16 July,2022 07:15 AM IST | London | Santosh Suri
India’s No.7 batsman Ravindra Jadeja is clean bowled by England’s Liam Livingstone on Thursday. Pic/Getty Images
It's not for the first time that India were found wanting while chasing a relatively small target after the top-order failed to get going. The Indian bowlers had done well by restricting England to 246 and it seemed the visitors would gallop to victory in the second ODI at Lord's on Thursday to seal the three-match series.
However, once again, the Indian batsmen were rattled by pace. Left-arm pacer Reece Topley produced the best figures (6-24) by an English bowler in ODIs to first clean up openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and then dismiss Rishabh Pant and Virat Kohli, all of whom failed to make a substantial contribution. The Indians were eventually bowled out for just 146 in 38.5 overs. The 100-run defeat was a major jolt to the visitors, who won the first ODI at The Oval by 10 wickets.
The pattern of this game was similar to that of two vital matches in ICC events here in England - the 2017 Champions Trophy final against Pakistan at The Oval (India were 158 all out, chasing 339 for victory) and the ICC World Cup semi-final against New Zealand at Manchester (India were 221 all out, chasing 240 for victory). On both occasions, the Indian batsmen fluffed their lines after the top order that included Rohit and Kohli, failed.
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At the post-match presser, skipper Rohit recalled these two matches and insisted that the lower order must learn to absorb pressure and make significant contributions. "It's a challenge for us when we lose five-six wickets. We need to learn how to score runs lower down the order. We need to focus on how to improve our balance and improve our batting because whatever the situation, if you back yourself, you will get runs. We should learn from England, the way they batted after losing five [cheap] wickets and scored [almost] 250," said Rohit.
"This has happened to us on a few occasions now. It's something we want to keep in mind, moving forward. And we have spoken about it a lot. It has happened in the 2019 World Cup, the 2017 Champions Trophy and a few other games as well, where we were put under pressure after losing early wickets and were 20 for 3 or 40 for 4 and went on to lose."
"That is where I want the guys to change their mindset. Try to be a bit more positive to try and take the game on because you know that the target is small, you're chasing just 230-240. But it depends on each individual at that particular moment. That's where the role of the management comes into play, asking them to play freely and showing them that what they're trying to do out in the middle is absolutely right," added Rohit.
India now have a couple of days to regroup, recuperate and come back strongly before the series decider in Manchester on Sunday. One hopes it's not another one-sided encounter as cricket lovers deserve a well-contested affair from these two evenly matched teams rather than a tame end to the series.
