India need 305 to defeat England in second men’s one-day cricket international – live | Cricket

25th over India 179-2 (Rohit 96, Shreyas 11) Rohit looks left, looks right. Those five runs are beginning to itch him. He tries to flick Wood for four on the legside but misses. Wood throws his hands up. In the end is content with a singel – Wood’s over going for just three runs. England have managed to claw back a little control here. At the half way point, India need another 126 to win.

24th over India 176-2 (Rohit 95, Shreyas 10) The crowd are hungry. Three singles. England bring the field up. A wide from Rashid. Then another wide of off stump but not given – to Rohit’s smiling bemusement. Rashid smiles and pulls on his cap.

23rd over India 172-2 (Rohit 94, Shreyas 8) Wood is back. Three dots. Rohit looks quite wrung out. A little air has slipped out from the tautly tied balloon. Another dot, then Rohit clears the front leg and frying-pans Wood into the stands.

22nd over India 165-2 (Rohit 87, Shreyas 6) KP notes that England’s fielders are deliberately throwing the ball at Rohit’s end as India pick up the singles – four from Rashid’s over – plus a sweep for four from Shreyas.

21st over India 158-2 (Rohit 82, Shreyas 6) Shreyas helps himself to four off Overton to fire up the rockets.

20th over India 151-2 (Rohit 81, Shryas 1) England bite back. The crowd are hushed with disappointment as Virat shuffles back to the bunker, just a couple of singles off the over.

Hello there Brian Withington: “A thought initially prompted by an unsuccessful Nathan Lyon review against Sri Lanka the other day and reinforced by Woods review of Rohit earlier – the umpire’s call margin is too arbitrary and inflexible, being too generous in some situations and too parsimonious in others. For example that Woods delivery would have required after burners to clamber over the stumps rather than pleasingly splash the bails boundarywards.

“I think the answer is simple without dispensing entirely with the concept – just use the tracking algorithm to calculate probability of the umpire being in error (I’m sure it already can). And then overturn whenever tracking says the umpire is wrong with say [99]% confidence (precise number set after case study review).

“Projections of trajectory where the ball has travelled a decent distance before hitting the pad (which is also close to the wicket) are inherently more reliable than others. And cricket balls that have reached the apex of their bounce before striking the pad don’t climb any higher …”

I’ll throw that one to the floor…

Not out on the field but Salt is convinced… and he’s right! Kohli pushes forward and gets a kiss of an edge to a ball that Rashid gave some air. Dismay in the crowd, disbelief from Kohli, but drinks works its magic again.

19th over India 146-1 (Rohit 78, Kohli 4) I didn’t have Jamie Overton down as the miserly breakthrough man – but after a wicket in his first over, his second goes for just three runs. Rohit does up his shoelaces and they take DRINKS.

“Hi Tanya, lovely way to spend Sunday. Unless you’re an England bowler perhaps. Maybe I’m oversimplifying things but would it be better if we’re not bowling leg side and allowing Rohit and Shubman to just help it to the boundary? This side still feels pretty unbalanced, especially in the spin department. I can’t understand why we only have Rashid as a front line spinner? It seems pretty misguided. Pace, pace and more pace doesn’t work everywhere. Not without some variation.”

Hello, Guy Hornsby! I guess they’re hoping for Root and Livingstone’s variations to do some work – does feels a bit like Rohit could eat them for breakfast though.

18th over India 146-1 (Rohit 78, Kohli 4) The old firm are back in charge – though I’m not quite as excited by Kohli’s arrival at the wicket as I once was: so strike me down (and watch him get a hundred). The crowd are very enthusiastic though. Rohit pulls another short ball from Atkinson for four, then Kohli drives him with perfect high elbow, straight legs and exquisite positioning straight down the ground for another.

