Syed Modi International 2017: Saina Nehwal Opts Out; PV Sindhu Eyes Another Title

Lucknow: Saina Nehwal's decision to give it a miss has taken away some sheen but Olympic silver-medallist P V Sindhu will ensure that Syed Modi International is not short of star power when the Grand Prix Gold event gets underway with the qualifiers here on Tuesday.

Fresh from her comeback win at Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold on Sunday, Saina, a three-time winner here, has opted out.

"No, I am not playing as it was a tough three weeks for me after the PBL and Malaysia open win and I am still not 100 per cent with my knee strength. I need some more time to be fully fit physically," Saina told PTI.
"But I am happy I played some great badminton in last three weeks but to beat top level players, I need to be at my best and I still need some more time be at my best fitness. It's not easy to perform unless you have the best fitness at the super series level," she added.
Perhaps unaware of her pullout, the organisers has given the second seeding to Saina.
On the other hand, it has been a dream run for Sindhu in international circuit ever since the Indian clinched the Olympic silver medal at the Rio Olympics in August.
The 21-year-old continued her rampaging run as she sealed her maiden Super Series title at China Open Premier, before reaching the finals at Hong Kong Open and qualifying for the prestigious BWF Dubai Super Series Finals in December last year.
The girl from Hyderabad has been simply unstoppable as she then guided her team Chennai Smashers to a title win at the Premier badminton League (PBL) less than a fortnight ago and will be the hot favourite to clinch the women's title at Syed Modi, which has a depleted field.

Seeded top, Sindhu will face Anura Prabhudesai in the opening round and is likely to clash with fourth seed Fitriani Fitriani in the semifinals if she doesn't suffer any hiccups.

In the men's draw, K Srikanth will be looking to make a successful comeback into the international circuit after spending four months on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.
"I haven't reached the fitness that I had before the Olympics but I am fit enough to compete at Syed Modi and I am looking forward to defending my title to get back my confidence ahead of the upcoming important tournaments," World No.15 Srikanth told PTI.

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India vs England, 3rd ODI: The last song before dusk

With the series already lost, England would seek to restore some pride in the final One-dayer

