36th over: India 236-1 (Rohit 122, Kohli 30) Curran continues and beats Kohli outside off – twice in a row. Brook might want to put a slip in. “Only four off his last 11 balls,” Mike Atherton says of Kohli, who then manages a single. Can Rohit produce another of his effortless fours? Not this time. He sends a dab past Rashid at backward point, but Duckett sweeps up. Curran bowls a slow bouncer, which Kohli misses as he dances down the track. Then there’s a better shot from Kohli, who drives past cover and picks up two. But it’s only four off the over, so the required rate rises to 10.85.
And now Rohit has cramp too. Where’s a magnesium-infused powder when you need it?
35th over: India 232-1 (Rohit 121, Kohli 27) Brook, who will never die wondering, risks a second over from his seventh bowler. Bethell repays his faith by reeling off three dots. Kohli takes a single and Rohit makes the difference, again, with a slog-sweep for four. Only five off the over: somewhere up there Garry Sobers, who was a Bethell fan and a fellow Bajan, has a smile on his face.
34th over: India 227-1 (Rohit 117, Kohli 26) Curran backs up Bethell’s good work – dot, dot, false shot as Kohli gets away with a miscue into the gap at cover. But then Rohit shows his old mate how it’s done by going inside-out over extra-cover, and he celebrates with a flip-flick for four more. Too good!
That takes him to 1000 runs in ODis against England at an average of exactly 50. Nine off the over, and India are 15 ahead of where England were at this stage.
33rd over: India 218-1 (Rohit 109, Kohli 25) Bethell, purveying his gentle slow left-arm, starts with an appeal for LBW against Rohit, who misses a sweep but collects two leg-byes. After managing a pair of dots, Bethell bowls a wide, but he gets out of the over with just five from it. Good effort.
India need 170 from 17 overs, so the arithmetic is straightforward, even if the task is not.
32nd over: India 213-1 (Rohit 108, Kohli 24) England, to paraphrase Fagin in Oliver!, have gotta take a wicket or two. Sam Curran beats Rohit with a low, slow thing, too low to yield a catch behind. And beats him again by going wide-ish of off as Rohit backs away. Jos Buttler gives that a round of applause. But it’s third time lucky for Rohit as Curran goes pace-on, allowing a cut for four.
Ian Ward notices that Harry Brook is off the field, possibly asking Brendon McCullum what the hell to try next. So Jacob Bethell is in charge, at a tender age (22) and from an unlikely position (deep square). Brook comes back on and seems to be telling Bethell he wants him to bowl. Brave, minister, very brave.
“G’day Tim!” says Mehmet. “I’m getting vibes of the remarkable South Africa-Australia series, where record run chases were achieved. This being a record chase on this ground.” If it happens!
A hundred to Rohit Sharma!
31st over: India 206-1 (Rohit 102, Kohli 23) Swansong, what swansong? As Rashid returns, Rohit swings his googly for four to reach a gorgeous hundred – 102 off only 84 balls, after a sedate start. kohli adds a straight drive for four.
The fifty partnership has come up too: it’s now 59 off 40 balls. And that’s drinks, with the Indians looking very comfortable for a team attempting the second-highest run chase in ODI history. They need 182 from 19 overs at 9.57.
30th over: India 194-1 (Rohit 96, Kohli 17) Brook takes Jofra off, saving his last two overs for the death. On comes Sam Curran, with his left-arm seam Variety Pack of slower balls. Five singles and a two: good from Curran, but the momentum is still with the elderly gentlemen. After 30 overs, England were 192-0, so there’s nothing in it – but England did go berserk at the end, with Jos Buttler and Joe Root making 62 off the last three overs.
29th over: India 187-1 (Rohit 92, Kohli 14) Rashid gets a breather (6-0-40-1) as Brook brings back Josh Tongue. Kohli attacks him, lacing a cut shot with a dash of savagery, but Sam Curran makes a magnificent stop and it’s only a single. India need something big and Rohit strokes an on-drive over midwicket for six, then goes over long-off for six more. That takes him to his highest score at Lord’s, apparently (Kohli’s is 45!), and it brings the crowd to life. The rate nudges down to 9.57.