“Some fascinating insights to noise at cricket grounds there.” writes Dean Kinsella. “I have travelled in India and have experienced both beautiful music and the treble only speaker systems at festivals. But my point wasn’t only about noise in India only. Its one of the main reasons I would never consider attending an episode of the hundred or a T20 in England or anywhere else. I am a musician myself and love live concerts even loud ones (though more often when I was younger and less fuddy duddy). But I just don’t see the value of four bars of a four minute tune. Its noise pollution.”

17th over India 137-1 (Rohit 73, Kohli 0) Overton’s first ball of the innings goes for four. The second is a wide. The fourth is another four – pulled with vicious hands by Gill who is then bowled – quite out of the order of things. Another wide follows but reward at last for England.

At last! “Come on” shouts Overton with clenched fist. Gill done by an outstanding yorker which nips out his off stump.

16th over India 127-0 (Rohit 73, Gill 52) Atkinson tries to bounce Rohit and is swatted to the rope. As he is from his last ball, a half-arsed bouncer which Rohit swings over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes, for six.

“Hello Tanya,” Andrew Benton, hello!

“You swim reluctantly, and now England sink, reluctantly. Come on our bowlers, get to it, this game is slip-sliding away.

“Beach Volleyball at the Beijing Olympics was my first exposure to sport as entertainment – there were sometimes only a few seconds of silence at a time, a point not taking long to play, though by the end even the commentator/DJ was flagging a bit. Was a very fun day.”

15th over India 114-0 (Rohit 62, Gill 50) And so it continues, Rashid again sent over the rope. This time Gill, two fours, inside-out over extra, lofted and not. He reaches his fifty with a single, off 45 balls. Not a bad foil for Rohit. England in need of wickets, quickly.

14th over India 105-0 (Rohit 62, Gill 36) Gill brings up the hundred partnership (101 balls), pulling Wood forward of square with contracted arms between the waiting Duckett and Brook, who can only turn to watch the ball gallop to the boundary. And then Rohit dances with the lightness of a skinny man, down the track, flaying himWood over extra cover for four more.

13th over India 96-0 (Rohit 58, Gill 36) Despite four dots, Rashid is unable to stem the flow, Rohit cutting a short fat one to the ropel

12th over India 91-0 (Rohit 54, Gill 35) Wood digs one in and Gill plays a short armed pull with a clap of the bat that could make a person cry with joy. Tick, then tock, of singles, India content to keep this tempo up.

Hello Nigam Nuggehalli. “ Re the message from Dean Kinsella about the DJ and the music, here’s what I wrote in a newspaper column about my experience watching the 2023 World Cup game between India and Australia in Chennai:

‘We reached Chennai and went to the Chidambaram stadium where we discovered that things were better organised than Bangalore. We were inside the stadium in no time at all. It appeared to us that we had left the chaos of Bangalore behind. We felt that the sauna like effect of Chennai weather puts people in a stupor where any unnecessary activity is restricted naturally. The only exception was the DJ at the stadium, who acted like he was in a universe of his own.

“The DJ’s favourite activity was to egg the crowd on in the middle of every over. Waiting until the end of the over interfered with his world view. If a fielder dived and saved a run or the bowler got a wicket, the DJ had to intervene and bellow that the fielder was brilliant and the bowler was awesome. For the few people who didn’t get it, the DJ gave some pointers and lines for the crowd to chant. I thought I will get some respite between the overs. But the period between play was taken over by music that was so loud I thought it was coming from somewhere inside me. After some time, I was habituated to the drill. I got up and cheered when the DJ told us to and sat down when he took a break. My dear students, I realised that in the post IPL world, almost everything can be converted into entertainment. I thought I had gone to see a cricket game, but I found myself in the middle of a carnival.

“Entertainment is not a bad thing. Cricketers claim, certainly with more frequency recently, that they are basically entertainers. But here’s the thing. They are not basically entertainers. They are basically sportsmen. But this idea appears to be lost in contemporary times and not just among sportsmen. Newscasters have also become entertainers. I suppose professors might be next in line. A few years ago I was asked by one of my students to present some videos on Aristotle. I refused. But I have loaded up on some Aristotle videos, just in case the demand for entertainment hots up.’”

