ENG vs IND: We Learnt From Our Mistakes in the T20I Series- Joe Root

England won the second ODI comprehensively against India at Lords. A collective effort from both batters and bowlers saw the home team cruise to victory and level the series 1-1.

Having won the toss, England chose to bat first and got off to a great start. Openers Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow once again managed a 50 run stand at the top. However, once again Kuldeep Yadav removed both the players and kept India in the game.

But Joe Root and Eoin Morgan consolidated England’s innings and added a well made century stand. After Eoin Morgan was dismissed, England lost three wickets in quick intervals. But Joe Root kept his cool and continued his batting.

He got little support from Moeen Ali but the south paw was dismissed cheaply. But the heroics of David Willey in the final overs have helped England fetch some important runs. Meanwhile, Joe Root also reached his 12th ODI hundred in the process and ensured England scored a healthy 332/7 in their 50 over quota.

India were always on the back foot in the chase. They lost both Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma inside the power play overs. Soon after, KL Rahul also followed suit which left Indian innings in disarray. But once again Virat Kohli came to the rescue.

He alongside Suresh Raina added 80 run partnership for the fourth wicket. But once the two batsmen were dismissed, India were completely taken out of the contest. Dhoni’s inability to keep up with the run rate had hurt the team most in the final overs.

Despite the run rate creeping over 10, the former Indian skipper took plenty of time to settle and could not get his eye in. Ultimately, he perished alongside other lower order players. After an emphatic win at Trent Bridge, India suffered a terrible loss at the Lord’s. But the series will be decided in the third ODI on Tuesday.

Joe Root was adjudged the Man of the match after his impressive hundred. Speaking in post match presentations, Root said: ” I’ve always felt good this summer, have done the right things and tried not to over-confuse things. Thankfully, it came off well today. It’s a good problem to have, isn’t it? The way we have played is excellent over the last few years and it’s nice to contribute. It’s been fabulous to be a part of this team.

“Throughout this game, we set it up nicely, David at the end and Morgs, also the start we got. We were ruthless and that’s what you need to be against a team like India. You’ve seen that we learnt from our mistakes in the T20I series and we’ve done that today as well. He did take wickets but we tried to ensure that he didn’t just bowl at us. It’s important to see that no one bowler is allowed to dominate in his 10 overs.”