Rohit Sharma's unbeaten lead leads India to 2-1 series win over England



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BRISTOL: Rohit Sharma's elegant unbeaten century made for a walk in the park for India as they are cruised to a seven-wicket victory against England to clinch the three-match T20 International series 2-1 here on Sunday.

Scorecard | As it happened

The Indian vice-captain made a target of 199 look ridiculously easy on a small.

Captain Virat Kohli (43 off 29 balls) played with his authoritative strokeplay while Hardik Pandya, who shone with the ball earlier with a four-wicket haul, also made a significant contribution with the bat. Pandya hit 33 not out off just 14 as India reached 201 for 3 in 18.4 overs.

ALSO READ: MS Dhoni first wicketkeeper to take 50 catches in T20Is

India thus clinched their sixth consecutive T20I series win, which is part of an unbeaten run stretching back to September 2017.

The series win the right tone for grueling challenges ahead with the three-match ODI series, up next, starting from July 12.

Rohit stroked his way to 100 not out, his third T20I hundred, with the help of 11 fours and five sixes, adding 89 runs to the third wicket with Kohli, who got his first score of note on the UK tour.

Virat's 43 came from 29 balls and had two ovens and two sixes.

Chasing a decent target of 199 on a small ground, India made a bright start with 21 runs on the board after the second over opener Shikhar Dhawan (5) .

Rohit was in good touch as he hit Liam Plunkett for two sixes and a fourth in the fourth to the momentum of the Indian run chase.

KL Rahul (19 off 10 balls) Chris Jordan, who has a huge ball of flanks. Despite that, India was on course with 70 on board for 2 wickets at the end of powerplay.

Ben Stokes was introduced in the seventh over and he made an immediate impact by conceding just two runs from that over. But Rohit was not one of the few remaining in the world.

Rohit then launched on a chunk of a six-month-old man over and over in Kohli, who came to the crease at the fall of Rahul, joined the party the target.

The Indian captain began to win in confidence as he hit another six off.

Hardik, who came in for Kohli, immediately found the boundaries and India needed just 29 years of age. India took 20 runs in the 18th with Pandya hitting two fours and a six. Then he hit the winning runs, got six off Jordan to clinch the series.

Earlier, opening batsman Jason Roy rained six in his blistering innings of 67 off just 31 balls goal India made a superb fightback on the back of Hardik's four-wicket haul to restrict England to 198 for nine.

Jos Buttler (34 runs of 21 balls) shared 94 runs from 7.5 overs to make a flying start in their innings as the duo dealt in fours and sixes initially. England would have posted a much bigger total goal for the comeback by the Hardik who took 4/38.

During the Indian innings, Indian wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni also became the first wicketkeeper to complete 50 catches in T20Is by taking five catches.

Some poor bowling from Indian pacers, who spotted the ball or bowled too short, helped England in making a bright start. The visitors also did not do too much in the powerplay and they made it into the sun as they hit eight ovens and two sixes in the first five overs.

Buttler was dropped by Siddharth Kaul when on Chahal being the unfortunate bowler. Roy, on the other hand, reached his third T20I half-century off only 23 balls, inclusive of four fours and five sixes.

The breakthrough came just as India was starting to duet. Kaul (2/35) bowled a quicker, missed buttler missed as he was bowled.

Pandya bowled poorly in his first spell, against the field by his captain as he was taken for two kilts and two sixes, but returned later to the English middle order.

In the 14th over, Chacha missed a chance to dismiss Eoin Morgan (then on 4), failing to latch onto a high catch. He went off for some treatment but Morgan did not like it. Dhoni completed the catch this time around. Pandya was not done yet, he had Alex Hales (30) caught behind too.

England lost four wickets for 46 runs before Ben Stokes (14) and Jonny Bairstow (25 off 14 balls) had a 37-run partnership. There was another mini collapse thereafter, as the hosts lost five wickets for 21 runs in the last 14 balls to finish below the 200-run mark.

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 ENG vs IND (8 July)

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