Sharma hits 32nd ODI hundred as India beats England by 4 wickets to win cricket series

CUTTACK, India (AP) — Rohit Sharma ended a poor run of form with his 32nd ODI hundred as India beat England by four wickets in the second one-day cricket international to win the series on Sunday.

Sharma, who last scored a half-century in October and averaged less than 11 in his last 16 international innings across the formats, hit a 76-ball century.

India, which won the first ODI in Nagpur by four wickets, took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The hosts had also won the preceding Twenty20 series 4-1.

Sharma scored 119 runs off 90 balls, hitting seven sixes and 12 fours, as India finished with 308-6 in 44.3 overs. Shubman Gill hit a second successive half-century in the series – 60 off 52 balls with nine fours and a six.

Earlier, England won the toss and chose to bat first. It scored 304 all out in 49.5 overs. Joe Root top-scored with 69 off 72 balls, while Ben Duckett scored 65 off 56.

Play was halted for 20 minutes because of floodlight failure at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

One of the seven floodlight towers powered off abruptly during the seventh over of the Indian innings.

Ahmedabad will host the third ODI on Wednesday.

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Sharma lights up stadium

Sharma set a hectic pace as he raced to a half-century off 30 balls. He put on 136 runs for the first wicket with Gill, and the pair appeared unaffected by the floodlight delay.

Gill was bowled by a pinpoint yorker from Jamie Overton in the 17th over.

Kohli, back after a knock to his knee prior to the first ODI, was out for five shortly after. He was caught behind off Adil Rashid.

The seven sixes show

In hitting seven sixes, Sharma also became the second-highest six-hitter in ODIs – 344 in all, ahead of Chris Gayle’s 331 (West Indies) and behind Shahid Afridi’s 351 (Pakistan).

India crossed 200 in the 27th over before Sharma was caught off a full toss from Liam Livingstone in the 30th. He added 70 off 61 balls with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 44.

Iyer and Axar Patel added 38 after Sharma’s dismissal, but the former was run out after a mix-up.

KL Rahul was caught behind off Overton and then Hardik Pandya off Gus Atkinson. But Patel finished unbeaten on 41 off 43 balls and helped India cross the finish line.

Solid start for England

In the afternoon, Duckett and Phil Salt (26) had put on 81 off 65 balls for England’s first wicket.

Varun Chakravarthy (1-54) snared his first ODI wicket when Salt was caught off a skier. Chakravarthy was making his ODI debut for the hosts. The 33-year-old is India’s oldest debutant since its inaugural ODI team in 1974 (against England).

Duckett was out caught off Ravindra Jadeja, who took 3-35.

Harry Brook scored 31 off 52 balls, and perished while trying to attack the bowling. Gill caught him running back from mid-off – a stupendous catch off Harshit Rana.

Root and skipper Jos Buttler (34) then added 51 off 54 balls to anchor the English innings and helping the score past 200. Gill took another brilliant catch at mid-off to dismiss Buttler in the 39th over.

The last six wickets fell for 85 runs as the visitors finished with another under-par score despite a good start.

England made three changes, with Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Overton all included. Pacer Jofra Archer was rested, while all-rounder Jacob Bethell out with a hamstring issue.

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