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Cricket World Cup: Jonny Bairstow leads England to crucial win against India to boost hosts' hopes of semi-finals
Jonny Bairstow’s defiant century ensured England’s Cricket World Cup hopes remained alive as the hosts beat India by 31 runs at Edgbaston.
Having elected to bat first, a stunning opening partnership by Jason Roy and Bairstow showed the best of England’s attacking prowess en route to setting India a huge 338 runs to win.
Although Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma threatened to upset the hosts - who needed the win to return to semi-final qualification spots - a big target meant they were always up against it.
But Liam Plunkett (3-55) and Chris Woakes (2-58) - who also pulled off an astonishing catch off the former - helped bowl England to victory.
The crucial win helped Trevor Bayliss’ men consign consecutive defeats to Sri Lanka and Australia to the past ahead of a big match against high-flying New Zealand.
READ MORE: England captain Eoin Morgan heaps praise upon 'magnificent' Jonny Bairstow as hosts down India
England’s innings was off to a flier when the returning Roy - out injured since June 8 - and Bairstow put on a brutal 160-run partnership.
Undeterred by the increasing pressure brought about by consecutive defeats, the pair played a series of nonchalant thrashes towards the boundaries.
With the sheer power and guile of both batters, they caused Kohli a number of headaches with their regular boundary-hitting.
Indeed, such was the reversal of pressure - England transferring all theirs upon India with 47 runs without loss in the opening ten overs - that Kohli’s men declined the opportunity of a review when Roy had gloved behind.
Roy made the most of his second life as both he and Bairstow teamed up to dispatch Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal as England brought up their 150 in just 20.1 overs.
But Roy’s dismissal on 66 (57) - a superb catch by substitute fielder Ravi Jadeja - helped the world’s number one ranked ODI side some initiative back.
Joe Root could not quite keep the ante raised as Bairstow bullied his way to 111 (109) before carving an effort straight at Rishabh Pant in the outfield.
Captain Eoin Morgan was ineffectual, departing for just one run (9) to Shami, before Root’s sturdy 44 (54) ended with an unconvincing ramp which was taken at fine leg.
With Jasprit Bumrah in fine death-bowling form, it was Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler who took Mohammed Shami to the cleaners with a 17-run over in the 47th, before the latter departed after a swashbuckling 20 (8).
Shami wrapped up his first five-for of the tournament with his following ball with the dismissal of Woakes before Bumrah sent Stokes on his way - in a dismissal reminiscent of Root’s - for 79 (54) as India conceded just three runs off the final over.
Chis Woakes dismissed KL Rahul early to leave India rocking in their chase of 338 after Root dropped Rohit Sharma in the second over.
Rohit looked out of sorts for the majority of his opening 50 balls, as the prolific ODI batsman eeked his way to 31.
But as team-mate and captain Kohli motored to 50 off 59, he inspired Rohit to rediscover his rhythm.
Sharma took on Adil Rashid, reintroduced into the attack, and started finding the boundary with alarming regularity. Indeed, the chase for India became less than 200 in 23 overs.
But Liam Plunkett ended what became a 138-run partnership when Kohli steered a simple length ball to substitute James Vince at backward point, to reinvigorate the hosts.
Sharma was not done yet, though. The Indian opener made his way to 100 off 106 as the Kohli’s men refused to lie down.
Morgan, seeking a wicket, brought Chris Woakes back into the attack and the seamer delivered immediately - with a slower-ball cutter bringing an end to his reign for 102 (109).
Hardik Pandya was pushed up the order as India seeked an unlikely victory and pummelled Woakes for three consecutive fours en-route to a 16-run over.
But the bowler made an outrageous catch on the boundary off Plunkett to see off the chaotic Pant, before Pandya holed out to the same bowler as scoreboard pressure set in.
It was left to MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav to knock off 71 runs from the final 31 deliveries but a haphazard and frenetic approach left India starved of boundaries.
Even more telling of what became an incredibly meagre Indian end was Dhoni hitting Woakes for six off the first ball of the final over - which proved to be India’s first, and last, maximum of the innings.
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