Twitter Erupts As Jonny Bairstow And Ben Stokes Make A Mockery Of India's Total Of 6/336

By Yash Mittal

Updated - 26 Mar 2021, 10:45 PM

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jason Roy, India, England
Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow [Image-BCCI]

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An assault for the ages by Jonny Bairstow [124 off 112] and Ben Stokes [99 off 52 balls] ensured that England made an absolute mockery of India’s total to draw-level the three-match series 1-1.

Chasing 337, England once again got off to a great start thanks to the opening pair of Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow.

But, unlike the 1st ODI where Bairstow led the assault, this time it was Jason Roy, who spearheaded the partnership. After having managed 5 runs off his first 15 balls, Roy launched a stunning assault on the Indian pacers, especially Prasidh Krishna, as he pulled him for three boundaries in one over.

Jonny Bairstow smashed two boundaries off Shardul Thakur in the 10th over as England finished the 1st powerplay at 0/59.

India, England
Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow [Iimage-BCCI]]
Roy brought up his 19th half-century with a six off Kuldeep Yadav in the 15th over while Jonny Bairstow smashed consecutive sixes in the next over bowled by Shardul Thakur as the duo racked up consecutive 100+ opening stand.

India eventually dislodged the pair thanks to a brilliant piece of fielding by Rohit Sharma at deep midwicket. Sharma dived to his right and threw the ball to Pant and Roy had no chance to get back in the crease.

However, unlike the first match, the wicket did not bring about an English collapse as Bairstow and Ben Stokes went about carrying the same momentum.

Ben Stokes could have been dismissed in the 26th over when Kuldeep Yadav fired a direct hit at the stumps. Stokes was pretty lethargic in completing the run and the replays clearly showed that his bat was on the popping crease.

However, the 3rd umpire deemed it as non-conclusive evidence and adjudged it not out.

Jonny Bairstow [Image-BCCI]
With England rollicking along at 1/180 after 28 overs, Team India needed wickets in a jiffy to stage a comeback. But Bairstow was in no mood to give India any respite. The swashbuckler stormed into the 90s with a disdainful six off Kuldeep Yadav over deep-midwicket.

Bairstow survived a caught-and-bowled chance against Shardul Thakur and he proceeded to make the most of it as he smashed another six off Kuldeep to bring up his 11th ODI hundred. Stokes backed it up with a six and a four to bring up the 100-run stand.

India, England
Ben Stokes [Image-BCCI]
Stokes brought up his fifty in the next over and he celebrated that by smashing Kuldeep Yadav for three consecutive sixes. There was just no stopping Ben Stokes. The Durham all-rounder smashed Krunal Pandya for three sixes and a four to race his way to 95 off just 50 deliveries.

Stokes missed out on a well-deserved hundred when he edged an attempted pull off Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Rishabh Pant. The dismissal of Stokes caused a mini-collapse as Prasidh Krishna dismissed both Bairstow and Jos Buttler in one over to bring another possible twist in the game. However, it proved to be too late for the hosts as Liam Livingstone and Dawid Malan guided England to a comfortable six-wicket win.

 

KL Rahul’s hundred and a whirlwind 77 from Rishabh Pant propelled India to 6/336

Batting first, India got off to a horrendous start as they lost their top-scorer from the first ODI in just the 4th over as Shikhar Dhawan (4 off 17) nicked off to Jos Buttler off Reece Topley.

Rohit Sharma played some cracking strokes during his 25-ball 25 but just like the first game, he once again fell in a soft manner as he chipped one straight to the short fine-leg.

Skipper Virat Kohli and KL Rahul consolidated the innings with a brilliant 121-run-stand for the 3rd wicket.

Virat Kohli, Sunil Gavaskar
Virat Kohli was once again dismissed by Adil Rashid [Image-Twitter]
But just as it looked like Virat would finally convert his 50 into a hundred, he once again fell to Adil Rashid after he nicked off for a 79-ball 66.

KL Rahul, however, did not falter as he completed his 5th ODI hundred to exorcise the demons of the T20I series where he had managed just 15 runs across four innings.

KL Rahul
KL Rahul [Image-BCCI]
With Virat having dismissed at a crucial stage, India needed the likes of Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya to launch an onslaught on the English bowlers to help them get past the 300-run mark.

Rishabh Pant. (Credits: Twitter)

And, that is exactly what they got from the duo. Rishabh Pant, who managed to overturn two wrong decisions against him, launched an epic assault on the English bowlers as he carter them to all corners of the ground to the tune of 40-ball 77- an innings which included three fours but seven sixes- and most of them being one-handed.

Pant’s onslaught and Hardik’s belligerence (35 off 16 balls) meant that India hammered 126 runs in the last 10 overs to eventually post 6/336 after 50.

 

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

https://twitter.com/im_yash2307/status/1375456303368306694?s=19

https://twitter.com/benjonescricket/status/1375452494835429381?s=19

https://twitter.com/im_yash2307/status/1375404761608937474?s=19

https://twitter.com/benjonescricket/status/1375400215570747396?s=19

https://twitter.com/im_yash2307/status/1375400364283998210?s=19

https://twitter.com/indianpolymath/status/1375389545739415559?s=19

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India vs England 2021

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