Virat Kohli made a ball boy’s day when the former India captain went towards them and did a handshake with the youngsters at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday during the India’s second ODI. India are already leading the three-match series 1-0.
Virat Kohli, who missed the first ODI in Nagpur, made the playing XI in Cuttack. For a majority of England innings, Virat Kohli fielded near the boundary lines. In between the game, the batting stalwart was caught going up to the kids and did a shook hands with budding cricketers.
Seeing Virat Kohli coming towards them, the kids went forwards on their knees and shook hands with their superstar, a moment that they will cherish for lifetime. Soon after the handshake, the kids couldn’t gulp the moment in a wholesome reaction.
Earlier, the crowd went berserk when Rohit Sharma took Virat Kohli’s name during the coin toss.
India need 305 runs to win
As far as the match is concerned, left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja continued his stranglehold over English batters with brilliant figures of 3/35 as India bowled out the visitors for a sub-par score of 304.
On a good batting surface, Ravindra Jadeja’s crucial breakthroughs came against the run of play as he dismissed an aggressive Ben Duckett (65 off 56 balls) and a well-set Joe Root (69 off 72 balls), preventing England from building on their strong start.
Electing to bat, England laid a solid foundation with contributions from Duckett, Root, and skipper Jos Buttler (34 off 35 balls). At 200/3 in 35 overs, England seemed on course for a 330-plus total, but a disciplined bowling from Indians denied them the extra 15-20 runs.
England would have struggled to reach 300 if not for Liam Livingstone’s brisk 41 off 32 balls (2×4, 2×6) and Adil Rashid’s explosive five-ball 14, which included three consecutive boundaries off Mohammed Shami.
However, three run-outs in the final couple of overs saw them bowled out with a delivery to spare.
