India’s fame batting line-up succumbed during a 323-run chase to hand England a series-levelling 86-run win in the second ODI at Lord’s on Saturday. Skipper Eoin Morgan read the pitch correctly and decided to bat first and riding high on a glittering 113 by Joe Root posted 322/7 in 50 overs. In reply, India began well with openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan forging a 49-run stand. But they lost three wickets thereafter putting pressure on the batting line-up, as they bowled out for 236.
“I think we started off well with the bat, it was a really good wicket to play on throughout the course of the game. Did slow up in the second half but when we lost wickets early, that’s where it hurt us a bit” he said after the match.
“You need wickets in hand during such chases, so when you lose early wickets, it’s tough to recover. Wicket got slower but credit to their bowlers for executing their plans. These are games where you test the character of the guys. Siddarth is new and Umesh is coming back after a while. We expect them to do the job, obviously Bumrah and Bhuvi have done it for long but it’s nice to test the character of the guys. Important for the guys to bounce back,” he added.
“Those three wickets early on played a massive part. Both Moeen and Rashid sensed the opportunity, they are good bowlers and created pressure. If we hadn’t lost early wickets, we might have been able to attack them more,” he furhter added.
Meanwhile, England captain Eoin Morgan was delighted to bounce back.
“We learned from the first game and improved. Challenges against spin on a similar surface, if not a tougher one. Joe was excellent and the boys upfront were good too. The bowlers put on a clinical performance as well” he said.
