England vs India 3rd ODI: Root’s second consecutive hundred guides England to 2-1 series win

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Joe Root 100 not out England India 3rd ODI Headingley cricket

Joe Root mimics a mic drop after bringing up his 13th ODI century

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

England batsman Joe Root struck his second successive century to not only lead his side to an eight-wicket win over India in the third ODI at Headingley, but also hand them a 2-1 series win.

Choosing to bowl first, England got the early breakthrough they were looking for as India opener Rohit Sharma was caught by Mark Wood at deep square leg off the bowling of David Willey for two runs.

Shikhar Dhawan and India captain Virat Kohli made up for the loss of Rohit with a 71-run partnership before Dhawan was run out by Ben Stokes for 44.

Dinesh Karthik scored a quickfire 21 before he was clean bowled by Adil Rashid, while Kohli went on to make 71 off 72 balls, which included eight boundaries, before he suffered the same fate after being completely bamboozled by a magnificent delivery from Rashid.

Virat Kohli 71 England India 3rd ODI Headingley cricket

Virat Kohli struck his 48th half-century in ODI cricket

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Suresh Raina and Hardik Pandya fell shortly after, but MS Dhoni came to the rescue with a much-needed 42 before he was caught behind off the bowling of Willey.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shardul Thakur scored 21 and 22 not out respectively as India finished on 256/8 off their 50 overs.

Rashid and Willey picked up three wickets apiece, while Wood chipped in with one.

Chasing 257 to win, England got off to a scorching start as James Vince and Jonny Bairstow amassed a 43-run partnership in under five overs before Bairstow was caught by Raina at midwicket off the bowling of Thakur for 30.

Vince went on to score 27 before he was run out by Pandya.

However, that was to be India’s last taste of success for the remainder of the match as Root and England skipper Eoin Morgan forged an unbeaten 186-run stand, during which Root brought up his hundred and Morgan his fifty.

Eoin Morgan 88 not out England India 3rd ODI Headingley cricket

Eoin Morgan scored his 39th ODI fifty

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Root, who reached his century after hitting the winning runs, finished on 100 off 120 balls, which included 10 boundaries, while Morgan remained undefeated on 88 off 108 deliveries, which included nine boundaries and a six.

Thakur was the only bowler to take a wicket.

Kohli was disappointed with his side’s performance, and said: “I thought we were never on the mark as far as runs were concerned, we were 25 runs short, England were clinical with the bat, ball and in the field, and deserved to win. Against a side like England you had to be at your best. [Pitch?] Played slow, quite surprising, a little two-paced, we haven’t seen pitches like that here before. They suffocated us in the middle overs, the spinners bowled well.

“[Too many changes?] Not the batting order, we thought Dinesh was going well, with the bowling we felt Bhuvi has the experience and was good to come back in, but it didn’t come off. When it doesn’t come off, changes look unnecessary. We need to move on and improve as a side. Every side is looking for the best balance possible, these losses will tell us what we need to work on. We’ve got 15-16 games to get the balance of the side strong.

“[Tests?] The squad is pretty settled, excited to be going into a lengthy Test series, going to be challenging but we’re looking forward it it. Want to play hard, tough cricket, looking forward to the challenge.

“[Rashid’s ball] It was a quality ball, I’ve been playing him since U-19, he’s a quality bowler, just one of those deliveries to take in your stride and say ‘Wow, I was done by that’.”

Morgan was thrilled to have won the series, and said: “Outstanding tone set by the bowlers, David Willey and Mark Wood on the money, hit lines and length really well. From that point there was no let up, taking our chances when they arose, we know the conditions here and took advantage of that. Didn’t think it would be a belter, normally stands up a bit, but still a good wicket to bat on, probably a 300-320 ground.

“Chase set up by the openers and then me and Joe managed to get going. Guys make my decisions look good. Like any captain, you’re only as good as your team, the guys were brilliant today. Off the mark at Trent Bridge, India punished us.

“[Kuldeep?] A completely different challenge for us, but satisfying that we learnt, went through the process of looking at our plans. [World Cup form] We’ve got two more tours to go, need to be at our best going into the World Cup, things to look at but we can only put ourselves in that position.”

Rashid was named Man of the Match, and said: “Obviously nice, though the seamers bowled well, then me and Mo got our rewards. Stick to your strengths, Moeen bowled exceptionally well, as well. You work hard in the nets, and you get confidence from there. [Kohli wicket?] He’s one of the best in the world, but we’re bowling exceptionally well, want to carry it on. Always nice to play well at your home ground in front of a big crowd.”

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