28th over: India 172-1 (Rohit 79, Kohli 13) Brook, longing for a second wicket, keeps Archer on for his eighth over. Rohit gives him the charge to the wrong ball – a lifter – and gets away with a slice, coming back for two. Archer looks pensive as he walks back to his mark. He beats Kohli’s attempted pull with a short ball that keeps low and appeals for LBW. No raised finger, and no review either. With the commentators saying Kohli will just see out the last ball, he surprises them by stepping away to leg and belting a pull over midwicket.
Eight off the over, so the rate nudges up to 9.81. But it does feel as if India can do this.
27th over: India 164-1 (Rohit 76, Kohli 8) India need a big over from these two old gents. Rohit obliges by swinging Rashid for four, and then Kohli joins the fun with a straight drive for four more, hit with some venom. Thirteen off the over! India need 224 from the last 23 overs at a rate of 9.73. Still possible.
26th over: India 151-1 (Rohit 69, Kohli 2) Harry Brook might now be summoning Jofra Archer, who has dismissed Kohli twice in this series – but he’s already on. He’s bowling to Rohit first, starting strongly with four dots. Rohit goes for a big shot and almost give a catch to Jacob Bethell, leaping like a salmon. Kohli, left with just one ball to face, tucks it for a single. Only two off the over! The required rate climbs to 9.87.
Halfway stage: India need 239 from 25 overs
We’ve reached the Bon Jovi moment, and it’s England who suddenly have a song in their hearts.
25th over: India 149-1 (Rohit 68, Kohli 1) Out walks Virat Kohli, to a thunderous welcome. “Probably,” says Nasser Hussain, “for the last time in England. One of the great chasers!” He gets off the mark with a comfortable push down the ground. But this over has been a triumph for Adil Rashid, who picked the right time to take his first wicket of the series.
“The slider,” says Stuart Broad, watching the replay. “Jos Buttler knew immediately.”
Wicket! Gill LBW b Rashid 77 (India 147-1)
Gill misses with a sweep, the finger goes up, Gill reviews … and it’s umpire’s call!
24th over: India 146-0 (Rohit 67, Gill 77) Brook brings back Jofra Archer, hoping for a breakthrough. Rohit, hogging the strike now as Gill tries to shake off his cramp, gets away with a top-edged pull and then plays a much better shot, a clip over midwicket. Both go for four, that’s 11 off the over and India can still dream.
23rd over: India 135-0 (Rohit 58, Gill 75) Brook takes Atkinson off again (6-0-24-0) and brings back Rashid. Both batters go after him, Rohit successfully with a late cut for two and a sweep for four, Gill less so with a mis-hit that drops tantalisingly short of long-off.
22nd over: India 127-0 (Rohit 51, Gill 74) Gill, facing Jacks, hits a sumptuous slog-sweep for six – but, in the process, seems to give himself cramp, the affliction that caused him to retire hurt at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Still, India won that match and they could yet win this one. Gill manages to add a chip for two and a tuck for a single before getting some stretches from the physio. Ten off the over, which is a little more than India need (9.32).
Fifty to Rohit!
21st over: India 117-0 (Rohit 50, Gill 65) It turns out that Atkinson was just changing ends. He beats Rohit on the inside edge and appeals for LBW, probably too high again. ATied down for the first half of the over, Rohit has to improvise and he pulls it off with a lap, which is brave, and a scoop, which is clever. The second four takes him to yet another fifty in what (if you believe the Indian Express) could be his final ODI.
This also means that all four openers have made half-centuries today. It’s a funny old game.
20th over: India 109-0 (Rohit 42, Gill 65) After a good little spell from Atkinson, Brook decides to keep half his overs in the fridge and turns to his sixth bowler, Will Jacks, so it’s spin at both ends. Jacks is the latest bowler to be cut for four by Gill, but does well otherwise – three dots, two singles.
19th over: India 103-0 (Rohit 41, Gill 60) Rohit sees an even-slower ball from Rashid and sweps it for a single to bring up the 100 partnership. It’s been good, but has it been good enough? This over goes for six, as Gill cuts for three, but Rashid retorts by drawing a false shot from him that might have yielded a catch to silly point, had there been one. India need 285 at 9.19 an over.
