In a thrilling match at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow, India secured its sixth consecutive victory in the ODI World Cup 2023 by defeating England by a convincing 100-run margin. This win marked a significant moment for Team India, as they last triumphed over England in the World Cup two decades ago, with their previous victory dating back to 2003, when they won by 82 runs at the Durban ground.
The contest unfolded after Team India batted first upon losing the toss, managing to put up a total of 229 runs for the loss of nine wickets within the allotted 50 overs. England, set to chase the target of 230 runs, faltered and was eventually bowled out for 129 runs in 34.5 overs. Indian bowlers proved to be the stars of the match, with Mohammed Shami taking four wickets and Jasprit Bumrah securing three.
The spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja contributed to the English downfall by sending three batsmen back to the pavilion. Rohit Sharma played a pivotal role in India’s victory by scoring 87 runs, a feat that also marked his milestone of achieving 18,000 international runs. Furthermore, Rohit Sharma’s leadership credentials shone bright as he completed his 100th match as captain in all three formats, with an impressive 74 victories to his name. In the second innings, Mohammed Shami’s remarkable performance set a new record, as he recorded his sixth fourwicket haul in World Cup matches.
This accomplishment further solidified his status as one of the premier fast bowlers in the tournament. Meanwhile, Indian captain Virat Kohli faced an unusual dismissal, being out for zero in a World Cup match. Jasprit Bumrah’s delivery sent England’s Joe Root back to the pavilion without scoring, marking the third time he dismissed the English skipper for a duck in World Cup contests. Rohit Sharma’s achievement of reaching 18,000 runs in international cricket was a remarkable milestone, attained in his 457th innings.
He now joins an exclusive club of Indian players, including Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rahul Dravid, and Sourav Ganguly, as one of the top five highest run-scorers for India across all formats, boasting an impressive tally of 18,040 runs. Notably, Zimbabwe national player and coach Tasmeen Granger, in an interview on the Dafa News Cricket Show, highlighted some of the new records set during this remarkable match. Rohit Sharma’s twelve 50-plus scores in World Cup matches have catapulted him to the top of the charts, surpassing Ricky Ponting and tying with Virat Kohli.
Moreover, Rohit Sharma now holds the record for the most runs by an India captain in a World Cup tournament, surpassing Mohammad Azharuddin’s 1992 record. He also stands just behind Eoin Morgan and AB de Villiers in the captain’s record for most dismissals in a World Cup tournament. Additionally, in this match, Rohit Sharma played his longest ODI innings since January 2020, when he was dismissed for 119 runs in 36.4 overs against Australia. Batted alongside KL Rahul for the first time since the ODI against Australia in Bengaluru on January 19, 2020, Rohit Sharma’s performance has been a driving force behind India’s success in the ODI World Cup 2023.
