Highlights, India vs England, 2nd ODI Match at Pune, Full Cricket Score: Bairstow, Stokes' heroics help visitors level series

Not a good day for Indian spinners.

Highest Economy Rate by Spinners in an ODI inns (min: 15 overs of spin)

10.05 by NZ vs Eng, Oval, 2015
9.75 by Ind vs Eng, Pune, TODAY*
9.05 by Ind vs Aus, MCG, 2012

*Kuldeep & Krunal conceded 156 runs in 16 overs. #IndvEng

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) March 26, 2021

That’s it!

Malan hits the winning runs. A misfield at deep square-leg results in two runs. England chase down 337 with six wickets in hand and 39 balls to spare. What a performance from the visitors to level the three-match series 1-1.

After 43 overs,England 330/4 ( Dawid Malan 14 , Liam Livingstone 27)

Prasidh Krishna continues. Two angling across deliveries to beat Malan both the times. The next one is too high so the umpire signals it wide. The pacer snares two yorkers to Livingstone and follows it up with a back of a length delivery. Three dots to end the over.

After 42 overs,England 328/4 ( Dawid Malan 13 , Liam Livingstone 27)

Bhuvneshwar bowls his final over of the day. Manages to get an edge off Malan but there’s nobody in the slip cordon. A boundary, a double and two singles from the over. England need just nine now. Bhuvneshwar concedes 63 runs in his ten overs with one wicket to his name.

After 41 overs,England 320/4 ( Dawid Malan 6 , Liam Livingstone 26)

Krishna gives width to Malan. The batsman drives, the ball is in the air but safe. Krishna then bowls a good bouncer to Livingstone, who tries the pull but misses it. Another short ball and another miss. The ball hits the stomach region which results in Livingstone letting out a groan before taking a single. Good final ball to beat Malan. Just two off it.

After 40 overs,England 317/4 ( Dawid Malan 5 , Liam Livingstone 26)

Kohli gives the ball to Bhuvi looking for a wicket but Liam Livingstone responds by smashing the pacer for two sixes in the over. There’s a LBW appeal against Malan and the bowler is confident. On-field umpire says no so Kohli takes the review. Ball-tracking shows it’s pitching outside so Malan survives. 15 off the over.

Oh nice!

Livingstone steps up to Bhuvi and clears long-on with a solid hit.

After 39 overs,England 302/4 ( Dawid Malan 4 , Liam Livingstone 12)

Kuldeep gets one more chance but when it’s not your day, you can’t do much. Another comfortable over for England with a boundary coming off it. Seven from this one. The spinner concedes 84 from his 10 with zero wickets to his name.

After 38 overs,England 295/4 ( Dawid Malan 3 , Liam Livingstone 6)

Two new batsmen at the crease and both of them are also new to the ODI stage. Krunal Pandya into the attack. India need wickets quickly but it’s not happening in this over. Easy singles in this one. Seven off it and the visitors need another 42 from 72 balls.

After 37 overs,England 288/4 ( Dawid Malan 1 , Liam Livingstone 1)

After a barrage of fours and sixes, India manage to get rid of Stokes, Bairstow and Buttler. Top over from Krishna. The pace was there and so was the accuracy. The late wickets somewhat taking the sheen off this phenomenal chase from England. Is the game still on?

Wait, what! 

Prasidh Krishna with a deadly yorker! Jos Buttler walks back to the dugout without opening his account. Buttler b Prasidh 0(3)

After 36 overs,England 287/2 ( Jonny Bairstow 124 , Dawid Malan 1)

A knock to remember from Stokes. Pity he didn’t score the century but it was a terrific delivery from Bhuvneshwar. If you are bowling short, that’s the way to do it. Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur should learn from this ball. Relief for India that Stokes is gone but it’s too late. England now need just 50 from 84 balls.

After 36 overs,England 287/2 ( Jonny Bairstow 124 , Dawid Malan 1)

A knock to remember from Stokes. Pity he didn’t score the century but it was a terrific delivery from Bhuvneshwar. If you are bowling short, that’s the way to do it. Prasidh Krishna and Shardul Thakur should learn from this ball. Relief for India that Stokes is gone but it’s too late. England now need just 50 from 84 balls.

The Stokes carnage! 

