 "One of the floodlight towers had lost power during the seventh over of India's innings, leading to an extended delay during the second ODI against England. PTI")
Rohit Sharma returning to form was the highlight of the second ODI between India and England that took place in Cuttack on Sunday. Rohit struck a sparkling 119 off 90 balls, bringing up the three-figure mark with a six in his 76th delivery, ending a lean patch that had stretched on for months. Thanks to his heroics, India gained an unassailable 2-0 lead after chasing down the 305-run target set by England with four wickets and more than five overs to spare.
As It Happened | India vs England, 2nd ODI in Cuttack
His knock and India’s successful chase, however, weren’t the only talking points from the second ODI – the first international game taking place at Cuttack’s Barabati Stadium after six years – as the BCCI faced flak over the management of its stadiums after a floodlight failure on Sunday.
After getting dismissed for 2 in Nagpur, Rohit was off to a flying start in Cuttack, racing to 29 off 18 balls as India collected 47 runs in the first six overs without losing a single wicket. His opening partner Shubman Gill had just collected a single at the start of the following when one of the floodlight towers lost power, resulting in play being stopped.
Rohit had settled quite nicely in the crease and was beginning to dictate terms against the English pacers, and would have been anxious to resume his innings at the earliest. The stoppage in play, however, ended up lasting for nearly 30 minutes and the players were even forced to leave the field at one point as the floodlight kept losing power despite the stadium authorities’ repeated attempts at fixing it.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe India skipper was initially in a good mood during India’s chase but began to look increasingly frustrated thanks to the long delay. When play finally resumed at quarter-to-7, Rohit had to start all over again, although the kind of touch he was in on Sunday, it didn’t require much of an effort in the end.
Also Read | Rohit Sharma explains his approach during match-winning century in Cuttack
On social networking platforms such as X, irate netizens vented their frustration at the BCCI and the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for their inability to host an international match without a hitch, especially when matches happen so rarely at the venue that has been hosting international games for more than four decades now.
The floodlight failure, however, wasn’t the only incident that led to criticism of the administrators. Earlier during the day, stadium officials were seen sprinkling water at spectators seated areas that were not covered by the stadium roof, with hot conditions proving to be challenging for fans as well as for the players at the centre.