Kohli Sizzles, Rohit Struggles as India Shot Out For 233

Cardiff: Virat Kohli’s confident 65 reminded us of the salad days but Rohit Sharma’s incessant tackle contributed to India collapsing to under 233 in 44 overs in the second ODI against England here on Thursday.

While Jofra Archer (3/47 in 10 overs) breathed fire in every spell he bowled, the middle order inexplicably collapsed with the loss of four wickets for 15 runs in the space of 26 overs.

Saqib Mahmood (2/52 in 9 overs) and Gus Atkinson (3/50 in 9 overs) were also among the wickets.

Kohli’s 66-ball knock produced eight exquisite strikes on the wicket, but none as aesthetically pleasing as the bowler’s knock back from Jofra Archer, but it was agonizing to see Rohit, one of India’s greatest ODI stalwarts, struggle to score a painstaking 26 off 47 balls, which included nine consecutive dots, before meekly surrendering.

Vice-captain Shreyas Iyer became India’s batting hero as he bagged 66 off 71 balls as he could not get much support from the other end despite responding well to the short ball.

Archer’s six to reach fifty was a brilliant shot where wrists came into play rather than power.

While England captain Harry Brook made the right decision by opting to field, Rohit struggled to find the gaps at the other end as Indian skipper Shubman Gill (31 off 30 balls) went into a flurry of boundaries.

However, a rising cover off Atkinson brought Gill down, but it didn’t take long for Kohli to get going.

Archer’s straight delivery was followed by a leaping four deep in mid-wicket and his front-foot cover drive sounded like a gunshot as he raced towards the boundary.

When Adil Rashid came in, Kohli also played an uncharacteristically heavy shot towards the cow corner but at the other end, Rohit tried hard but could not find any rhythm.

They added 60 in 10, but everyone in the stands at Sophia Gardens that day agreed there was no such thing as partnership. Only ‘Ko’ scored as ‘Ro’ gasped for air.

After intense scrutiny, each dotted ball increased the pressure and the opposition captains now discovered that left-arm seamers creating awkward angles were posing a problem for the former skipper.

Save Atkinson’s six innings, not a single strikeout inspired confidence. He too could not negotiate with Adil Rashid when Sam Curran’s six deliveries went without a single one. His misery was ended by Will Jacks when he converted a top-flight car for Jos Buttler which was nothing short of a lap.

Ishan Kishan’s (1) technical issues emerged on the tour, particularly his inability to play with the extra bounce. This time his trick was on Sam Curran’s innocent bouncer.

While Kohli found a capable ally in Iyer during his 67-run stand, Archer’s delivery from distance enabled him to get a leading edge that ballooned towards third man for a simple catch.

Iyer was in good form and appeared to have worked on his game when facing the short ball but the likes of Washington Sundar (2), Axar Patel (1) and Shivam Dube (0) looked like sitting ducks as India slumped to 194 for seven. His chances for a respectable total ended there.