Ben Stokes out on 99 off 52 balls. He reached 50 off 40 balls. The next 49 runs came off just 12 balls! #IndvEng

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) March 26, 2021

Oh out for 99!

Gotta feel for Stokes who deserves the century. Short from Bhuvi, Stokes goes for the pull but edges it to the keeper. Stokes c Pant b Bhuvneshwar 99(52)

After 35 overs,England 281/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 123 , Ben Stokes 95)

The required run rate is just three right now. Apart from fours and sixes, umpires check for a caught behind dismissal after the last ball. Replays show it’s not out so Bairstow stays. 15 off the over.

After 34 overs,England 266/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 109 , Ben Stokes 95)

6.WD.4.2.WD.6.6.2

28 runs from Krunal Pandya’s over. Stokes on 95 off 50 balls. 10 huge sixes already in this knock. Enjoy this, folks.

After 33 overs,England 238/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 109 , Ben Stokes 69)

So Kuldeep continues his spell. Looks like Kohli wants him to finish his 10 overs. Not sure if it’s the right decision because Stokes is just loving this bowling. Three back-to-back sixes. Kuldeep is down, his face says it all. The body language of the Indians are also not great. 20 runs from the over. The required run rate is now below six.

After 32 overs,England 218/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 108 , Ben Stokes 50)

Shardul starts off with a slower delivery, Bairstow knocks it towards third man for a single. Stokes complete his half-century with a quick run. Much-needed knock from England’s key player. He completes his milestone in just 40 balls. Bairstow scores a boundary and keeps strike for the next over with a single in the final ball.

After 31 overs,England 211/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 102 , Ben Stokes 49)

It’s not happening for Kuldeep and it’s not happening for India as well. 17 runs from this over. Kuldeep has bowled eight overs but not sure he will complete his quota. Kohli will have to bank Hardik to bowl a few overs. England shouldn’t lose from this position. Time for drinks.

CENTURY FOR BAIRSTOW! 

Slog sweep against Kuldeep and clears the deep mid-wicket boundary. Celebrates his ton by hugging Stokes.

After 30 overs,England 194/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 95 , Ben Stokes 39)

After the boundary off the first ball, Shardul corrects his line and length to beat Stokes on the cut. Bairstow almost hands a simple catch to bowler as he fails to read a slower one. Lucky for him the ball bounces before Shardul could take it. A single to end the over. Six off it.

After 29 overs,England 188/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 94 , Ben Stokes 34)

Kuldeep continues. After three good deliveries, Bairstow takes the attack to the spinner and clears the boundary with a huge six. He moves into the 90s. England have wickets in hand so the required run rate of 7.1 shouldn’t be a big concern yet. Eight off the over.

After 28 overs,England 180/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 87 , Ben Stokes 33)

Bairstow once again manages to score a boundary off the first two balls. He then tries a pull but gets an underedge into the pads for no run. A single off the final ball to keep strike for the next over. Five from this one. 157 more requires from 132 balls.

After 27 overs,England 175/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 82 , Ben Stokes 33)

Poor ball from Kuldeep and it deserves a boundary but then he comes back well. Bowls a tossed up ball to Stokes and it turns away sharply from the batsman. Stokes goes for the shot and gets beaten. Kuldeep should trust his slower deliveries because there’s spin on offer from this pitch. Five from the over.

After 26 overs,England 170/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 77 , Ben Stokes 33)

So Bhuvneshwar is back into the attack. Good start from the pacer, three dots to Bairstow. The batsman gets off strike with a drive to deep point. Stokes then pushes the ball to deep mid-wicket and calls for two. It results in a direct hit from Kuldeep and looks like Stokes is in trouble. The third-umpire takes his time with the replays and finally calls not-out. Probably the right decision but that’s lazy running from Stokes. Three from the over.

After 25 overs,England 167/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 76 , Ben Stokes 31)

Shardul has the ball now. He dugs in short, Bairstow pulls but doesn’t get the boundary. Good effort from Kuldeep at deep square-leg boundary as he saves two runs from his dive. The pacer then bowls a terrific delivery to beat Stokes. In the final ball, Stokes tries a scoop shot but misses it. The required run-rate is now 6.8. 170 runs needed from 25 overs.

