5 min readUpdated: Jul 17, 2026 02:39 AM IST
In the age of power-hitting and escalating scoring rates in white-ball cricket, Joe Root on Thursday showed why a batsman of his kind remains priceless to any side. His unbeaten 99 off 133 balls took England home by four wickets in Cardiff on a dicey surface and set up a decider in the series against India at Lord’s on Sunday.
The right-hander’s innings, straight out of the 90s ODI playbook, has now set up a potential blockbuster final ODI at Lord’s on Sunday, which could well be the international farewell for former India captain and batting talisman Rohit Sharma. The 39-year-old’s future is bleak beyond the England trip with the selectors ready to look beyond him for their next one-day assignment. As reported by this masthead on Thursday, the selectors have informed the former India skipper of the decision to rope in Yashasvi Jaiswal for their next series, which will be at home against the West Indies in September.
Rohit Sharma fell for a 47-ball 26 in the second ODI in Cardiff. (BCCI/Creimas Photo)Having won the first ODI at Edgbaston, there was an opportunity for India to close the series at Sophia Gardens. Put in to bat, when they were 103/1 with Virat Kohli (65) in his full majestic form. Shreyas Iyer, batting at number five, complemented Kohli with a 71-ball 66.
The turning point was Kohli’s untimely and uncharacteristic dismissal – playing a loose shot across the line and top-edging the delivery – which prompted a mini collapse. The three left-handers to follow – Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube – managed just 2, 1, & 0 respectively as India ended up with 233 in 44 overs, which proved to be well below par. And despite a spirited effort from the bowling unit, which had just five options with Washington missing out in the second innings with a hamstring injury, it left Shubman Gill to rely on other options to take the game deep.
Bumrah magic
If Edgbaston was the first glimpse of a revitalised Jasprit Bumrah, then Cardiff gave more evidence of a bowler who seems to have found his mojo back. The 32-year-old put England on the back foot straightaway by dismissing Ben Duckett off the first delivery of the chase – the new ball angling away and kissing the edge en route. And when Prasidh Krishna had Jacob Bethell edge to Ishan Kishan in the fourth over, India were right in the game.
Harry Brook once again showed his adventurous side to gain some momentum, but eventually paid the price for it. He lined up to play the scoop, but Gurnoor Brar’s pace and extra bounce meant he could only guide it to Ishan Kishan. Having made only 1 with the bat, he was effective behind the stumps, taking four catches, including that of Sam Curran while standing up to Dube.
Despite losing Washington’s services, Gill stayed on the offensive. India had no option but to claim all 10 England wickets, and they went searching for them aggressively. Yet, without the extra wicket-taking option, they remained slightly behind the eight ball.
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That was the one glaring aspect of the bowling performance. Beyond Bumrah, India still lacks an X-factor bowler who will maintain the pressure on the opposition from the other end. Brar tested England with several short-pitch deliveries, but remained on the expensive side with 2/67 in 10 overs. Whether Kuldeep Yadav plays at Lord’s is to be seen.
Given the conditions on offer at Cardiff, the stage was tailor-made for Root. He took his time, and with India short on bowling options, he preferred to take the game deep. He may have wished one of the frontline batsmen to forge a big partnership, but even without significant support, he found the gaps and struck timely boundaries. Even when India tempted him to open his shoulders, he showed the discipline to bat according to the situation. A hundred was there for the taking, but Gus Atkinson didn’t hand him the opportunity, scoring the winning runs off Krishna.
Earlier, no Indian batsman except Kohli and Iyer could kick on and make the big score. Take out the two of them, who made 131 runs combined; the rest managed only 102 between them. After Gill timed one straight to Duckett at cover while driving on the up, Ishan was undone by a short delivery, top-edging a return catch to Sam Curran.
Brief scores: India 233 in 44 overs (Shreyas Iyer 66, Virat Kohli 65; Jofra Archer 3/47; Gus Atkinson 3/5) lost to England 235/6 in 44.1 overs (Joe Root 99 n.o, Will Jacks 30; Gurnoon Brar 2/67).
