Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami put on a brilliant display in their opening overs, while Rohit Sharma’s resilient innings of 87 on a challenging pitch helped India secure a 100-run victory over England in the World Cup in Lucknow on Sunday. Despite a few hiccups along the way, India’s win was largely due to Rohit’s exceptional knock, as most of the Indian batsmen struggled on the two-paced pitch. Suryakumar Yadav’s late onslaught of 49 runs also contributed to India’s final total of 229 for nine.
Shami (4/22) and Bumrah (3/32) stole the show with the ball, as England’s batting lineup faltered once again, getting bowled out for just 129 runs in 34.5 overs. This loss marks England’s fifth defeat in the tournament, virtually eliminating them from semifinal contention, while India, the only unbeaten team so far, are inching closer to securing their spot in the semifinals.
After setting a below-par total, India needed early wickets to put pressure on England. Bumrah and Shami delivered exactly that, leaving England struggling at 39 for four in the 10th over. Both bowlers troubled the English batsmen with their deceptive deliveries, causing them to play and miss multiple times.
Bumrah took two wickets in two balls to be on a hat-trick, dismissing Dawid Malan (16) and Joe Root (0), while Shami castled Jonny Bairstow (14) and Ben Stokes (0). Stokes attempted a big shot but ended up getting bowled due to a lack of coordination. Bumrah and Shami ended their first spell with impressive figures of 2/17 and 2/5, respectively.
Kuldeep Yadav dismissed skipper Jos Buttler (10) with a fantastic delivery that pitched outside the off stump and sharply turned back to crash into the stumps, making it 52 for five. Shami returned to the attack and claimed his third wicket by getting Moeen Ali (15) caught behind. With England at 81 for six, their chances of making a comeback looked bleak. Despite the presence of dew in the evening, it did not affect the performance of the Indian bowlers.
In India’s innings, Rohit and Suryakumar were the only ones who managed to bat on the tricky pitch. The partnership of 91 runs between Rohit and K L Rahul (39) stabilized the Indian innings after they found themselves in trouble at 40 for three in the 12th over. However, Rohit’s dismissal led to a collapse, as England’s bowlers, especially Chris Woakes (2/33), Adil Rashid (2/35), and David Willey (3/45), performed admirably.
Rohit displayed excellent shot selection and footwork against both pacers and spinners. He hit 10 fours and added three sixes to his total of 87 runs. Despite Virat Kohli (0) and Shreyas Iyer (4) getting dismissed early, Rohit guided the innings with finesse. India played with five bowlers in the absence of Hardik Pandya, with R Ashwin remaining on the bench once again. The match was witnessed by a strong crowd of 46,000 who came out to support the home team.
