Wow, what a match this was. It had so much packed in. What stands out from that presentation is Morgan saying how India successfully pulled them back around that 35th-40th over mark. Credit for that has to go to Pandya and Jadhav. Pandya especially bowled with both mid-off and mid-on up but never gave them a single drive ball. That spell where he didn't go for many and took Buttler's wicket was the difference between 350 and 370. Then Kohli's supreme belief stands out. Chasing 350 he told his fifth-wicket partner that let's get to 150 positively and watch England panic. Jadhav, what a lovely story. In front of his parents, his wife, his daughter, playing an innings only young boys not bogged down by the realities of life have the innocence to dream of. And that innings was like a dream. A fairytale. Everything he did came off. He ran hard, he picked gaps shrewdly, when he hit powerfully he cleared the field, and he even overcame physical discomfort of cramps. This is a dream Jadhav and India fans will not want to wake up from. It has been a pleasure to call this game. Goodbye for now
Phew. So much packed into one ODI. The start from Roy, the solidity from Root, the youngster Pandya bowling to a plan in the middle, Jadeja bowling at five an over in a 700 game, Stokes and co finishing off on a high, England seamers opening really well with the new ball, India 63 for 4, then the scarcely believable innings from Jadhav and Kohli, then the wickets, the cramps, the drama, and Pandya and Ashwin holding their nerves again. Time for presentation now
"We did have the runs," says Eoin Morgan. "That's why we wanted to bowl first. Small ground, conditions are pretty tough for the bowlers. You think you are in the game, especially having them 60 for 4. It is tough to take, but credit to them. They didn't give us any chances. We didn't play at our best today. We think we were in the game for most of it. So all is not lost. We were at a tricky period between overs 35 and 45 where we were looking to get momentum into the business end. Credit to India for taking Jos's wicket. We would have liked to kickstart that charge earlier."
"This win is going to take a while to sink in," says Virat Kohli. "Conceding 350, being 60 for 4, their bowlers on top, it took a special partnership to get this win. We have seen the potential of Kedar before. And Hardik finishing in the end. Two cool heads with Ashwin in the middle. At 60 for 4, yes I was still thinking win. The moment I saw Kedar striking well, I told him let's get to 150 for 4, and they will hit the panic button. Just you watch. A splendid innings. Yes I did push him hard for running. The best learning is out there in the middle. I wanted to push him there. He has a special ability. I wanted that to come out. Congratulations to him. His family is here too. The only way we could have come out of this was to counterattack. We couldn't win with those singles. We needed to tell the opposition that we believe we can win. The wicket was very placid so it was just a case of the bowlers trying their best. We bowled really well in the initial phases, but in the end they countered us really well."
"It is a great feeling that I could win a game for my country," says Kedar Jadhav, Man of the Match. "That too at my home ground. My mom, dad, my wife, my daughter are here. I could play this long because the captain Kohli has shown us how to chase big totals. I have already missed many chances with the batting. I have also missed chances to bat with Virat and watch him closely. It's tough to run with Virat, but I will get better."
"I am quite pleased that I contributed with the ball and with the bat," says Hardik Pandya. "It was an amazing chase. Hats off to the way Kedar and Virat batted. It gave me the confidence I could finish the game off. It was tense out there but I was watching and learning from Virat and Kedar. Yes there were close calls with the running but that will come with age and experience. I will definitely learn from those mistakes."
There are hugs among the Indian team as they have sealed what looked like an impossible chase. they were 63 for 4 chasing 351 but they still had Kohli in the middle. Kohli alone couldn't have done it, though, and Kedar Jadhav chose this day to play a stunning innings. He ran hard, hardly played dots, and every time England strung together dots he kept taking a calculated risk to swing hits out of the screws. For once somebody outshone Kohli in a chase. The India captain won't mind it at all. He needs as many hands on the deck, and Jadhav's will be very welcome. It will be very satisfactory too that there was no repeat of Canberra. That the lower order showed some composure in the end to complete what had become a regulation chase. Pandya finding his composure after a wobble will be a big positive too. Ashwin redeemed himself a little too with the calm he brought to the final partnership
And how will England be feeling? Scored 350, had India four down at 60, what more do they need to win? Maybe make Kohli one of those early four wickets the next time. This is the fourth-highest successful chase of all time. Three of the top five have come in India
India need just one more in this chase that looked nigh impossible at 63 for 4. Kohli has made his way to the edge of the boundary. India can celebrate this as wildly as they want to. They have earned it
END OF OVER:48 | 11 Runs | IND: 350/7 (1 run required from 12 balls, RR: 7.29, RRR: 0.50)
- Hardik Pandya40 (37b)
- Ravichandran Ashwin9 (9b)
- Adil Rashid5-0-50-0
- Jake Ball10-0-67-3
India looking comfortable here with Ashwin bringing some composure to combine with Pandya's energy. England once again need some magic if they are to make this interesting again. And looking for magic, they go to Rashid, who has bowled three overs for 26 today
END OF OVER:47 | 5 Runs | IND: 339/7 (12 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 7.21, RRR: 4.00)
- Hardik Pandya31 (34b)
- Ravichandran Ashwin7 (6b)
- Jake Ball10-0-67-3
- Ben Stokes10-0-73-2
"Dravid effect on Pandya, so much maturity in him now." Rahul, I also personally liked how he didn't steal an overthrow off his own body
Jigar: "@mavR- Jadeja can play big innings and helps in Right Left combination. Besides Ashwin is a slower runner which adds to pressure"
END OF OVER:46 | 9 Runs | IND: 334/7 (17 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 7.26, RRR: 4.25)
- Ravichandran Ashwin4 (3b)
- Hardik Pandya30 (31b)
- Ben Stokes10-0-73-2
- Jake Ball9-0-62-3
Under 20 required now
Just five an over required now. Stokes to bowl out
END OF OVER:45 | 7 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 325/7 (26 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 7.22, RRR: 5.20)
- Hardik Pandya24 (27b)
- Ravichandran Ashwin1 (1b)
- Jake Ball9-0-62-3
- Ben Stokes9-0-64-2
mavR: "That Jadeja shot is the reason why Ashwin should have come ahead at run a ball ."
With Ashwin, the running will slow down
In walks R Ashwin. He now has a chance to redeem himself after an ordinary day with the ball. Pandya is on strike, though