After 24 overs,England 164/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 73 , Ben Stokes 31)

Krunal continues. Bairstow slogsweeps the second ball through mid-wicket and collects two runs. He tries the sweep again but misses it. The next ball is wide and short, Bairstow slashes it for just one. The final ball goes for a six from Stokes. Another ordinary over from the spinner. Four overs and he concedes 37 runs.

After 23 overs,England 154/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 70 , Ben Stokes 24)

Runs for England in this over. The short stuff from Krishna is not doing anything good for the team. When he goes fuller, Bairstow is then able to time his shots really well. The pacer needs to try something else. 12 off the over.

After 22 overs,England 142/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 59 , Ben Stokes 23)

Krunal continues. Stokes tries a big shot against a ball down the leg but he misses it. It’s a wide but batsmen manage to take a single. It could’ve been a good over but Stokes had other ideas. Bad ball and he ensures it is over the boundary line. A six to end the over.

After 21 overs,England 130/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 56 , Ben Stokes 16)

Prasidh Krishna is back. Virat Kohli is thinking about what happened in the previous match. Krishna’s second spell changed the game a few days back. After three dots, Stokes and Bairstow run well to complete two. Two more dots in the over so it’s a good one from the pacer.

After 20 overs,England 128/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 56 , Ben Stokes 14)

Krunal Pandya impressed with the bat in the previous match but not much with the ball. This will be a big test again. Stokes will take the attack to him so he needs to careful. 10 off this over.

That effort from Rohit! 

That's how you manufacture a wicket 😅Great work out there from Rohit Sharma #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/l9BPXi0fyG

— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) March 26, 2021

After 19 overs,England 118/1

Kuldeep continues. This is much better line from the spinner. Not offering any room to Bairstow to free his arms. Stokes tries a slog sweep but it ends up in a single. Just two runs from this over.

After 18 overs,England 116/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 53 , Ben Stokes 5)

Krunal Pandya is introduced into the attack. Stokes tries to take him on but he only manages to edge it. There’s no slip in place so two runs for the batsman. Five off the over. The first ODI turned around after the fall of first wicket so it can happen again. We’ll see.

After 17 overs,England 111/1 ( Jonny Bairstow 52 , Ben Stokes 1)

Before the run-out, Bairstow and Roy did well to complete two runs. In the next ball, Rohit’s effort proved to be the difference. That wicket will lift India’s spirit up. Ben Stokes is the new man in and there’s a LBW appeal against him. Nitin Menon says no but Indians take the review. No shot offered but the ball is missing the stumps. So review lost but it’s a good over for the hosts.

Jonny loves playing against India in white-ball cricket! 

3 - Jonny Bairstow has now posted 50+ in each of his last 3 ODI knocks against India. Good. #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/xNgJYUQzq5

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) March 26, 2021

The deadly duo

13 - Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow now have 13 men's ODI century stands together; the most ever recorded by an England pairing. Duo. #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/b7wEB8TKPF

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) March 26, 2021

After 16 overs,England 102/0 ( Jason Roy 55 , Jonny Bairstow 44)

So after successive scores in 40s, Roy makes it count in this innings and goes past the 50-run mark. He struggled in the beginning but once he got into the groove, he punished the bowlers. And both batsmen bring up 100-run stand. Just like how they did it in the first ODI. 15 off the over and umpires call for drinks.

After 15 overs,England 87/0 ( Jason Roy 54 , Jonny Bairstow 30)

After Roy’s maximum, Bairstow tries to go aerial but fails to get the connection on this shot. This time the ball bounces before Hardik collects it. Six, four singles and a dot to end the over.

After 14 overs,England 77/0 ( Jason Roy 46 , Jonny Bairstow 28)

Shardul continues. Roy gets a leading edge and the ball is in the air but it’s safe. Shardul then bowls a beauty to Bairstow, the ball jags away going past the outside edge and it’s a good take from keeper Pant. A lovely six and then two dots to end the over.

After 13 overs,England 68/0 ( Jason Roy 43 , Jonny Bairstow 22)

Kuldeep continues, two singles off first two balls. The third ball turns sharply into the batsman as Roy fails to read it. The batsman then tries a slog but didn’t connect it well and it results in only a single. Bairstow tries a sweep but misses and umpire’s signals it wide. Kuldeep thinks Bairstow might’ve gloved it. Four off the over.

