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PIX: India add to England's misery with low-scoring win

Last updated on: October 29, 2023 22:17 IST

 

Mohammad Shami

IMAGE: Mohammed Shami sends Moeen Ali packing. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters


India maintained their unbeaten streak at the 2023 World Cup with a 100-run victory in a low-scoring contest against holders England, who are facing a premature exit following their fifth defeat in six group matches on Sunday.

Rohit Sharma

IMAGE: David Willey celebrates with Moeen Ali. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Rohit Sharma saved India's blushes with a captain's knock of 87 in what initially appeared a below-par total of 229-9 on a tricky surface at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.

Put into bat, the hosts slumped to 40-3 in the 12th over before Rohit forged a 91-run partnership with KL Rahul (39) to arrest their slide.

Shubman Gill

IMAGE: Chris Woakes strikes early, breaching Shubman Gill's defense. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Suryakumar Yadav contributed a breezy 49 down the order and India's tailenders scored some useful runs towards the end to take them past the 225-mark.

Kuldeep Yadav

IMAGE: Kuldeep Yadav sends Liam Livingstone packing. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

England were reduced to 52-5 inside 16 overs in a remarkable batting capitulation and were eventually bundled out for 129 in inside 35 overs with Mohammed Shami claiming 4-22 for India.

Liam Livingstone's 27 was the top score in England's sorry-looking scorecard.

Mohammad Shami

IMAGE: Mohammed Shami celebrates. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

"I think this was a game where we showed a lot of character," Rohit said after India's sixth successive win in the tournament.

"All the experienced players stood up at the right time and won us the game."

Jasprit Bumrah

IMAGE: Jasprit Bumrah celebrates after taking the wicket of Joe Root. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

Holders England went into the match as the bottom-placed team with only mathematical chances of making the semi-finals after just one win in their previous five group matches.

In India, they faced the tournament's only unbeaten side looking unstoppable in their home conditions.

Ben Stokes

IMAGE: Ben Stokes is bowled out by Mohammed Shami. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suryakumar Yadav

IMAGE: Suryakumar Yadav got out for 49. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Jos Buttler elected to field after winning the toss and had reasons to feel vindicated as India slumped to 40-3 in the 12th over.

David Willey (3-45) began with a maiden and sent groans across the stadium in the seventh over when he dismissed Virat Kohli for a nine-ball duck.

The early setbacks forced Rohit to shelve his natural strokeplay and he combined with Rahul to arrest their slide.

 

England

IMAGE: David Willey celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of India's Virat Kohli, caught by Ben Stokes. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

India crawled to the 100-mark at the halfway stage of their innings but still had plenty of overs as well as considerable batting firepower left to make up for the loss.

Willey dismissed Rahul and Adil Rashid sent back Rohit to snuff out those hopes but Suryakumar's cheeky knock took India past 200.

England began briskly but were soon jolted out of any complacence after Jasprit Bumrah (3-32) dismissed Dawid Malan and Joe Root with successive deliveries in the fifth over of the innings.

Virat Kohli

IMAGE: Virat Kohli attempted to loft left-arm pacer David Willey over mid-off, but he could only offer a straightforward catch to Ben Stokes. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Like Root, Ben Stokes could not open his account either and had his stumps wrecked by Shami as England's start proved worse than that of their opponents.

Kohli dropped Jonny Bairstow in the slip but the batter dragged a delivery from Shami on to his stumps to depart with England reeling at 39-4 in the 10th over.

Buttler's dismissal was emblematic of England's shambolic batting in the match.

Shreyas Iyer

IMAGE: Chris Woakes celebrates with Jos Buttler after taking the wicket of India's Shreyas Iyer, caught by Mark Wood. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

The England captain was utterly deceived by a Kuldeep Yadav (2-24) delivery that pitched outside off-stump, turned sharply and sneaked through the yawning bat-pad gap to hit the middle stump.

"Very disappointing," Buttler said.

"At the halfway stage chasing 230 we fancied ourselves. But it's the same old story."

Source: REUTERS
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