Finally, England defeat India

Chasing 322, India could only manage 316/9 in 50 overs. The chase started on a horrid note as India lost Ajinkya Rahane in the second over when the batsman failed to read a fullish delivery from David Willey only to see the ball crash on to the timber by passing between the bat and pad. 

K L Rahul couldn’t hold fort too for long and was back in the hut in the sixth over when he edged one to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler off Jake Ball. Skipper Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh resurrected the innings but with the dismissal of both Kohli and Yuvraj in the space of six overs, the tide seemed to turn in England’s favour. 

M S Dhoni couldn’t enthrall the Sunday crowd and departed for just 25 off 36 balls and from then it was a Jadhav and Pandya show. Earlier, India’s bowlers put up a comparatively better show even as England managed a competitive score of 321 for 8 riding on a late flourish from Ben Stokes. 

Stokes hammered the Indian attack in final overs with his unbeaten 39-ball-57 had four boundaries and two sixes. The last seven overs produced 75 runs as England jumped from 246 for 6 to 321 for 8. With Stokes on fire, Jasprit Bumrah’s horrifying series continued despite a decent firstspell of 4-1-17-0. His final figures read 10-1-68-1. This is after 2/79 (10 overs) and 2/81 (9 overs) in the previous two games. 

All-rounder Hardik Pandya was the pick of the Indian bowler with figures of 10-1-49-3 and along with Ravindra Jadeja (2/62) triggered England’s slide after a brilliant opening partnership of 98 between in-form Jason Roy (65) and Sam Billings (35). 

Roy struck 10 boundaries and a six in what was his third fifty in a row. One drop Jonny Bairstow scored 56 from 64 balls (5x4, 1x6) and skipper Eoin Morgan slammed a quickfire 43 from 44 balls (2x4, 3x6) but the ‘men in blue’ were a shade better as the final total will suggest. 

Following the promising first hour for the visitors, India finally got the much-awaited breakthrough two balls after drinks break when Jadeja dismissed Billings (35) and in the very next over he claimed Roy for a third time on trot. But the England skipper, fresh from an attacking century in Cuttack, kept them going before gifting his wicket flicking a terrible ball to short fine leg, which could have 

been easily walloped for a boundary. The opener’s unconvincing stay ended when he reverse swept Jadeja and looped straight to Bumrah. 

English opener Roy notched his third fifty in a row as he along with Sam Billings did well to negotiate the first hour on a moving Eden Gardens track to put up a solid foundation.