With a bit more disciplined bowling, England could have been up 2-0 but now they will play for pride. (Source: PTI) Jason Roy is a passionate blogger. He is currently blogging on the India-England limited-overs series for Skysports. In one of his recent posts, he spoke about his time with the Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League and having a beach barbecue on a scorching Christmas Day before sharing his intention of getting “a chance to chat to Virat Kohli in the coming weeks”. Roy is another young England batsman who likes to bat with Kohli’s swagger.
Jos Buttler came for the pre-match press conference ahead of the second ODI in Cuttack. He spoke with humility and candour, describing the IPL as his “best cricket experience”. Roy and Buttler represent the new-age England cricketers—fresh-faced, fearless and without the fabled stiff upper lip. They prefer to bat with aggression.
In endgame, Ajinkya Rahane senses a rare opening
Roy gave India enough trouble in both the ODIs. His 61-ball 73 with 12 fours in Pune had set up his team’s total, 350. His 73-ball 82 at Barabati was better. The hosts had been on tenterhooks till the penultimate over even after posting 381. And if Eoin Morgan had kept the game alive at the death, Roy’s rollicking start provided him with the platform to launch an assault.
For Roy, however, it was a case of leaving the job half-done on both occasions. Daddy tons would have served England a lot better. As England return to the venue of their World T20 final heartbreak, Roy rued the missed opportunities. “I’m never happy with just a good start. A good start is a good start but winning games is obviously at the forefront of my mind. So I have to be a bit disappointed getting out at the 70s and 80s,” he said, on the eve of the third ODI here on Sunday.
Squad depth
England’s squad depth allows them to bring in an assured limited-overs hand like Sam Billings in place of the injured Alex Hales. Billings had opened in one game in Bangladesh and scored a half-century. His ODI strike-rate is 110.94. In many ways, Buttler should have been England’s X-factor in this series, because of his experience in Indian conditions and batting range. Buttler is yet to get a half-century in the series. Even KL Rahul had confessed about India’s uncertainty, when the England middle-order batsman was in the middle. Indian camp’s respect quotient for a non-Asian batsman on subcontinent pitches is usually not high, unless a great or a special player is in business. Rahul’s comment for this young England team was respectful.
Yes, they are trailing the three-match ODI series 2-0. But England’s approach, the free-spiritedness in their batting, has won many hearts. Unlike the Australians that came here in 2013 and gave the hosts a run for their money before losing the seven-match ODI series 3-2—two matches were abandoned because of bad weather—the Poms don’t have a truckload of (IPL) experience of playing in these conditions. Unlike the Saffers, who won the T20 and ODI series in India in 2015, they don’t have the world’s greatest-ever limited-overs player or a retinue of limited-over exponents either. The English touring party doesn’t have a superstar. They are thriving in collective effort, batting-wise, and making serious impressions, adverse results notwithstanding.
With a bit more disciplined bowling, England could have been up 2-0 by now. In the first ODI, they had India on the mat, accounting for four wickets inside the first 12 overs. That they let the game slip and wilted in the face of Kohli’s class and Kedar Jadhav’s counter-punch was basically down to their spin-bowling mediocrity. Adil Rashid leaked 50 runs in five overs. Moeen Ali gave away 48 in 6.1. In the three matches Rashid had played against Bangladesh earlier this season, he took 10 wickets at 14.50.
But only five scalps at 45.40 in five games against South Africa last year highlighted his struggles against superior opponents. The leggie appears too innocuous to make an impact against heavyweights like India. Ali’s career average, 46.23, suggests he can, at best, be a batting allrounder and never a frontline spinner. Little wonder then that England picked five quicks for the second ODI, ignoring a Barabati featherbed and giving their lone tweaker only six overs.
In a spin
Not many moons ago, Graeme Swann had bemoaned how spinners were treated as “third-class citizens” in England. There’s a mounting allegation that the counties don’t encourage their spinners . They are happy with bits and pieces. Roy begged to differ. “No, we have got some good spin bowlers. We don’t disregard it at all. We have got a few good young players coming through and it’s just the way it is. Just the way cricket goes, we don’t have the amount of spin bowlers that India do. Their bowlers are terrific, but no, I think we have got the skill and ability to put it into play.”
All said and done, a quality spinner remains England’s missing piece of the jigsaw, but this side with an average age of 26, has all the other ingredients to be become world-beaters. At 25 for three in the last match, the visitors had an opening. But Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni slammed the door shut with a 256-run fourth wicket partnership. England played into their hands by bowling too many boundary balls.
They conceded 120 in the last 10 overs as the fast bowlers repeatedly missed the yorker-length. In comparison, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, was consistent with his yorkers at the death and conceded only 40 runs in his final five overs. In the end, it proved to be decisive.
It’s not easy to bowl yorkers when a cricket ball becomes like a soap cake because of dew. Bhuvneshwar Kumar revealed how India had prepared to counter the problem. “It was difficult. But before that (Cuttack) match, at the start of the series, we practised bowling (yorkers) with the wet ball. That was one of the plans to execute in pressure situations.”
At the Eden Gardens nets on Saturday, Woakes was repeatedly aiming the base of the middle stump with coach Trevor Bayliss keeping a close eye. The consistency he showed was impressive. Getting it right under pressure and in front of 65,000 fans would be a different ball game, though.
PS: On a hot April evening last year, in the World T20 final at Eden, world had turned upside down for Ben Stokes. He had 19 runs to defend in the final over and victory looked firmly in sight. He conceded four sixes in his first four balls as a lower-order West Indies batsman, hitherto unknown and answering to the name of Carlos Brathwaite, became a hero. Stokes sat on his haunches, devastated.
The bad memory is now akin to the water under the Howrah Bridge. The England allrounder looked intense at the nets . This game can be a great leveller and Stokes would like to be in the thick of it – the facile nature of this contest, a dead rubber, notwithstanding.