18th over: India 97-0 (Rohit 39, Gill 56) Atkinson continues and beats Gill on the inside edge as he advances down the track. Only one off the over, and suddenly the rate required is above nine.
17th over: India 96-0 (Rohit 38, Gill 56) Rashid, after that bruising start, needs a better over. Brook helps him out by moving Jacob Bethell, England’s sharpest ground fielder, to extra-cover, and Rashid rises to the challenge with a lovely over, full of craft and flight, with one great leg-break that beats Gill all ends up. And only two singles and a leg-bye.
Drinks: India only just behind
16th over: India 93-0 (Rohit 36, Gill 56) Brook takes Tongue off (4-1-28-0, good in parts) and brings back Gus Atkinson. Gill takes one sighter and then drills a drive to the cover boundary. But the rest of the over is dots. Well bowled Atkinson, but well played these two openers, who, at the first drinks break, are only eight runs behind Duckett and Bethell at the same juncture.
“8th over ‘less astringent,” says John Starbuck. “If Josh Tongue was less astringent, he’d be quite tasty.” Good line! What would we do without the OBO.
Fifty to Shubman Gill!
15th over: India 89-0 (Rohit 36, Gill 52) Harry Brook, needing to ruffle this serene partnership, turns to Adil Rashid. He’s England’s senior bowler, a world-class leg-spinner, a master of the googly … but he hasn’t taken a wicket in this series. Gill tucks in straight away, going inside-out to hit a four and a two over extra-cover.
The two takes him to 51 off 53 balls. He’s about a third of the way to the masterpiece he needs to paint today.
14th over: India 81-0 (Rohit 36, Gill 45) Gill’s bat is a feather as he dabs Tongue for two, then suddenly an axe as he plays a cover drive for four with some brutality. Tongue dusts himself off and appeals for LBW against Rohit. It’s nice and straight but too high – Rohit may find that he has a bruise on his right thigh. Nine off the over: that’s more like it!
13th over: India 72-0 (Rohit 35, Gill 37) Sam Curran produces that ball of his that makes you think you’re watching a slow-motion replay. It loops towards Rohit, who waits an age for it and then meets it with a respectful push for a single, like a dad playing beach cricket with two small children. Gill, less patient, dances down the track and lofts Curran for four with a high elbow.
Seven off the over – and still the rate creeps up. It’s now 8.54 an over. WinViz gives India a 25pc chance of managing it, which feels a little flattering, but you never know.
12th over: India 65-0 (Rohit 34, Gill 31) Gill, facing Tongue for the first time, stays deep in his crease and hits a pull for four with an air of disdain. england’s new-ball bowlers demanded respect and bowled eight overs for 35 between them. The two back-up seamers, even with that maiden from Tongue, have gone for 30 off four overs . Yet they still carry a threat and Tongue jags the ball away to beat Rohit with the last ball of the over. No wickets so far, but it’s been a good contest.
11th over: India 60-0 (Rohit 34, Gill 26) Jofra takes a breather, after bowling better than his figures might suggest (5-0-24-0). On comes Sam Curran, with his grunting tenacity and wily variations. Rohit decides to treat him like a spinner, moves over to the off side and plays a fine sweep for four. “You sometimes don’t mind that as a bowler,” says Broad, “because it’s a sign that you’re making the batter do something different.” Next ball, though, Rohit does something that comes very naturally: he plays a swivel-pull for six.
The Powerplay ends with both teams happy
10th over: India 49-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 25) Josh Tongue, after that battering in his first over, finds himself bowling to Rohit again. Protected by a ring field, he tucks Rohit up and reels off five dots – no, make that a maiden! “Brilliant over from Josh Tongue,” says Stuart Broad. So the Powerplay ends with India’s openers unbeaten, as England’s were at this stage, and only nine runs behind where Duckett and Bethell had got to (58-0). The difference is, the Indians have a mountain to climb.
9th over: India 49-0 (Rohit 24, Gill 25) The Archer-Gill battle continues. Gill manages another pull for four, but Archer, who is treating this like a Test match, soon has him edging to gully’s left hand. Eager to get off strike, Gill takes a kamikaze run and is relieved to find Sam Curran’s throw going astray.
