Cuttack, Feb 9 (UNI) England managed to post a competitive total, crossing the 300-run mark for the first time in this series, thanks to a solid top-order performance.
Ben Duckett, in particular, played a free-flowing knock and gave his side a strong start. The Indian pacers struggled to contain the attacking southpaw, bowling short and wide, which allowed Duckett to dominate early on.
Despite a dropped catch by Axar Patel, England opener Harry Brook failed to capitalize and was dismissed by Varun Chakravarthy. Duckett’s fifty was followed by his dismissal after attempting to take on Ravindra Jadeja, who had the better of him. However, Joe Root and Brook steadied the innings with a solid 50-run partnership, but Brook fell against the run of play.
Root continued to play an anchor role, forming another key 50-run partnership with Jos Buttler, but England's momentum was interrupted by a flurry of wickets in the death overs.
Liam Livingstone played a crucial cameo to push the total further, but England could only score 74 runs in the last ten overs, which could prove costly.
India’s bowlers adapted well, with Jadeja being the standout performer, finishing with three wickets. England’s struggles against spin were evident once again as they could only manage 121 runs off 26 overs at an economy rate of 4.65. In contrast, the pacers went for 181 runs in 23.5 overs, with an economy rate of 7.59.
The pitch was slow, but the dew factor might aid India’s chase. England will be hopeful their total is enough, but the late collapse leaves the door open for India in what promises to be a thrilling run chase.
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