 

Malaysia Masters: Saina Nehwal bludgeons Yip Pui Yin in straight sets to enter final

Sarawak, Malaysia: India ace Saina Nehwal produced a dominating performance to notch up a straight-game win over Hong Kong's Yip Pui Yin to seal her place in the finals of the $120,000 Malaysia Masters Grand Prix Gold in Sarawak on Saturday.

London Olympics bronze medallist, Saina, who has been desperately looking for a win to boost her confidence after recovering from a knee surgery, which derailed her Rio Olympics campaign last year, thrashed fifth seed Yin 21-13 21-10 in a lop-sided semi-final clash.

The 26-year-old Indian, who clinched the Australian Open last year, will face Thailand's Pornpawee Chochuwong in the summit clash. The unheralded World No 67 Thai shuttler stunned World No 19 Cheung Ngan Yi, seeded second, 21-19 20-22 21-18 in another semi-final match that lasted an hour and 16 minutes.
Coming into the match, Saina enjoyed a 6-2 head-to-head record against Yin, who had last beaten the Indian at 2010 Asian Games. The Indian extended her record to seven wins after producing another scintillating performance.
The girl from Hyderabad had opened up a 4-1 lead early on but she lost control of the match after that as Yin erased the deficit and grabbed a 7-4 advantage at one stage.
Despite a fightback from Saina, she managed to hold on to a 12-9 lead but the Indian then changed gears and reeled off five straight points to first turn the tables and then amassed seven points on the trot to leave the Hong Kong player stranded.
In the second game, there was a marked difference between the two shuttlers as Saina simply walked away with the game without giving any chance to her rival. She opened up a 6-0 lead and then kept extending it to eventually shut the door on Yin comfortably.

MS Dhoni and the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup: Five good reasons why Mahi should head to London

The floodlights at Wankhede Stadium were on in full glory that warm April evening. Sri Lanka, having scored 274 in the World Cup finals of 2011, had just sent Virendra Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli back to the hut. The huge scoreboard over the MCA pavilion almost reluctantly changed the display to 114 for 3 even as spectators in the stands — on the edge of their seats — had started biting their nails.

The 42,000 people at the ground and another 135 million Indians at home, watching the live telecast, feared the worst; would they see a repeat of the 1996 semifinals at Kolkata? But what happened next gave rise to a collective gasp of disbelief. Walking out ahead of the in-form Yuvraj Singh at number 5 was Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The Indian skipper had shown indifferent form through the event and not even his most ardent fans expected him to do well, as a batsman, in the finals.
As he made his way down the dressing room stairway, the media box at the opposite end of the ground too was horror-struck. Ayaz Memon – cricket writer par excellence — revealed recently that one of the journalists there said, “Pagal hua hai!” (He’s gone crazy!), when he saw Dhoni saunter to the middle.

