Rohit back among runs as India clinch ODI series

Skipper hits his 32nd ODI ton to shake off poor run, helps India take 2-0 lead in series against England

- Somshuvra Laha

CUTTACK: When Rohit Sharma does Rohit Sharma things, cricket ceases to be a contest. This isn't a realisation, but a reminder. Of the extra second he wields over other batters when it comes to shot selection. Of the razor-sharp focus that a near half-hour floodlight failure couldn't break. Of the expansive stroke playlist he flaunts, pinging every part of the ground. Of the massive gap of class and mindset between him and the rest of India's batting.

Languid at his best, yet so effective that every time Rohit did his thing, the crowd couldn't keep calm. Chasing 304 is never easy, but the skipper paved the way with a stupendous hundred—his 32nd in ODI cricket—as the hosts won by four wickets against England in the second ODI here on Sunday.

England tried hard, even though they probably fell at least 20 short of the par score here. Each of their top seven got starts, two of them (Ben Duckett and Joe Root) got to fifties but Jos Buttler and Root fell in the space of four overs to trigger a collapse as England lost their last seven wickets for 85.