Kohli dazzles, Jadhav sparkles as India hunts down 350

In 905 One-Day Internationals before Sunday (January 15), India had successfully chased down 350 or more on just two occasions, both in October 2013 in a home series against Australia. Virat Kohli’s contributions to those chases were 100* and 115*. On Sunday, India needed another Kohli special to go across the line at the MCA International Stadium in Pune. India’s new all-format captain took the burden of the chase on him with a sparkling 122 off 105 balls, and found an excellent ally in local lad Kedar Jadhav, who upstaged even Kohli with a blistering 120 off 76 balls.

The duo ensured India hunted down England’s 350 for 7 in the first ODI with three wickets in the bag and 1.5 overs remaining. It gave the team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, but more importantly, it gave India’s lower middle order the confidence that they could chase down the massive total. And despite starting with a bang, England’s relatively inexperienced bowling line up was left to rue its inability to defend such a huge total.

There are few sights more breathtaking in cricket than watching Kohli in full cry. Walking in at 13 for 1, Kohli took no time to play himself in, warming up with a six off David Willey and two fours off Chris Woakes. He went on to treat a full house to a stunning display of batsmanship, finding the gaps with equal ease against spinners and seamers alike. Even as wickets tumbled around him, Kohli continued to shepherd the chase in splendid fashion with his 27th ODI ton.

Kohli’s mesmerising essay found the perfect foil in Jadhav, who walked in at 64 for 4 and peppered every part of the ground, sometimes with great power, sometimes with elegance, as the duo kept the scoreboard rattling along at breakneck speed. Just when it seemed like they would safely take India home, Kohli top-edged Ben Stokes to cover, thus ending their massive 200-run fifth-wicket stand in the 37th over.

With 88 to win off 82 balls, Jadhav continued to attack for the next couple of overs, but was undone by a bout of cramps, eventually pulling a Jake Ball (3 for 67) delivery to deep square leg. England would have thought they were back in the hunt, but with 60 required off the last ten overs, Hardik Pandya (40 not out off 37 balls), Ravindra Jadeja (13) and R Ashwin(15 not out) chipped in to take India home in 48.1 overs.

To hunt down the total, India needed a strong start, but they were denied that when Willey sent back the openers inside six overs. While Shikhar Dhawan slashed to Moeen Ali at third man, Willey sent KL Rahul’s middle stump flying.

With Yuvraj Singh, who walked in at No. 4, for company, Kohli mixed aggression with caution. While he treated the loose balls with typical disdain, the good ones were worked around for singles and twos. Taking a cue from his captain, Yuvraj stepped on the pedal, hitting a six and four off Willey, but his enterprise was short-lived as he shuffled across and tried to flick a Stokes delivery and was caught behind by Jos Buttler. The mini-implosion meant MS Dhoni walked out to bat as early as the 11th over to raucous cheers. But there was pin-drop silence six deliveries later, when the former captain’s premeditated pull found Willey at midwicket.

Kohli and Jadhav were now India’s last recognised pair. The duo kept the runs flowing at a fast clip, as Jadhav raised a counter-attacking half-century off just 29 balls. With Jadhav, who was particularly harsh on England’s spinners, doing the bulk of the scoring, Kohli was content to play second fiddle. Jadhav, intimately familiar with the conditions of his home stadium, worked his wrists to good effect and continued to enthral the crowd. England had no corner to turn to when Kohli too began to accelerate, depositing towering sixes into the stands, as the duo brought up their 100-run partnership in 79 balls.

The burgeoning stand took India past 200 in the 30th over, and Kohli soon brought up his century off 93 balls with a lofted six over mid-on. Jadhav too followed suit, bringing up his second ODI century off just 65 balls, studded with 11 fours and two sixes. Their dismissals gave England a whiff of victory, but India’s lower order slammed the door shut as Pandya and Ashwin hit a six apiece to seal the win.

Although England’s bowlers failed to hold their own, the batsmen set the tone after being sent in on a two-paced surface. England got off to a good start with Jason Roy (73 off 61 balls) cutting loose. Then Joe Root (78 off 95 balls) consolidated, and Stokes (62 off 40) provided the much-needed late thrust to take the team to its highest-ever ODI total against India.

Roy was on the money from the start, helping himself to successive fours through extra cover off Pandya. He targeted Umesh Yadav too, as the hooks and flicks came out in full flow.

Alex Hales showed some signs of rustiness, and was even beaten by Pandya a couple of times. He didn’t last long enough to make an impact - an excellent throw from Bumrah from long leg found him less than an inch short of the crease. Meanwhile, Roy continued unflustered, bringing up his sixth ODI half-century off just 36 balls, with ten boundaries.

The first dose of spin came in the form of Jadeja in the 11th over. The move worked to an extent as the flurry of boundaries reduced, and Roy and Root dealt mostly in singles. Ashwin’s introduction two overs later stifled England some more. The pressure to hit out got to Roy, who reverse swept a quicker delivery from Ashwin, but Yadav fluffed the overhead catch at third man. Roy could not ride his luck much longer though. In the next over, he walked down the pitch, trying to work a Jadeja delivery away, but Dhoni applied the finishing touches with a quick stumping, thus ending a 69-run second-wicket association.

Although Eoin Morgan took Ashwin by surprise with a slog-swept six over midwicket, and struck two fours thereafter, a short-of-length delivery by Pandya did him in.

But with the foundation laid, and two big hitters in Root and Jos Buttler in the middle, England tried to shift gears. Between a steady flow of boundaries, the duo smartly picked up the ones and twos, meaning India always had the pressure of a ticking scoreboard. Kohli brought on Yuvraj in a bid to get a breakthrough, but it was Pandya who delivered, as he sent back Buttler. Soon Jasprit Bumrah ended Root’s stay when he tried to hit a slower ball for six only to be caught by Pandya at long-on.

However, Stokes targeted the spinners and seamers alike to race to his half-century off 33 balls – a knock studded with two fours and two sixes. By the time Yadav got the better off the batsman, the damage had already been done. The sixth-wicket stand between Stokes and Moeen Ali (28 off 17 balls) yielded 73 runs as England went from 244 for 5 to 317 for 6 in the blink of an eye.

Willey and Woakes then ensured England reached the 350-run milestone, but it didn’t prove enough in the end.