Dhoni’s innings that evening is now part of cricketing folklore. For the record, he scored a brilliant, unbeaten 91 and for good measure, thumped Kulasekara into the stands beyond long on to win for India the World Cup after 28 long years.
‘Mahi’, as he is better known to his friends, has always been a non-conformist and someone who, as a norm, did things the unconventional way. He revealed much later why he had batted ahead of Yuvraj Singh — who had had a brilliant hundred against the West Indies and an unbeaten 57 against the Australians in the run up to the finals:
He said, “With two off-spinners operating for Sri Lanka, I didn’t want two lefthanders at the crease. Gautam Gambhir was batting well so I thought I could give him company, rotate the strike and cause problems for the Sri Lankans with a left-right combination. Also, I had played Muralitharan a lot and was confident I could score against him.”
It made sense, in hindsight!
It was roses, roses all the way…
Despite a batting and ‘keeping technique of his own, Dhoni made it to the Indian ODI side in December 2004. He took over the captaincy in the limited overs format in 2007, after the debacle at the World Cup in the Caribbean Isles. A year later, he became India’s Test captain too.
Spending a decade at the helm, he won for India the World T20 Championship in 2007, the Asia Cup, the World Cup in 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy in 2013. In 2009, India attained the number one rank in Tests. What’s more, he not only became a role model for young cricketers in the country but his leadership methods were discussed and adopted in some of the most professional corporate houses in India. A few high-profile business magazines too dissected his style of captaincy.
Captain Cool’s vision for the Indian team was simple. He wanted India to ‘play as a team’. He made sure that every member of the team enjoyed himself, took pride in each other’s performances and took the field as a team, not as individuals. ‘Let’s hunt in packs,’ was his watchword.
He was aware of the tremendous burden that each member of the team carried on his shoulders; what with more than a billion Indians expecting them to win every time they entered the ground.That, he said, was the reason he kept things simple and kept communication channels open. He involved the seniors in decision-making and picked their brains on cricketing matters. Their help was also sought to mentor the junior players.
When his house in Ranchi was stoned after India performed dismally in the 2007 World Cup, Dhoni had an early lesson on the capriciousness of the Indian cricket follower. He knew that the captaincy crown would bring with it status, admiration, fan following and lots and lots of dough; at the same time it could also be a ‘crown of thorns’. He knew well that the roses and myrtle in his path (‘The Patriot’ by Robert Browning) could someday turn to stones being flung by ‘whoever has a mind’.
Alack, it was I who leaped at the sun …
The stones came sooner than expected. The IPL match-fixing and betting scandals broke out in 2013 and Dhoni’s name was dragged in the muck along with that of Chennai Super Kings’ head honcho, N Srinivasan and his son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan.
Another CSK player, who was also on the radar, reveals how Dhoni reacted to the whole affair. “Have you done anything wrong?” the player was asked by his skipper. “If not, don’t worry!” All the same, sensation-hunting media persons cast aspersions and speculated on their involvement.
A few months after the World Cup triumph of 2011, news filtered out of the Indian dressing room that all was not well between Dhoni and some of the senior players in the side. In fact, Yuvraj’s father, former Test pacer, Yograj Singh even went public with the differences between his son and the skipper, which Yuvraj promptly denied, of course.
Some media persons viciously hounded him with questions regarding the IPL scandal and his role (including that of his ‘friend’, Srinivasan) in the sordid affair.  Many of them, amazingly, even wanted to know when he would call it a day! Dhoni, therefore, zipped up his lips. This was uncharacteristic of the person he really is. In the few mandatory press interactions he had subsequently, he would lace his answers with sarcasm aimed at his cynics and baiters.
The straw that broke the camel’s back was perhaps the ODI series in Bangladesh, in 2015, which India lost. Mustafizur, the freakish pacer had the Indian batsmen in a tizzy in these matches. India had earlier lost in the semifinals at the World Cup. During this series, Virat Kohli publicly criticized India’s approach in the matches and a couple of Dhoni’s CSK colleagues had to defend their skipper at media conferences. This would surely have hurt.
Dhoni, as is his wont, all of a sudden decided to retire from traditional cricket after the Boxing Day Test, in Australia, in 2014. He abdicated his ‘throne’, in its entirety, a couple of days before the recent India-England ODI series for ‘crown prince’ Virat Kohli to take over. This supposedly was done after a ‘quiet talk’ with the chief of selectors.
The heartening news, after the tete-a-tete with M.S.K. Prasad, was that the former skipper would continue to play for India in the shorter version of the game, ‘if selected’.
One more World Cup winners’ picture, left extreme…
Dhoni has, quite often, expressed the desire to play the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. The million dollar question is: will the selectors let him? Here are five good reasons why he should be on the flight to London in May 2019:
1. He is by far India’s best wicket-keeping bet for the next couple of years. He may be unorthodox but as far as effectiveness is concerned, he is head and shoulders above any other ‘keeper in the land. Moreover, as a ‘keeper, with years and years of experience behind him, he will be in the best position to guide bowlers and advice the skipper on key issues during a match. Rishabh Pant is perhaps somebody the selectors would look at to groom for the next World Cup. It would be prudent, however, to have him as Dhoni’s understudy and to blood him only if he improves considerably in the run on to the big event.
2. He is still one of the most dangerous limited overs batsmen in the world. Team India needs a thoroughbred in the middle order with the ability to rotate the strike intelligently, run sharp singles and to launch into an assault in the end overs. Besides the famous ‘helicopter shot’, he still possesses a range of strokes, and the power, to befuddle the best bowlers the world over.  
3. There’s no substitute for experience, especially at an event like the World Cup. Dhoni has been there, done that! He has won a World Cup for India — that was elusive for 28 years — and almost did it a second time in 2015. He knows the ropes and his counsel will hold the Indian team in good stead in the prestigious event, especially on the softer tracks of Ol’ Blighty.
4. The new-look Indian team is young and brash. Skipper Kohli is also known to be aggressive, and impatient with his players, by nature. In all its impetuousness and spontaneity, the team will need the cool head of a ‘senior citizen’ like Dhoni on the ground. Off the ground, of course, the team couldn’t have asked for a better set of strategists: The brains of Anil Kumble, the experience of Dhoni and the aggression and passion of Kohli.
5. Dhoni’s presence in the team is a huge psychological advantage. With the ability to turn things upside down in a few overs, teams all over the world fear him. He will be discussed at length, for sure, in the opposition dressing rooms, thus lessening the pressure on other members of Team India.
6. Finally, if and when India wins the World Cup of 2019, see if you can find Mahendra Singh Dhoni on the extreme left of the picture. He might still be there!

