India continued its majestic victory streak on a tricky track that troubled the batsmen at the Ekana Stadium, Lucknow, on Sunday. The Men in Blue won their sixth match in a row, defending a score of 229 runs(for the loss of 9 wickets) due to their excellent bowling performance in the City of Nawabs. Indian bowlers cleaned up the English batting lineup for just 129 runs in 34.5 overs, to win by a whopping 100-runs. Rohit Sharma(87 in 101b) and Suryakumar Yadav(49 in 47b) contributed with sheer excellence in a high-pressure situation
The day commenced with the English skipper, Jos Butler, winning the toss and making the smart decision to field first as the pitch seemed bowling-friendly and Lucknow is known to have the dew factor come in as the day progresses.
After successful chases in their first five games, India finally got the opportunity to bat first. The English bowling attack, for a change, looked menacing. English spearheads, David Willey(10-2-45-3) and Chris Woakes(9-1-33-2) took some crucial early wickets. Shubman Gill(9 in 13b) and Shreyas Iyer(4 in 16b) went early. Willey caught superstar Virat Kohli off guard and sent him packing for a duck, much to the crowd’s disappointment. But skipper Rohit Sharma stood his ground like a grizzly bear and smashed a commendable 87 runs. Suryakumar Yadav provided crucial reinforcements but ended up shy of just one run from scoring his half-century. The Indians managed to put up a total of 229 runs.
The English, in response, tried to stand their ground but were unsuccessful. The first breakthrough came in the 5th over during Jasprit Bumrah’s bowling(6.5-1-32-3). Bumrah even got the opportunity to shoot for a hat-trick. Mohammed Shami(7-2-22-4) yet again lit up the track like a phoenix, scalping another 4-wicket haul. Kuldeep Yadav(8-0-24-2) and Ravindra Jadeja(7-1-16-1) also contributed to the wicket-taking endeavour. The English were sent packing to the barracks in just 34.5 overs for a score of 129 runs, giving India a 100-run victory. Rohit Sharma was named Player-of-the-Match,
India is known to be the master of chases, but this masterful defence silenced the critics. India’s next match with number two, South Africa, would be the one to look out for.
Here’s the latest look at the points table after Sunday’s match:
| Team | Matches | Won | Lost | Points |
| India | 6 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
| South Africa | 6 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Australia | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Sri Lanka | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Pakistan | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Afghanistan | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Netherlands | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Bangladesh | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| England | 6 | 1 | 5 | 2 |