India playing XI's report card for the 2nd ODI against England
A dynamic batting performance helped England pull level in the 3-match series against India with a 6-wicket win in the 2nd ODI at the MCA Stadium in Pune.
After being put in to bat, India managed 336 in their 50 overs thanks to superb innings from Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant. But in the second innings, the home bowlers struggled against the free strokeplay of the English batters.
Although England were without Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy ensured that India were never really in the game, pushing the series to a decider.
Here is the Indian playing XI's report card for the 2nd ODI against England.
IND v ENG 2021, 2nd ODI: India Player Ratings
Rohit Sharma: 3/10
Adjudged fit for this game, Rohit started off positively before steering a leg-side delivery from Sam Curran straight into the waiting hands of short fine-leg. He threw away a start in poor fashion for the second game in a row, but pulled off a brilliant run-out to break the England opening partnership.
Shikhar Dhawan: 1/10
After a match-winning 98 in the 1st ODI, Dhawan walked back for 4 off 17 balls. Reece Topley had the southpaw in all sorts of trouble before inducing an edge, and Dhawan's technique against the away-swinger is once again under question.
Virat Kohli: 7/10
Kohli stitched together a steadying partnership with KL Rahul, making his fifth fifty in his last 6 innings. The Indian skipper was handed a lifeline by Jos Buttler off Adil Rashid, but the same combination sent him back in the 32nd over for 66. His captaincy left a lot to be desired in the chase.
KL Rahul: 9/10
Rahul continued his good form by notching up a superb hundred. Although he took his time to get going and didn't really accelerate at any stage of the innings, he played the anchor role to perfection.
Rishabh Pant: 9.5/10
Pant pipped Suryakumar Yadav to a place in the XI as Shreyas Iyer's replacement, and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. The 23-year-old took the attack to the English bowlers in devastating fashion, scoring 77 off 40 and taking India to an above-par total.
Krunal Pandya: 2/10
If his ODI debut was a high, Krunal's second game in the format was the definition of a low. He scored 12 off 9 at the death in the first innings, and was taken to the cleaners in the second by Ben Stokes. The left-arm spinner leaked 72 runs in 6 overs by pitching it short or full, and was a terrible liability with the ball.
Hardik Pandya: 7/10
Hardik came in with his team in need of quick runs and delivered. Striking 4 sixes and 1 four in his 16-ball 35, the younger Pandya brother played a big role in India reaching 336. With the ball, he wasn't used once again - with Kohli citing workload management as the reason in the post-match presentation.
Kuldeep Yadav: 4/10
Although his figures read 0/84 in 10 overs, Kuldeep was promising for the most part of the 2nd ODI. After getting some turn and confusing the English batsmen with his variations, the set duo of Jonny Bairstow and Ben Stokes deposited him over the rope with alarming regularity. He is clearly low on confidence and it would be a massive surprise if he plays the 3rd T20I.
Shardul Thakur: 2/10
Thakur's knack of taking wickets deserted him in this game as he finished with figures of 0/54 in 7.3 overs. The pacer's lengths were greatly inconsistent throughout the 2nd ODI, and the English batsmen made the most of the same.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 6/10
Kumar was superb with the new ball for India, but even he suffered some damage in the middle overs against Bairstow. He finished with respectable (in the context of the game) figures of 1/63.
Prasidh Krishna: 6.5/10
After bowling two good overs in the powerplay, Prasidh was carted for a few boundaries by Roy and Bairstow. But just like the last game, he came back well by dismissing Jos Buttler and Bairstow in the 37th over to give India a sniff.