Yuvraj Singh (150) and MS Dhoni (134) also score centuries
Thursday 19 January 2017 19:22, UK
India wrapped up a series win over England with one game to play after another explosive batting performance helped them win the second one-day international, in Cuttack, despite Eoin Morgan's best efforts.
The England skipper struck a magnificent century after England were set a staggering 382 to win but his side fell an agonising 15 runs short to see them slip 2-0 behind in the three-match series.
Yuvraj Singh smashed his highest ODI score of 150, as he and MS Dhoni (134) took the England attack apart for 381 runs, batting first.
The pair shared in a staggering 256-run stand for the fourth wicket after Chris Woakes (4-60) had taken three wickets - including the key strike of captain Virat Kohli (8) - in a terrific opening five-over spell, reducing India to 25-3.
England's efforts in their run-chase were admirable, but despite Morgan's best efforts and further half centuries for Jason Roy (82), Joe Root (54) and Moeen Ali (55), the visitors ultimately fell short on 366-8.
Having seen India successfully chase down 350 in the opening ODI, Morgan opted to bowl first after winning the toss, and his decision was immediately vindicated as Woakes picked up Lokesh Rahul (5) and Kohli - both caught by Ben Stokes at second slip - in the third over.
Woakes did further damage in his next, bowling Shikhar Dhawan (11) off his inside edge, but that only succeeded in bringing Dhoni to the crease, and he and Yuvraj immediately set about the England attack, though it was the latter who was the aggressor early on.
Yuvraj, making a comeback in the ODI side in this series after a three-year absence, whacked three boundaries off a Jake Ball (0-80) over to signal his intent early on.
Dhoni was a bit more circumspect to begin with, and was dropped on 43 by Ball - a difficult chance at wide long-on after a top-edge off Liam Plunkett.
Yuvraj, who last scored a hundred against West Indies in the 2011 World Cup, breezed through to a 14th ODI ton, while Dhoni made the most of his reprieve to go through to his 10th.
The ex-India skipper blasted 10 boundaries and six sixes in his innings, though it could possibly have been seven but for a pull shot of his smashing a spider-cam and being ruled a dead ball.
England finally claimed a fifth wicket a ball after Dhoni brought up his century, Yuvraj edging Woakes behind to Jos Buttler to end his 127-ball stay at the crease.
Dhoni continued his assault, smashing Plunkett (2-91) for three sixes in an over before departing to his final ball when caught at deep square-leg, attempting one maximum too many.
Despite chasing a hugely imposing 381-6, England were unfazed, even after the early wicket of Alex Hales (14) - edging Jasprit Bumrah (2-81) behind - in the fourth over.
Roy and Root shared in a century stand, each reaching fifty in the 20th over, though the latter fell a mere three deliveries later, top-edging an attempted sweep off Ravichandran Ashwin (3-65) to Kohli at midwicket.
Roy was next to go, bowled by Ravindra Jadeja (1-45), while Ashwin also accounted for Ben Stokes (1) in the same manner in the following over, and had Jos Buttler (10) stumped off a wide after some fine work by Dhoni.
England again rallied with Morgan and Moeen both notching half centuries in a 93-run stand for the sixth wicket, but then the latter and Woakes were bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-63) and Bumrah in consecutive overs to seemingly all but end the game.
Morgan stuck to the task and went through to his hundred, off 80 balls, receiving useful support from Plunkett (26no) to keep England in with a chance, but the skipper was run out in the penultimate over and his side slipped to a slender defeat.
Watch the third and final ODI between India and England in Kolkata, live on Sky Sports 2 from 7.30am on Sunday.
