Joe Root provided a masterpiece in ODI batting, supporting England’s chase of 234 against India in the second ODI with an unbeaten 99 off 133 balls. As the wickets circled around him, the batsman rose to the occasion, scoring a blistering knock of nine boundaries to lead England home with the poise and assurance that has defined his one-day career.Root’s journey has been praised by former India captain and head coach Anil Kumble, who has compared the England star’s importance to his team with India’s Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.“Joe Root is to England what Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are to India. Root is the only batsman in the England side that still plays with the old ODI mentality. Some of the batsmen came out attacking from the start, but Root took his time, closed the innings, and brought calm,” Kumble told JioHotstar. “His ability to adjust the attack and find opportunities makes him very reliable. You know he’s not going to play a dangerous shot at the wrong time. That kind of awareness is very beneficial,” he said. Kumble also pointed out the similarities between Root, Kohli and Rohit, saying the trio’s success is based on their ability to score consistently and minimize risks.“What makes Root, Kohli and Rohit so great is that their runs look effortless. They don’t plan ahead. They react to the ball. They play very low-key, high-value cricket rather than expensive, high-stakes cricket. When you have that kind of class, grace and attitude, it makes life easier for the whole team,” he said.
Root chased the target easily
India ruined their position after being asked to bat first at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff. Despite a 114-run stand between Virat Kohli (65) and Shreyas Iyer (66) that took the visitors to 180/3, a collapse in the middle saw them lose their last seven wickets for 53 runs and bowled out for 233. Jofra Archer (3/47) and Gus Atkinson (3/50) played the ball, while Jasprit Bumrah’s unbeaten 20 helped India pass 230 runs.England’s chase started badly as Jasprit Bumrah dismissed Ben Duckett with the first ball of the innings before Prasidh Krishna reduced the hosts to 8/2. However, Joe Root inspired the chase with a superb 99 off 133* balls, receiving valuable support from Will Jacks (30), Sam Curran (26) and Gus Atkinson (23)*. Atkinson cruised past the winning boundary to seal a four-wicket victory, leaving Root one run short of a century.The result left the three-match ODI series 1-1, with the decider to be played at Lord’s on July 19.