Thank you Nigam – fascinating.

11th over India 86-0 (Rohit 54, Gill 30) Shubman Gill takes a huge stride and sweeps an inelegant shot elegantly – all swift movement and darting blade. That aside, he and Rohit are content to take Adil Rashid for singles.

10th over India 77-0 (Rohit 53, Gill 22) The last over of the power play is the best one yet for England, Wood going for just three with his neat tracer bullets.

”I sympathize with Dean Kinsella,” taps MArtin Wright, “but – writing from India – I have to point out that exuberant noise and India go together like, well, fuddy and duddy. And since when was Dean the name of a fuddy duddy anyway? Derek, maybe. Or Martin, come to that…”

9th over India 74-0 (Rohit 52, Gill 20) Glorious from Rohit, who makes easy pickings out of Rashid. Four swept between the fielders, four more cut with a shimmy to bring up his fifty off 30 balls. For those wondering whether to bother turning on the TV – do, this is vintage Rohit.

8th over India 64-0 (Rohit 43, Gill 19) Mark Wood at last. The television branding doesn’t say Mark Wood, RF, but Mark Wood, 35 years old. Harsh. Gill (25) picks up a single off his first ball as Wood lands on the ground. England REVIEW an lbw decision against Rohit, given not out on the field. Very close – but umpire’s call. In retort, Rohit then bashes SIX over mid-on, leaning onto the back foot, front foot resting on the heel. He’s surprised by the speed of the last, and gets a single off an outside edge.

7th overs India 56-0 (Rohit 36, Gill 18) And we wait again, while the DJ finds the right button to switch off Billie Jean. An irate Rohit at last smiles, and eases Saqib’s first ball after the break into midwicket. Singles, then Rohit flicks four more off his hips. England were 54-0 at the same point.

And we go again. No overs lost.

Hello Dean Kinsella. “Just a personal opinion Tanya, but its a shame its not the public address system that has broken down instead of the floodlights. Blaring short snatches of very loud beat music and yelling, hyper-excited cheerleaders on amphetamines is not my idea of a day at the cricket. I think I heard some version of this ‘entertainment’ between overs at a test match recently (on the tv). Call me an old fuddy duddy if you like but thats just because….I’m an old fuddy duddy.”

You’re totally right. And completely unnecessary here anyway, the crowd more than make enough noise without any need for a warm-up man.

while they locate a local sparky with a good line in floodlight repair.

Make a peanut butter sandwich, but still no play. We’ve returned to the studio where they’re drooling over Rohit -as they should. Matt Prior, “The ease of the strokeplay, a check drive over extra cover for a 90 m six – he’s just an incredible talent.” And Steven Finn: “He’s so difficult to bowl at as he’s incredible at the short ball, so then you think let’s challenge the top of the stumps but then he’s able to step towards the ball and whack it over extra – your margin for error is very small.”

Gill and Adil Rashid chat earnestly as they wander away.

The crowd have all put the lights on their mobile phones and are waving them in encouragement. We are all set to go again, and then it re-fails. Rohit marches down the pitch with purpose. The commentators think he’s saying we’re ok to play if you are…

6.1 overs India 48-0 (Rohit 29, Gill 17) Electrics sorted, we continue. Gill angles Saqib down to deep third ….and then the floodlight fails again. Rohit is not happy.

One is misbehaving: flashing on, then off again, so everyone takes a break. Gill removes his helmet, strolls down the pitch. This break in the batters’ concentration could be helpful to England.

6th over: India 47-0 (Rohit 29, Gill 16) Atkinson again. Buttler puts his hand to his mouth and shout-whispers words of encouragement. The stadium announcer warms up the crowd with a bit of to and fro – I’m not convinced it is needed. Gill mishits four, tries to go over mid-wicket but gets an outside edge which merrily flies behind him and beats the fielder.