After 12 overs,England 64/0 ( Jason Roy 41 , Jonny Bairstow 21)

Shardul starts off with a wide down the leg. Checks in his line in the next two deliveries. Bairstow plays a nice-looking drive but it is straight to the fielder at mid-on. Roy hits the final ball in the air through covers but there’s no fielder there. Much better over from Shardul, just three runs. England need another 273 runs in 38 overs.

After 11 overs,England 61/0 ( Jason Roy 40 , Jonny Bairstow 20)

Kuldeep Yadav into the attack. He starts off bowling slightly slower than usual. The line is good so Bairstow doesn’t take any risk of hitting big shots. The final ball is short, Bairstow goes hard on the pull but finds fielder at deep backward square-leg.

After 10 overs,England 59/0 ( Jason Roy 39 , Jonny Bairstow 19)

Shardul Thakur into the attack. He’s in fine form in terms of taking wickets. Let’s see if he’s successful in breaking the opening partnership. After bowling good length deliveries, he goes short and gets punished by Bairstow. Another boundary off the final ball. Shardul goes for runs in his early overs so this is not something of a surprise.

After 9 overs,England 51/0 ( Jason Roy 39 , Jonny Bairstow 11)

Bhuvi traps Roy in front of the wickets and appeals for a LBW! Nitin Menon, the on-field umpire, is not interested. The bowler speaks to Kohli and decides against taking the review. Ball-tracking shows the ball clipping the stumps so it’s fine for Kohli. A boundary followed by a single. End of the ninth over.

After 8 overs,England 46/0 ( Jason Roy 39 , Jonny Bairstow 6)

Krishna to Roy and guess what? First ball is short but there’s fielder at deep square-leg so one run. Bairstow gets one to free his arms but the timing is not right. Goes too early for a fuller ball. He then takes a  quick single to get off strike. A dot and a boundary to end the over.

After 7 overs,England 40/0 ( Jason Roy 34 , Jonny Bairstow 5)

Bhuvi to Roy, in-swinger first up, Roy pushes it too mid-on for no runs. Then Bhuvi bowls short and Roy finds runs again in this over. Two back-to-back boundaries. The short stuff against Roy is not working. It’s better to pitch the ball up against him. 10 off the over.

After 6 overs,England 30/0 ( Jason Roy 25 , Jonny Bairstow 5)

After the initial struggle, Roy scores much-needed runs in Krishna’s over. Not great bowling and Roy ensures he punishes the bowler with three boundaries off short deliveries. Could’ve been four fours if not for Kohli’s good stop at covers. in the final ball. 13 off the over.

After 5 overs,England 17/0 ( Jason Roy 12 , Jonny Bairstow 5)

Bhuvi tries a shorter one to Bairstow but there’s too much width on that one and the batsman gets a boundary. He checks his length in the next deliveries. Roy is not comfortable facing Bhuvi so he’s looking to take singles and get off strike. The bowler sees Bairstow moving down the track and bowls a good bouncer. Too tough for batsman to play a shot so he lets it go to the keeper. Seven off the over.

After 4 overs,England 10/0 ( Jason Roy 10 , Jonny Bairstow 0)

Krishna’s first one is a back of a length delivery and Roy gets a leading edge. Virat at cover goes for the catch but the ball falls just short. After the boundary, Roy moves away and tries to beat the off-side field but can’t time it. Bairstow plays a good-looking straight drive but the ball hits bowler’s foot so runs are saved. Five off the over.

After 3 overs,England 5/0 ( Jason Roy 5 , Jonny Bairstow 0)

Superb first ball from Bhuvi. The ball straightens after pitching and almost opens up Roy on his defence. He then pitches the third ball up, Roy goes for the drive but is beaten. He’s bowling with confidence and it shows. Another play and miss from Roy who tries a drive on the backfoot. The batsman goes for a quick single in the final ball and he’s safe. The throw is off target. Top bowling from the India pacer.

After 2 overs,England 4/0 ( Jason Roy 4 , Jonny Bairstow 0)

Prasidh Krishna’s over. Starts off with a fuller delivery outside off but no runs off it. Similar second delivery, this time Roy drives but fails to beat the mid-off fielder. Hint of outswing for the pacer with the fourth ball touching 140kph. Five dots and the last one is short and down the leg, Roy takes a single.