Meanwhile Simon McMahon has an answer to my question from the 6th over. “I don’t know about the score, but United would have lost, I’m sure of that.” Ha. “Lionel Messi actually played at Tannadice back in 2008 (I think) when Barcelona came for a friendly. Whatever happened to him?”
He moved to Miami and was never heard of again.
8th over: India 43-0 (Rohit 23, Gill 20) Harry Brook makes his first bowling change, replacing the admirable Atkinson (3-0-11-0) with the less astringent Josh Tongue. Rohit seizes the opportunity with both hands. The first ball is flicked for four, the second pulled for four, the fifth flick-pulled for six.
That’s 14 off the over, and suddenly India are back in business. They need another 345 off 42 overs at a rate of just over eight. Piece of cake!
7th over: India 29-0 (Rohit 9, Gill 20) It’s still Jofra, gliding up to the stumps, the closest thing England have ever had to Michael Holding. His excellent duel with Gill continues. Jofra manages three dots out of four, but the other ball is a win for Gill, a pull for four in front of square. India will be fine as long as their captain makes about 160.
6th over: India 24-0 (Rohit 8, Gill 16) Rohit doesn’t do urgency but even he can see that this run rate needs lifting. After getting little of the strike, he charges at Atkinson, abandons his usual elegance and gets his first four with a wild slash. Atkinson then cuts Gill in half like a magician before giving him a freebie on his pads, which is tucked away for two.
In other news, I have received an email. “Afternoon Tim,” says our old friend Simon McMahon. “Sky have just shown a graphic of the top 10 highest successful run chases in mens ODIs. South Africa’s 438-9 against Australia in Johannesburg is well known, but second on the list is Netherlands 374-6 against Scotland at Forthill CC in Dundee last year, a match I was at. Feels a bit like if yesterday’s third place play-off Bronze Medal match had been played at Tannadice.”
If it really had been played at Tannadice, what would the score have been?
5th over: India 17-0 (Rohit 3, Gill 14) Gill, seeing the need to Do Something, cuts Archer for four. Again Archer has a riposte, drawing an inside edge which could have hit the stumps had it not thudded into the pad. Harry Brook has one slip and a gully. Steve Waugh, in this situation, might have had a ring of five… and Gill duly sends an edge through the gap at second slip, though he does manage to keep it low. Advantage England!
4th over: India 10-0 (Rohit 2, Gill 8) Another tight over from Atkinson , allowing only a single from Rohit. No alarms for India yet, but I think we can say they’ve got off to a flopper. They’re already about 20 runs behind where they need to be.
3rd over: India 9-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 8) Archer beats Gill outside off, but again Gill answers back, with a classical off-drive for four. After that, Archer keeps him honest with four dots. This pitch isn’t as flat as India’s young bowlers made it look – there’s some seam movement and uneven bounce, which ”can be a bit stoppy” as Stuart Broad vividly remarked. But the outfield is fast and there are handsome rewards to be found for good strokeplay, as England’s top three showed with their calm accumulation and Jos Buttler confirmed with his fireworks.
2nd over: India 5-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 4) From the Nursery end it’s Gus Atkinson, fresh from his best ODi figures (3-50 at Cardiff). He starts with a half-volley, which Shubman Gill drives for two, but soon he’s making Gill jump and wince with a lifter. Gill, who doesn’t like to be ruffled, retorts with an elegant flick for a single.
1st over: India 2-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 1) One of India’s problems with the ball today was a lack of experience. That won’t be an issue with their batting. Out comes Rohit Sharma, with 288 ODIs under his belt. Facing Jofra Archer, he almost plays on first ball – there were a few moments like that for England’s openers – but then he gets off the mark with a typically comfy push into the covers. But it’s a nice accurate start from Jofra. His first over is a bit of a contrast to the last three of England’s innings, which went for 23, 23 and 16.
Harry Brook gathers his team in a huddle. “Right lads, just keep the runs down to seven and a half an over, OK?”
We don’t link to Twitter any more, following its owner’s successful campaign to turn it into a cesspit. But we can still quote from it and our cricket correspondent, Ali Martin, has just come up with a good line. “Joe Root’s series 76*, 99*, 74*,” he writes. “#NoAverageJoe”
Discover more from News Link360
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
