Shubman Gill disappointed after India's defeat as England level ODI series

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Indian captain Shubman Gill described India’s four-wicket defeat to England in the second ODI of the three-match series as ‘quite disappointing’ after Joe Root’s unbeaten 99 guided the hosts to victory at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, helping England level the series 1-1.

Following the match, Gill conceded that the team fell well short of their expected total, revealing they had initially targeted a score around 300 to 310 before losing a flurry of wickets in the middle stretch. 

“Quite disappointing. We thought 300-310 would be a good total after 25 overs when we were in a good position, but we lost too many wickets in the middle overs. [On the collapses] Our tailenders are not the best batsmen, but we expected more from the lower middle-order batters, and they were not able to capitalise on their starts,” Gill said at the post-match presentation.

“[On Root] We always knew that if the run-rate was 5 or more, we could have got a false shot out of him, but this kind of chase, he’s a master of these totals,” Gill added.

Joe Root’s masterclass sets up series decider at Lord’s

Despite suffering early blows, England comfortably chased down the 234-run target with nearly six overs remaining, anchored brilliantly by Root’s match-winning contribution.

India enjoyed an ideal start with the ball when Jasprit Bumrah removed Ben Duckett on the very first ball of the innings. Prasidh Krishna quickly doubled down on the advantage by dismissing Jacob Bethell, leaving the hosts reeling at 8/2 within the opening 4 overs.

However, Root and all-rounder Will Jacks put on a match-defining 72-run partnership to take England home. Root brought up his fifth consecutive half-century in the format to bring England to the cusp of victory. Even after Jack was dismissed by Brar in the 40th over, Gus Atkinson provided support at the death.

Root was left stranded just one run short of a well-deserved century, finishing unbeaten on 99 off 133 deliveries as Atkinson hit the winning boundary. The three-match series is now level at 1-1, with the deciding fixture locked in for Lord’s on July 19.

(With inputs from ANI)

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