After 1 overs,England 3/0 ( Jason Roy 3 , Jonny Bairstow 0)

Bhuvi starts off targetting Roy’s pads, the batsman gets an inside edge and the ball goes down the backward square leg region for a double. Width on offer in the next ball, Roy doesn’t get his timing right so no run. The third ball swings in, Roy in control to take a single. Three dots to Bairstow and just three off the first over.

India this series so far:

1st ODI: Scored 111 runs in the last nine overs.
2nd ODI: Scored 126 runs in the last 10 overs.

After 50 overs,India 336/6 ( Krunal Pandya 12 , Shardul Thakur 0)

Just nine from the last over. Excellent over by Topley who varies his pace and length excellently. India lost Hardik for 35 off 16 in the last over but it was a priceless cameo. India also would be very happy to have 336 on the board.

WICKET! Hardik Pandya c Roy b Topley 35(16)

Jason Roy takes a very good catch at long off. The miscues shot off Hardik’s bat as he attempted a pull shot went super high. A brilliant cameo comes to an end.

After 49 overs,India 327/5 ( Hardik Pandya 30 , Krunal Pandya 8)

The death bowling from England have been poor. There are just too many poor and predictable deliveries. 14 from Tom Curran’s over. He tried a back of the hand slower delivery but it was wide which Hardik deposited into the stands over long off for a six. Krunal also sliced a wide delivery over covers for a boundary.

After 48 overs,India 313/5 ( Hardik Pandya 23 , Krunal Pandya 2)

Topley brought back into the attack and a very good over. Just four from it. The pacer is not the quickest but his height allows him to extract a good amount of bounce and there’s also the occasional slower deliveries.

After 47 overs,India 309/5 ( Hardik Pandya 21 , Krunal Pandya 0)

Pant is gone. Tom Curran gets his wicket. After being hit for a one-handed six over backward point with a slice shot from Pant, Tom dismisses him with another slice shot going high and into Jason Roy’s hands at third man. 15 from the over as India continue the onslaught of sixes. Krunal now joins his junior brother in the middle.

OUT! Pant c Roy b Tom Curran 77(40) 

Another sliced shot and this one goes very high. Jason Roy made a meal of it but pocketed it finally at third man. Umpires were not confident and took a referral but it was a clean catch.

After 46 overs,India 294/4 ( Rishabh Pant (W) 70 , Hardik Pandya 13)

6-1-6-1-6-Wide-0 over for Sam Curran. 21 runs from the over and three massive sixes. Two for Pandya on leg. The first one was a pull shot six, and second was a result of a flick. Pant more outrageously smashed a one-handed maximum over the longon. The brute force of these young cricketers is unimaginable.

After 45 overs,India 273/4 ( Rishabh Pant (W) 63 , Hardik Pandya 0)

A pretty good over by Tom Curran as India lose Rahul. Just six from it as Tom built the pressure with his yorkers. Rahul got a short ball and went for the pull but the timing wasn’t great and got caught at backward square leg. Hardik Pandya is the new man in.

OUT! Rahul c Topley b Tom Curran 108(114)

Rahul’s brilliant knock comes to an end. He gets caught in the deep at backward square leg after failing to time his pull shot. But he has completed his job. Over five overs to go and India look set for a big score.

After 44 overs,India 267/3 ( KL Rahul 106 , Rishabh Pant (W) 59)

Rahul completes his century, His fifth in ODIs and celebrates with the typical fingers to the ears celebration. He must be loving his return to the form. 10 from the over. Sam Curran did very well with his wide yorkers. One of which was a full toss and Rahul got a boundary with a powerful straight drive.

After 43 overs,India 257/3 ( KL Rahul 99 , Rishabh Pant (W) 57)

Stokes starts off with two dot balls. Those are like gold at the moment, especially when you have Pant batting. Stokes first tried the outside off angle against Pant but the Indian got a six over long off. Stokes then brought the angle inside by bowling around the wicket and contained some damage. 10 from the over.

