Virat Kohli bounced back in style in the second ODI against England after a poor show in the series opener. Having returned to international cricket after a long time, the former India captain managed only five runs in his comeback game. While fans were waiting for his statement knock, it finally came on a day when Kohli surpassed former Australian batter Ricky Ponting to become the fifth most-capped player in history, registering his 561st international appearance. He arrived in the middle following the dismissal of skipper Shubman Gill.
Partnered by his long-time teammate, Rohit Sharma, Kohli showed glimpses of his iconic strokeplay and scored a valuable half-century to put India in a commanding position. The duo stitched a 60-run partnership before Will Jacks trapped Rohit for a caught-behind.
India vs England: How many runs did Virat Kohli score in the second ODI?
The veteran top-order batter struck 65 off 66 balls, and his knock was laced with eight boundaries. After the openers were gone and Ishan Kishan managed just one run, India needed someone to revive the innings. Kohli once again emerged as the saviour. He anchored the innings, joining hands with Shreyas Iyer, who also scored a fifty in Cardiff. When Jofra Archer got the better of Kohli, India were at 178/4.
Can India seal the ODI series against England in Cardiff?
After a string of dismal performances in the T20I format, Team India appears to be finally regaining momentum, with the veteran trio of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah rejoining the squad for the 50-over assignment. The Men in Blue flexed their batting strength in the last game, chasing down a target of 259 convincingly to take a lead in the three-match series.
England captain Harry Brook won the toss in Cardiff and sent the visitors to bat first. Despite a poor show from the middle-order batters, India could breach the 200-run mark in 40 overs. They would try to add at least 7-80 runs more to the board, with Shreyas Iyer unbeaten at the crease.
