:31Joe Root weathered the early pressure and gradually settled into his innings.
01:36After surviving a testing opening spell, he absorbed the pressure before taking control of the chase, with his trademark composure.
01:43A 41-run fourth wicket partnership with Sam Curran, who scored 26 from 31 balls with four boundaries, studied England's
01:52innings.
01:53Root then added a crucial 72-run stand for the sixth wicket with Will Jax.
01:58Jax contributed 30 off 44 balls, including two fours, helping England move within touching distance of victory.
02:05Jax eventually fell after attempting to slap a short of length delivery from Gunnar Brars straight to cover.
02:12India made one final attempt by bringing Boomra back into the attack, but Root remained unbeaten to guide England home.
02:19Root stood on 98, with England still needing 19 runs.
02:23However, Gus Atkinson took charge in the closing stages, smashing an unbeaten 23 off just 16 deliveries, including three fours
02:32and a six.
02:33Atkinson scored the majority of the remaining runs and struck the winning boundary, leaving Root stranded on an unbeaten 99
02:41as England secured victory with four wickets in hand.
02:44Earlier, after being asked to bat first, India's top three contributed more than half of the team's total.
02:51However, the middle and lower order failed to build on the platform, with only Shreyas Ayer providing significant resistance.
02:59Ayer top-scored with 66 off 71 balls, hitting five fours and two sixes.
03:05He looked comfortable throughout his innings, particularly against the short ball, an area often considered his weakness.
03:12His 50 came with a controlled six-over fine leg off Jafra Archer.
03:17However, when Ayer became India's ninth wicket, more than six overs still remained in the innings.
03:24Prasit Krishna was dismissed three balls later as India were bowled out for 233.
03:30Jasprit Boomra remained unbeaten on a quick-fire 20 off just 13 deliveries, striking three fours and won six.
03:38England's decision to strengthen their pace attack proved decisive.
03:41The hosts brought in fast bowlers Sokid Mahmood and Gus Atkinson in place of Josh Tung and Liam Dawson,
03:48who had scored 68 in Birmingham and bowled two overs of left arm spin.
03:52The move paid immediate dividends as England's Pacers claimed nine of India's ten wickets.
03:58Atkinson and Mahmood combined for five wickets, while the pace unit consistently troubled the Indian batting lineup.
04:05Four of India's top six batters, Rohit Sharma, Bharat Kohli, Ishan Kashan and Washington Sundar,
04:12lost their wickets while attempting cross-batted strokes across the line.
04:16Rohit Sharma scored 26 off 47 balls, including one four and one trademark six.
04:23He survived an early chance after being dropped a deep backward square leg on five before eventually falling.
04:29Shubman Gill made 31 off 30 deliveries with six boundaries, displaying elegant flicks and leg glances before driving Atkinson straight
04:38to Ben Duckett at cover.
04:40Bharat Kohli looked assured during his 65 off 66 balls, striking eight fours.
04:45He completed his half-century from 50 balls with a powerful straight drive off Sam Curran but later miscued an
04:51attempted heave over mid-wicket and was caught by the third man fielder.
04:56One of the more unusual moments of the match came in the 33rd over when a single taken by Shreyas
05:02Iyer in the cover region accidentally injured a seagull on the field.
05:05While the incident briefly halted play, India's innings soon lost momentum as the lower middle order collapsed,
05:12leaving England with a manageable target that Root and company chased down to level the series 1-1.
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