After 42 overs,India 247/3 ( KL Rahul 97 , Rishabh Pant (W) 50)

Pant, it seems like, he is not going to get out today. He shouldn’t, we are waiting for more entertainment. He was given out once again in this over for a caught behind after he seemed to have top-edged the pull shot. But replays showed there was no edge. He then went on hit a six and a four to complete his fifty off 28 deliveries.Tom Curran concedes 22 in the over with Rahul smashing the first one over covers for a maximum. It was a beautiful lofted drive. He also got a boundary with a pull shot.

REVIEW AND NOT OUT! 

Pant is given out again, this time for a top edge to the keeper. But there’s no bat connection there. Pant survives again.

After 41 overs,India 225/3 ( KL Rahul 86 , Rishabh Pant (W) 40)

Pant is in his element now. Two back-to-back sixes off Stokes in the over. Quite a way to welcome Stokes back into the attack. The fuller delivery was smashed over the backward square leg fence. The slower delivery was thrashed over long-on. 15 from the over.

After 40 overs,India 210/3 ( KL Rahul 84 , Rishabh Pant (W) 27)

Tom Curran into the attack now. Pant survives a lbw scare in the over. He was given out as he tried to play a reverse sweep but the Indian was quick to take a review and the top edge saved him. He also got a boundary in the over with a cut shot. Seven from the over. India is adding a boundary every over now.

REVIEW AND NOT OUT! 

Pant is given out LBW on a yorker that looked like hit his pads and went to the keeper as the batsman was attempting a reverse sweep. But Pant was quick to review and replays showed there was a top edge.

After 39 overs,India 203/3 ( KL Rahul 82 , Rishabh Pant (W) 22)

Topley continues. Rahul messes his pull shot but manages to beat the mid-on fielder for a double. He then misses out on a slider down the leg and collects a legbye. Two more singles and Pant finishes the over with a pull shot four as the score goes past 200.

Rishabh Pant batting average in ODIs:

Batting first: 39.42
Chasing: 16.42

After 38 overs,India 194/3 ( KL Rahul 79 , Rishabh Pant (W) 17)

Rashid bowls his last over. Pant shows some aggression as he steps out for a swing down the ground. Miscues his shot and it drops before long on. Few singles and Pant finishes the over with a slog-sweep six over the cow corner. 10 from the over. Rashid finishes with figures of 10-0-65-1.

After 37 overs,India 184/3 ( KL Rahul 77 , Rishabh Pant (W) 9)

Time for pace. Topley is into the attack, bowling from round the wicket and the angle helps Rahul as he smashes the short delivery to the midwicket fence for a boundary. Eight off the over. The run rate should pick up now.

After 36 overs,India 176/3 ( KL Rahul 71 , Rishabh Pant (W) 7)

Rashid continues. Three singles from the over. The leggie has one more over left. We are into the second powerplay but Indians don’t look in a hurry. That approach could change with now pacers set to come in.

After 35 overs,India 173/3 ( KL Rahul 69 , Rishabh Pant (W) 6)

Ali continues. Four from the over and the quota for the off-spinner is over. He finishes with figures of 10-0-47-0. He has been good today. Without attacking fielders, he has done well to contain runs. But it’s a rarity to see a bowler complete his quota in a single go nowadays. The consistency also helps the batsmen with their concentration. Drinks break taken.

After 34 overs,India 169/3 ( KL Rahul 67 , Rishabh Pant (W) 4)

Rashid continues and India continue dealing in singles. Five from the over. There was a lofted cut from Rahul who mistimed his shot but it went through the gap at cover.

After 33 overs,India 164/3 ( KL Rahul 65 , Rishabh Pant (W) 1)

Ali continues. The toast of Indian cricket at the moment, Rishabh Pant has come out to bat. He gets off the mark with a single. Six from the over with a boundary for Rahul as he punches the short ball through covers. Stokes made a mess of the shot at the edge of the circle.

After 32 overs,India 158/3 ( KL Rahul 60 , )

India lose Kohli. No century again. Rarely Kohli gets out without converting the half-century into a ton but it’s becoming a regular feature nowadays. He gets out trying to cut Rashid on off. Thick edge and Buttler this time makes no mistake, takes an excellent catch. Nine from the over which began with Rahul hitting a six down the ground.

OUT! Kohli c Buttler b Adil Rashid 66(79) 

This time Buttler takes the catch. A back of length delivery from Rashid gets him the wicket. Kohli edged it trying to play the cut shot.

