Super Sixes SRL | ENG vs IND Evaluation Chart - India scamper home on back of Kohli - Jadeja’s partnership

Match Review

After winning the toss, England’s batting dreams were dealt with a bucket of water from the Indian bowlers. Although Jos Buttler got the hosts off to a great start before Navdeep Saini struck for the first time in the encounter to remove his partner Jason Roy. The hosts found themselves in a spot of bother at 45/3 before Bairstow and Eoin Morgan had to stitch up a partnership. However, a twin-wicket over from Yuzvendra Chahal changed the complexion of the encounter, reducing the hosts to 76/5. From thereon, thanks to a few lusty blows from Adil Rashid, they could only put on 126 on board. 

In reply, India’s start to the run-chase started off on the wrong foot, with two wickets in the first two overs leaving them reeling. In just the second over, they were 6/2, with both Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul walking back for an early tea. However, just when the visitors were relying on Virat Kohli to lead the run-chase, a host of wickets falling from the other end left them in ashes. All is not done when Virat Kohli is still around for India, as his partnership alongside all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja ensured India got home in a scamper. The duo were unbeaten on 57 and 39 respectively as India pulled off a heist. 

You can check out the scorecard and Match Tracker here.

Turning Point

Chris Jordan’s third over in the fixture and India’s 18th over in the run chase turned out to be a game-changer as India pulled off an improbable victory against the hosts. While needing over 10 runs every over, the duo of Jadeja - Kohli scored 12 runs to massively accelerate the run-chase before reaching the target with four balls to spare. 

Highs and Lows

King Kohli was back amongst the run-scorers in the game against the Three Lions, a fixture which has haunted him in the past. Putting the demon aside, the right-handed batsman ensured that India did not finish second against the Eoin Morgan-led English side, scoring an unbeaten 57 off 57 deliveries, finishing the game four balls before the closure. 

Ben Stokes had a terrible evening at work, with a first-ball duck. Not only did he walk the long walk back to the dressing room, but the way he left the side was also pathetic. If there is Virat Kohli as the superstar of the Indian dressing room, there is Stokes’ who was expected to play a similar role. On top of that, he failed to capitalise on the leggie, Yuzvendra Chahal. 

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: England 4/10 and India 4/10

England’s limited-overs plans fell flat on their face when they faced the Indian bowlers in the early part of the innings. After Jos Buttler’s 15-run over off Jasprit Bumrah, Jason Roy gave away his wicket to Navdeep Saini from the other end, to put England in a bad spot. While the scoring rate did not increase towards the latter half, the hosts had to settle for 43/2. India successfully managed to get rid of both the openers in the powerplay segment. 

On the other hand, Indian openers too did not do them any favour in the powerplay, with their blunt approach to chasing a meagre total. Jofra Archer, in his first over, ensured that Rohit went back home early in the chase, with his over-the-top fielding effort. In the second over, KL Rahul too walked back to join his opening partner back in the hut. On top of that, they could only put on 21 runs for the first phase of the encounter. 

Middle-overs manoeuvring: England 3/10 and India 4/10

While the top-order batted recklessly throughout the powerplay overs, the middle-order was not far behind in terms of being equally reckless. The way the trio of Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan batted on the night, it would have left the management to put their hands in front of their face in embarrassment. On top of that, the fact that they lost three more wickets, left them reeling even before the death-end of the innings. In the span of ten overs, the Three Lions could only add 50 runs on board made matters worse. 

The game was staggeringly a low-scoring one, with both teams struggling to put runs on board early on in the game. During the middle-stages of the innings, it was even more painful to watch as a spectator, with India batting with no intent whatsoever. Combined with the wickets of the trio - Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant, the tourists could not recover from their early mayhem. Surely, they put on a display which mirrors their jersey - blue, adding just 56 runs in the 60 deliveries that followed the powerplay. 

Death bowling: England 8/10 and India 8/10

India’s death bowling was exceptional on the night, taking the English batsman by the scruff of their neck. Imagine, the best of English talents, giving away their wickets like it was grade cricket. On top of that, the dearth with which Jasprit Bumrah and co pulled off a heist towards the end of the innings made them stand out. 

Towards the end of the second innings, even with the home side being favourites to win the encounter, they massively ended up choking the game. For India, the partnership between Jadeja and Kohli towards the death end was enough to scamper them home in a sublime fashion. Surely both sides should not have left it this late to get points on board, with India scoring 54 runs in the back end. 

Match Frenzy O Meter - Bad

The game was tense, thrilling and a nail biter but in no way was it fascinating or interesting. A low-scoring encounter, filled with more wickets than runs, the fixture would go down as one of the poorly rated games in the entire competition. Two sides filled with superstar, this surely was the last thing that was expected from them.