Rohit Sharma smashed seven sixes en route to a stunning century as India beat England in the second ODI in Cuttack. Chasing 305, Indian captain Rohit set the tone, rediscovering his form in the 50-over game ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025. Rohit's seven sixes takes him to a total of 338 career ODI sixes, just 13 shy of former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi's record of 351. Seeing Rohit's rampage, India legend Sunil Gavaskar put in a cheeky comment during commentary.
"If Rohit Sharma closes in the gap then Shahid Afridi might be tempted to come out of retirement," Gavaskar said.
The 37-year-old raced to 30-ball half-century, channeling some of the aggressive batting that saw him become the second-highest run-scorer of the 2023 World Cup.
Rohit ultimately finished on 119 off 90 balls, completing his 32nd career century. He was on course to become the fourth Indian and 10th player overall to reach 11,000 career ODI runs, but fell 13 short of the milestone.
Rohit's return to form will be excellent news for Team India, with less than two weeks to go till the start of their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign.
Another encouraging sign for Team India will the continued good form of Shubman Gill in 50-over cricket. Entrusted with vice-captaincy for the ODI series and the Champions Trophy, Gill has slammed back-to-back half-centuries and is the top run-scorer of the series so far.
India vs England, 1st ODI
England managed a total of 304 in the second ODI, a significant improvement from the total of 248 that they managed in the first. Ben Duckett and Joe Root slammed half-centuries while Liam Livingstone managed a late cameo to take them past the 300-run mark.
However, it did not prove to be enough, with India reaching the target with 5.3 overs to spare.
However, India stalwart Virat Kohli did not manage to score big on his return to the playing XI. Having missed the first ODI due to a knee issue, Kohli could only score just five runs.
Healthy contributions by Shreyas Iyer (44) and Axar Patel (41) helped India over the line.
Axar Patel's form with the bat comes as a great positive for Team India, with the all-rounder impressing at No. 5 in both ODIs.
With the ball, Ravindra Jadeja starred with three more wickets, while mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was economical on debut, picking up one wicket.