After 31 overs,India 149/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 65 , KL Rahul 52)

Rahul competes his fifty. His second one of the series. A simple celebration by raising the bat and shaking Kohli’s hands. He has been phenomenal since he has been given this middle-order role in ODIs. Seven from Ali’s over.

After 30 overs,India 142/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 61 , KL Rahul 49)

Rashid continues. Three from the over. Two singles for Rahul in the over and he is now on 49. England need to look for wickets here. They are just letting Indians dictate terms.

After 29 overs,India 139/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 60 , KL Rahul 47)

Ali continues. Four from the over and 100-run partnership is now up between Kohli and Rahul. The foundation has been laid. We are approaching 30 overs mark. Fireworks should start in a few overs even though Holi is upon us. Excuse the poor joke.

After 28 overs,India 135/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 58 , KL Rahul 45)

Change of gears now for India? Kohli got a short delivery from Rashid and slapped it over the deep square leg for the first maximum of the match. Nine from the over.Kohli is set and is ready to take the attack to Buttler who is looking out of ideas here, at the moment.

After 27 overs,India 126/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 50 , KL Rahul 44)

Ali continues. Five from the over and Kohli brings up his fifty. Fifty off 62 deliveries and he has hit only three boundaries so far. The partnership is worth 89 and there have been only five boundaries in that. Both Kohli and Rahul have ran a lot today.

After 26 overs,India 121/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 47 , KL Rahul 42)

It was getting a bit boring in the middle with singles after singles but Rahul brings back some excitement with a lovely cut shot off Rahid’s short ball to add a boundary. Excellent placement to beat the short third man and backward point fielders. Nine from the over.

After 25 overs,India 112/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 44 , KL Rahul 36)

Good over by Ali. Tight lines and he gives away just four runs. India have one of the lowest run rate, 7.4 since 2018, in middle overs from 15-40. They are cruising easily, but they are also not scoring very quickly. However, there’s firepower in the lower order to score quickly in death.

After 24 overs,India 108/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 42 , KL Rahul 34)

Rashid continues. The leggie is bowling at a very good pace, neither very fast nor very slow. He is also tossing it up regularly. The Indian batters have resisted the temptation so far. Five runs from the over.

After 23 overs,India 103/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 39 , KL Rahul 32)

Ali continues. Four from the over and 100 comes up for India. We had a better look at the dropped chance. It hit the back of Buttler’s hands. He moved his hands too early and was in no position to take the edge off Kohli’s bat. Is the long-awaited century coming today?

After 22 overs,India 99/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 36 , KL Rahul 31)

Buttler is so different than Morgan as a captain. He seems to belong to the defensive mould. The first slip is now gone. No attacking fielders for Rahid either. Indian batters have a lot of gaps to pick and the home team seem to be in cruise control. There’s only one close-in fielder and that’s the keeper and would you believe it, Buttler has dropped Kohli. Five from the over.

After 21 overs,India 94/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 33 , KL Rahul 29)

Spin from both ends and Moeen Ali continues. There are no attacking fielders for Moeen and England just want him not to bowl bad deliveries. Free runs are on offer and India collect four in the over.

After 20 overs,India 90/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 32 , KL Rahul 26)

So Buttler has decided to bring in Rashid into the attack and he has got Stokes beside him at first slip. Rashid has to avoid one thing and that is to bowl tossed up deliveries on fuller length. He did once in the over and it was crashed through off by Rahul for a boundary. 50 partnership up. Seven off the over.

After 19 overs,India 83/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 31 , KL Rahul 20)

Moeen Ali continues. Kohli shimmies down for a push to long on for a single on the first delivery. Rahul cuts one on off for another single followed by singles on each deliveries. England are bring quite defensive here. Six off the over.

After 18 overs,India 77/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 28 , KL Rahul 17)

Tom Curran is not going away. He is going to continue. The pacer has been pretty accurate today and Indian batters are being circumspect against him. Rahul flicks one of his hips for a single. Kohli once again steps out for another single through off. Just two from the over.

