Three-match One Day International (ODI) series between England And India A thrilling climax has been reached. England made a spectacular comeback and won by four wickets in the second ODI at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff on July 16, 2026. The win not only leveled the series but also set up a mouth-watering winner-take-all final. With the series hanging in the balance, both cricket giants are now setting their sights on the ultimate battleground of modern cricket for the decider.
Joe Root praises Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as England prepare for the final ODI at Lord’s
Following England’s series-levelling win, the spotlight turned to the legendary status of India’s legendary icons, Rohit Sharma And Virat Kohli. Rumors are flying that this bilateral tour could mark the last time the iconic pair feature in an ODI series on English soil. Speaking at the post-match press conference, the England anchor Joe Root He paid an emotional tribute to his old rivals and acknowledged how they revolutionized modern limited overs batting.
Root emphasized that Kohli and Rohit are arguably two of the greatest players to grace the ODI format. He said his ability to understand playing conditions and constantly push the boundaries has raised the bar for players around the world. The English legend expressed nostalgia, admitting that he will miss competing against him and watching him dominate the bowling attack, even as he jokingly recalled the time when he defeated England. However, with the series decider on Sunday underway, Root rejected the challenge of a tough game, saying England’s primary tactical objective at Lord’s would be to keep these two modern giants quiet.
“You’re talking about two of the best players to ever play in this format and, um, and, um, yes, it’s – who knows if they’ll come back and get an opportunity to play here again, but um, incredible, um, legends of the game in this format. He’s kind of moved the bar and changed the goalposts for everybody, um, and has consistently done things that no other player, or many other players, have been able to do. So, um, you know, I watch them play and you try and learn and see how they read the game and how they take on different situations and play different routes to the game, um, and a lot of times they’re miles ahead of it. So, um, yeah, it’s uh, in some ways it will be sad that they won’t be back here, but um, I’ll miss playing against them and watching them beat us around. So, hopefully we can keep them quiet on Sunday, umm, but yeah, two great players, legends.” Root said during the press conference.
Also read: Rohit Sharma ready to play his farewell ODI match at Lord’s – report
Root’s brilliant inning of 99 runs gave England a spectacular victory over India.
Earlier in the day, it was Root’s efficient, unbeaten 99 that formed the basis of England’s successful chase. After winning the toss and electing to bowl, the English bowling attack performed brilliantly. jofra archer Whereas, he destroyed the middle order by taking 3 wickets for 47 runs. Gus Atkinson Was successful in taking 3 wickets for 50 runs. Despite resilient half-centuries from Kohli (65 runs in 66 balls) and Shreyas Iyer (66 runs from 71 balls), India faltered from steady position and lost their last four wickets for just 23 runs and were bowled out for a paltry score of 233 runs in 44 overs.
England had a very bad start to chase the target and within four overs their score was 8 runs for 2 wickets. Jasprit Bumrah rejected ben duckett for a duck and Prasidh Krishna taken out jacob bethel. However, Root stepped up to wrap up the innings with pure textbook perfection. Root displayed great patience and formed important partnerships. harry brook, Sam Curran (26), and will jacks (30).
Even when wickets were falling all around him the debutant Gurnoor Brar (2 wickets for 67 runs), Root remained unperturbed and hit 9 fours during his innings of 133 balls. With a sharp innings from Atkinson (23* off 16 balls), Root took England to 235 for 6 with 35 balls remaining. Falling well short of a century on 99*, Root was named Player of the Match, having set the stage perfectly for a historic encounter at Lord’s.
Also read: Fans go wild as Joe Root’s unbeaten masterclass helps England beat India in 2nd ODI