World Cup 2019: Twitter reacts as Jonny Bairstow stars in win against India to keep England alive
When India took on England today at Edgbaston, it was a battle between two teams, but three more teams were equally invested in it. England’s poor performances made the semi-final race interesting, and India had a chance to further spice things up. But a 31-run victory ensured that England are still alive in this World Cup with 10 points from 8 games.
Before the chase, Indian fans were hoping for their injured opener KL Rahul to be fit. That he was, but he did not trouble the scoreboard as Chris Woakes sent him back for a duck. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli found it difficult to get going initially, but once they were set, both started playing big shots.
The Indian skipper yet again failed to convert his half-century to a century as Liam Plunkett got the better of him in the 29th over. World Cup debutant Rishabh Pant failed to impress and scored only 32 runs. Hardik Pandya’s 33-ball 45 was exciting, but once he got out, it was curtains for the "Men in Orange".
England had luck on their side when they came out to bat. Jonny Bairstow could have been played on a couple of times, but instead got boundaries. Both Bairstow and Jason Roy eventually started to play their natural games, and the Indian spinners were on the receiving end of the onslaught today.
After Roy’s dismissal for 66, Bairstow set up a 55-run partnership with Joe Root. The English opener registered his eighth ODI ton, but was dismissed soon after by Mohammed Shami. Ben Stokes took the baton from him and maintained the continuous flow of runs.
But wickets kept falling at the other end. Indian pacer Mohammed Shami, who is currently enjoying the form of his life, picked up five wickets. Stokes’ 54-ball 79 helped England reach 337.
Liam Plunkett and Chris Woakes bowled exceptionally well for the hosts, while Ben Stokes went ballistic towards the end with the bat in hand. But the star of the match was Jonny Bairstow. The 29-year-old scored 111 runs in 109 balls, hitting ten boundaries and four sixes in the process. When he got out, the stage was already set for the likes of Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes to thrive upon.
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