After 17 overs,India 75/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 27 , KL Rahul 16)

Time for spin. It’s a surprise it took so long and a bigger surprise that Moeen Ali has come in and not Adil Rashid. Kohli obviously has a weakness against leg-spinners. With the field being widespread, there are easy singles available and spinners won’t also be able to attack much. Three singles from this over.

After 16 overs,India 72/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 26 , KL Rahul 14)

Tom Curran continues. Kohli walks forward, moves across and plays the fuller delivery to square leg for a single. That has been the pick of the shots for Kohli against Tom. A short-arm-jab to midwicket by Rahul for a double. Two more singles in the over. Umpire also had a word with Kohli for running on the danger area. Drinks break taken.

After 15 overs,India 66/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 23 , KL Rahul 11)

Stokes surprises Kohli with a full toss on the first delivery which is punched on off for a single. The next one is a yorker which Rahul somehow managed to squeeze past Buttler for a boundary. Three singles on next three deliveries followed by a leg side wide which for some reason made Buttler to appeal for a caught behind. Kohli was attempting a pull there. The last delivery was pulled for a single eventually by Kohli. 10 from the over.

After 14 overs,India 56/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 20 , KL Rahul 5)

Tom Curran has been very good against Kohli. The length delivery outside off has troubled Kohli who is preferring to step out to play his shots. Did the same in the over and luckily the inside edge beat Buttler for a boundary. Six from the over.

After 13 overs,India 50/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 16 , KL Rahul 4)

Stokes continues. Surprises Rahul with a bouncer which he top edges to leg for a single. Kohli collects another single by beating Roy at backward point and one more for Rahul with a drive on off. Three from the over.

After 12 overs,India 47/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 15 , KL Rahul 2)

With a hint of swing, the length is going to be crucial and Tom Curran is doing well. Just enough bounce to make driving tough. Kohli steps out, walks across and flicks one for a single. Rahul collects a single with drive on off.

After 11 overs,India 45/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 14 , KL Rahul 1)

Another bowling change and we now have Ben Stokes into the attack. Rahul guides one to the third man for a single to get off the mark. Roy dives at backward point to save some runs after Kohli’s sliced shot. He takes a double with a pull shot later. Rahul will have a lot of time today and after making 63 not out in the first innings, his aim should be to capitalise here with another big score. Four from the over.

After 10 overs,India 41/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 11 , KL Rahul 0)

Tom Curran now comes into the attack. England’s plan is clear, they want to bowl full to make use of the swing but Kohli is also standing outside the crease to negate it. Converted one into a fuller delivery with his reach and flicked it to the midwicket fence, Just four from the over.

After 9 overs,India 37/2 ( Virat Kohli (C) 7 , KL Rahul 0)

India lose another wicket. Rohit walks back on 25. A rare day when both of the openers have failed. England laid a trap and got the wicket of Rohit. They put Rashid at short fine leg and Sam Curran bowled a slider down leg. Rohit decided to play a flick and it went straight to the fielder. As easy as fishing. KL Rahul is batting at No 4 today. Just one from the over which also had Kohli beaten on his outside edge.

WICKET! Rohit c Adil Rashid b Sam Curran 25(25) 

Excellent planning from England. They placed a short fine leg for exactly the shot Rohit played. Sam Curran bowled full and hoped for a lofted flick, Rohit obliged and lost his wicket.

After 8 overs,India 36/1 ( Rohit Sharma 25 , Virat Kohli (C) 6)

Big over for India. 12 from it. Three boundaries for Rohit. It’s not swinging anymore for Topley and it’s important to bowl a tight line. Topley failed to do that was hit all around on the park. There was a flicked boundary. A pull shot boundary and a crunching shot through backward point.

After 7 overs,India 24/1 ( Rohit Sharma 13 , Virat Kohli (C) 6)

Sam Curran was looking for the inswinging yorker but missed his mark and Kohli nudged it to the fine leg for his first boundary. Took single with a nudge to midwicket. Rohit also collects a single with a push on off. Six from the over.

After 6 overs,India 18/1 ( Rohit Sharma 12 , Virat Kohli (C) 1)

Topley continues. This is going to very interesting. Two left-arm pacers and two right-hand batters. Kohli manages to negate a yorker for a single followed by an appeal for LBW against Rohit but it was pitching outside leg. Rohit finishes the over with a boundary with a creamy drive through square of the wicket.