ICC World Cup 2019: Match 38, England vs India, Review – Intent-less India surrender to a spirited English juggernaut

Heartbreak for the whole of Asia as England registered a thumping win just when it mattered the most. They are nearly in the semifinals with this win amassing 10 points in 8 games. The English World Cup campaign is definitely back on track and the dream of bringing the trophy home for the first time is truly alive.

The English openers had a tough time negotiating the threat from Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah in the first few overs, but Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow began to assert their dominance. The duo went all out against the spinners and the scoring rate was beginning to go past seven.

Both batsmen completed their half-centuries in no time and Bairstow upped the ante furthermore. They started swinging at pretty much every ball and their partnership crossed the 150-mark at a more than health run-rate. A moment of brilliance in the field from substitute fielder Ravindra Jadeja provided the first breakthrough for India as Jason Roy was dismissed for 66.

Bairstow soon completed his century alongside Joe Root but Mohammed Shami‘s return spell turned the game on its head. He removed Bairstow and Eoin Morgan in consecutive overs to break the momentum and for a stretch of nearly 10 overs, there was no boundary for the English. But Ben Stokes cut loose and continued his incredible run of form.

He took on Mohammed Shami in the final few overs and smashed some crucial boundaries. Although Jasprit Bumrah did his best from one end, Stokes half-century took England to an above par 337 run total. Stokes was dismissed in the final over for a brilliant 54-ball 79 and for the Indians, Mohammed Shami returned with a maiden World Cup five-fer.

Rohit gets another ton, but India falter in the death

KL Rahul didn’t take the field after suffering an injury during the first innings and didn’t look comfortable batting in the middle. He was dismissed for a 9-ball duck and Chris Woakes bowled three consecutive maiden overs. Jofra Archer too didn’t give away many runs and was unfortunate on the day as Joe Root dropped a sitter off his bowling in the slips, which could’ve sent Rohit for a duck.

The Indian captain and vice-captain were in the middle during a very critical period in the innings. Not a lot of runs were scored between the 5th and 20th over, but the duo did a good job to counter some good bowling and keep India alive in the chase. Kohli and Rohit soon got settled and completed their respective half-centuries in quick succession.

Unfortunately for Kohli, he once again fell short of a 100 after getting to a fifty, the fifth consecutive occasion in the tournament. In the company of Rishabh Pant, Rohit completed his third hundred of the tournament and it seemed like their partnership was doing the trick. But both Rohit and Pant got dismissed in quick succession, which put the pressure back on the Indians.

Hardik Pandya chipped in with a stupendous cameo and kept India alive. His 45 off 33 balls did pull things back in the favor to an extent but once he fell, the Indians showed absolutely no intent to win the game. They just batted the remaining overs to ensure their momentum doesn’t take a hit, which saw the English register a comfortable win the end.

Brief Scores

England: 337/7 in 50 overs (Jonny Bairstow 11, Ben Stokes 79, Jason Roy 66; Mohammed Shami 5/69)

India: 306/5 in 50 overs (Rohit Sharma 102, Virat Kohli 66; Liam Plunkett 3/55)

Result: England won by 31 runs

Man of the match: Jonny Bairstow