5th over: India 39-0 (Rohit 27, Gill 10) Graeme Swann muses that he would have liked to see Mark Wood on by now, new white ball in his hand and then…Rohit – wow – blasts Saqib on the up straight into the inky black sky for six. The blue-shirted roar sends tingles down by spine from continents away.

4th over: India 30-0 (Rohit 20, Gill 8) Almost a gift for England as a mix-up in the middle leaves Gill stranded, but Rashid just misses. Gill then flicks four to leg with a cock of the leg and a twist of the wrists. Beautiful. He then almost removes Atkinson’s legs with a straight drive, but Atkinson prevents the boundary.

3rd over: India 24-0 (Rohit 19, Gill 4) Ecstasy from the crowd as Rohit drives a half volley from Saqib for six – so perfect as to be straight out of Sadler’s Wells. His 333rd six in ODIs – only Shahid Afridi (351) lies ahead. Gill then pulls four, with minimal movement, and nods to himself in approval. Saqib knits his eyebrows and purls a dot to finish the over.

2nd over: India 13-0 (Rohit 12, Gill 0) Gus Atkinson at the other end. Someone has told him to tuck his shirt in. Starts with a wide, a scrambled seam then hits Rohit high on the thigh. After three dots, Rohit’s frustration gets the better of him and he clunks Atkinson high for four. Bigger, better, next ball – six caressed legside off his ankles.

1st over: India 1-0 (Rohit 1, Gill 0) Rohit waits for the stadium announcer to countdown; Saqib Mahmood smooths down his fringe. He runs in, lovely rhythmic approach. Rohit shows the bat face to the first ball, swings at the second -which Saqib is lucky to get away with as it wings away wide of the stumps. Just a single from the over.

As we wait for India to pad up, Tom Hamilton messages: “I think we are the only England fans at Cuttack today, incredible atmosphere! Fear we are 50 or 60 short here…” You lucky things! It feels electric, and that’s just through the television – please keep the OBO updated.

Just echoing Tim’s comment on Gill’s catching – that sprinting, diving effort to dismiss Brook was wonderful. Astonishing that he managed to hold on, he landed on that hard ground with quite a thump.

Thank you Tim for guiding England to a (possibly) defendable total. A decent effort – Duckett and Root providing the ballast, with fireworks from Rashid and Livingstone taking them past 300.

(My swim was reluctant but I’ll grudgingly agree to feel better afterwards.)

That was an innings of two halves. For 38 overs England made serene progress, by their low standards on Indian soil. Ben Duckett gave them a fast start and then Joe Root brought his usual touch of class. Jos Buttler looked in glorious form but when he was out for 34, England produced the collapse that is always in their back pocket, losing their last seven wickets for 85. Nearly half of those runs came from the bat of Liam Livingstone, who, without being at his blistering best, at least made sure that they reached 300. For India, Ravi Jadeja was masterly with three for 35 and Shubman Gill took three catches, two of them outstanding.

The ground is small, which suggests 304 is not enough. But the wicket is two-paced, which says the opposite. England have certainly given themselves a chance, but the Indians will know that one big partnership should be enough to seal the series.

That’s my cue to clock off. Thanks for your company, correspondence and views on Barney Ronay’s prose. Tanya, refreshed by her swim, will be here shortly.

And another! Rahul throws down the stumps at the striker’s end, and that is that.

It’s another run-out, as Livingstone’s full-length dive isn’t quite enough to beat a powerful throw from Shreyas Iyer.

Livingstone, facing Shami, has a look in his eye that says he is hitting this one straight. And he does, crouching in his crease and crunching a straight drive for four to bring up the 300. On this ground, that feels like the least you need.

49th over: England 297-8 (Livingstone 34, Wood 0) Ah well, Mark Wood is always fun to watch. And England still managed ten off that over.

Oh no! A mix-up going for a second run, a fine pick-up and throw from the unstoppable Jadeja, and Rash is gone. That was one of the great cameos: 14 off five balls.