10 overs remaining match won. ‘Hitman’ Rohit smashed again 137 runs.
Nottingham, Rohit Sharma’s 18th century after the best bowling of the Kiwis bowler. Kuldeep Yadav’s career, India defeated England by eight wickets on Thursday in the first ODI match. Chasing England’s 269 runs target, Rohit Sharma scored 114 balls and hit an unbeaten 137 in 15 balls, besides captain Virat Kohli (75 from 82 balls, 7 fours) with his second wicket. Thanks to a 167-run partnership, 9.5 overs left for easy victory, scoring 269 runs on two wickets.
Rohit shared a 59-run partnership for the first wicket with Shikhar Dhawan (40). Earlier, Kuldeep (six for 25 runs), who scored five or more wickets for the first time, became the first spinner to get six wickets on England’s ground, which was reduced to 49.5 overs and 268 runs despite the start of the hosts. Umesh Yadav scored two for 70 while Yuzuvendra Chahal took one wicket for 51 runs.
Kuldeep is the eighth bowler in India to take six wickets in ODIs. For England, Joss Buttler (53) and Ben Stokes (50) added half-century as well as a 93-run partnership for the fifth wicket. The second match of the series will be played on 14 July at the Lord’s of Lords.
India’s fast start
Dhawan and Rohit pair gave a quick start to India’s chasing the target. Dhawan has adopted aggressive attitude from the very beginning. They hit three-three fours in David Willy’s and Mark Wood’s overs. Rohit reached the 50th over with a six off the wood in India in the seventh over. Dhawan, however, was caught by Aditya Rashid on the back of a delivery from Moin Ali in the next over. He hit eight boundaries in 27 balls.
Kohli opened the account with four fours while Rohit hit two fours in the same over. Hundreds of India’s runs are completed in the 15th over. In between, Liam Plunkett and Stokes hit the boundary. Rohit completed the fifty in 54 balls with a four over Stokes. Kohli touched the 50-run mark in 55 balls with four fours on Wood. Rohit has hit two fours Rohit hit sixes and fours on consecutive balls for Moin, but he was lucky to score 92 runs when Roy scored his catch on point at the point of a Plunkett ball. Rohit completed a century in 82 balls with six sixes on Adil Rashid.
However, after this, Rashid missed the ball further and Butler stumped him. India needed 43 runs to win in 17 overs and Rohit, along with Lokesh Rahul (unbeaten 09), brought the team to the goal.
Earlier, Kohli decided to bowl first before winning the toss, but Jason Rai (38) and Jani Bairsta (38) got the opening pair by adding 73 runs in 10.2 overs for the first wicket. Umesh scored the first ball of the match with the edge of Rai’s bat and went for four runs from the slip. Bearesta was lucky in the last ball of the same over when a reliable appeal was made against lbw, but the umpire did not dismiss him.
Bairsta opened the account at Siddharth Kaul, who opened the innings and then hit two boundaries at Umesh. He reached the fifty in the eighth over with the six sixes in Kaul. Between the strong partnership of England, Kohli gave the ball to Kuldeep and he did not disappoint the captain, and the second ball caught the opinion of Umesh in the cover. He hit six fours in his 35-ball knock.
Kuldeep hit the root (03) on the first ball of his next over, while also in the same over to the Bairsta pavilion. The umpire had turned down the reliable appeal of his leg against Bairsta, but the decision on the DRS’s support went to the bowler’s favor. Bairsta faced 35 balls and hit five fours and a six. England lost three wickets in nine runs, with a score of 82 runs from three wickets for 73 runs without losing a wicket.
England captain Ian Morgan (19) also went on to play Chahal’s ball in the hands of Suresh Raina on the midwicket. Butler and Stokes, in the form of the best form, then shifted to the innings. Butler appeared in the rhythm from the start, while Stokes struggled throughout the innings. Both of them brought the team’s score closer to 200 runs. Butler completed the half-century in 45 balls with one run on Pandya’s ball.
Kohli once again handed the responsibility of breaking the partnership to Kuldeep, and this time he also catches Butler to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the final ball of his first spell of the first spell. Butler faced 51 balls while scoring five fours. Stokes completed a half century in 102 balls with one run from Kaul, but in the next over of Kuldeep, Kaul got his fantastic catch at backward point. Stokes struck two fours in 103 balls.
Kuldeep got David Wiley (01) caught by Lokesh Rahul for the sixth wicket on the last ball of his quota. England’s team could only 115 runs in the last 22 overs, while during this time only six boundaries and two sixes. In the lower order Adil Rashid (22) and Moin Ali (24) played a key role in scoring the score of 250 runs.
