Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni combined together to produce a stunning partnership as India shrugged of England in the 2nd ODI in Cuttack. With this win, India took an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the 3-match series.
England won the toss and elected to field, and the decision was vindicated by Chris Woakes who got 3 quick wickets which included the big wicket of Virat Kohli. However, this joy was shortlived, as Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni not only arrested the slide but wreaked havoc towards the end. Together they put on a stunning partnership which was worth 256 runs for the fourth wicket. None of the English bowlers were spared as both veterans rolled the clock back.
The chase got down very tight, as England captain Eoin Morgan kept his calm and kept the scoreboard hurtling along. He got to a superb century, and was given great assistance by Moeen Ali and then by Liam Plunkett.
However, Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar eeked out few dot balls towards the end, and the hosts just got home by 15 runs.
#5 India’s opening woes
One of the most worrying signs for the Indian team going forward will be the fragile condition of the opening batsmen. In the previous 7 innings, the opening partnerships have been 49,21,13,19,40,13 and 14.
Even today both openers started off well but were undone and this exposed the middle order to the new ball. It was all due to the brilliance of Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni that India managed to post a mammoth score, but then the woes of the opening partnership would pose a headache to the selectors leading into the Champions Trophy.
With the Champions Trophy slated to be held in England, the opening partnership holds the key as the middle order would not want to face the new ball in seaming conditions.
#4 R Ashwin’s spell
There were a lot of criticism meted out towards R Ashwin after the first ODI, as the off-spinner did not pick up any wickets and went for plenty of runs. Also, he kept bowling from around the wicket and never looked for wickets.
However, the team management decided to give him another go, and this time he did not disappoint. On a flat batting track, Ashwin looked for wickets, and this yielded dividends for the team. He picked up 3 crucial wickets and dented England’s chase in the middle overs.
He ended his spell with 3 wickets for 65 runs.
#3 Inclusion of Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Umesh Yadav was pretty expensive in the first ODI, and hence he was replaced by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for this match, and this proved to be a masterstroke in the end. Bhuvneshwar started off with the new ball and got good movement, both in the air and off the pitch. This kept the England openers honest and India managed to keep them quiet against the new ball.
This helped Jasprit Bumrah at the other end who prized out the wicket of Alex Hales.
Bhuvneshwar came back with the old ball and dished out good yorkers to keep a lid on the scoring and also picked up the important wicket of Moeen Ali. His combination with Jasprit Bumrah worked very well for India towards the death overs.
#2 Eoin Morgan’s sensational century
The England captain came into this match after having a tough time in the recent past. His decision to skip the Bangladesh tour invoked a lot of debates, and when he returned for this tour the scores did not quite stack up.
However, the England captain was in a different zone altogether and stamped his authority all over the chase. He took calculated chances and it came off, as he scored a brilliant century. His partnership with Moeen Ali and Liam Plunkett kept England in the hunt right throughout the chase, but his run out in the 49th over finally tipped the match in India’s favour.
#1 Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni show
Before the series, Yuvraj did a video with Dhoni and expressed hope that together they would try to bring back old memories into the centre. And they walked the talk with aplomb in Cuttack.
They came together when India were reeling at 25/3 and put together an astounding partnership of 256 for the fourth wicket. With their approach and temperament they made sure that the England bowlers were never allowed to dictate terms anytime throughout the partnership.
Yuvraj was the more expressive of the duo and punished any loose balls at the outset. Dhoni was more calculative and this worked beautifully for India. However, once they got set, they unleashed an array of strokes and delighted the packed house in Cuttack.
Yuvraj brought up his highest score in ODIs and was eventually dismissed for 150. Dhoni took over and played some outrageous strokes towards the death but was dismissed for a brilliant 134 in the 48th over.
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