That Naughties Show: India cruise to 15-run win; Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni hit tons

Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni roll back the years in a series-clinching effort as India bounce back from 25/3 to post 381 before restricting England to 366.

Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni scored centuries. The duo added 256 runs for the fourth wicket. Reuters

Eoin Morgan was taking the fight to India. The out-of-form England captain picked this match to recapture his attacking mojo and was clearing the ropes for fun. The equation came down to 108 in the last nine overs with Morgan and Moeen Ali striking the ball cleanly. India had bowled out R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and suddenly, pressure started to mount.

MS Dhoni became proactive behind the stumps, setting the fields and sending instructions. Virat Kohli was happy to play second fiddle. Bhuvneshwar Kumar induced a mistimed shot from Ali. The ball went high in the air, India’s best fielder, Jadeja, settled underneath it at long-on, but the catch slipped through his hands. Dew had made the ball slippery.

Giving Kedar Jadhav the 43rd over was always fraught with danger. But India barely had other options. The part-time offie conceded 15. Then again, England had been chasing the unchaseable. Scoreboard pressure proved to be too much for the visitors to handle, even on a highway-like Barabati surface. Ali and Chris Woakes departed in quick successions. Morgan breezed to an 81-ball 102 but was run out in the penultimate over. That was that. India narrowly survived despite posting 381 in 50 overs. The 15-run win gave them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series. The final game at Eden Gardens on Sunday has now become a dead rubber.

The new era of youth temporarily took a back seat in Cuttack on Thursday. Old guards shone brighter – Yuvraj Singh and Dhoni for India, and Morgan for England. The Indian duo allowed the older fans to relive their emotions. Morgan showed he could still be an impact player for his team.

Yuvraj and Dhoni, however, won the match for India.

KL Rahul is yet to hit the ground running as an ODI opener. Woakes got him with a good length delivery that came in with the angle and took the outside edge to second slip. Five balls later, the England fast bowler removed Kohli to another catch to Ben Stokes at the same position.

Indian batting had been mostly about their new shorter formats captain over the past 12-odd months.

Here, he was out after hitting two crisp boundaries and the team was under pressure at 22 for two, after being sent in by England.

It soon became 25 for three as Shikhar Dhawan dragged a widish one onto the stumps. Yuvraj and Dhoni started the resurrection job.

Dhoni has been in such situations many times. He relishes the opportunity to build his innings. Yuvraj came into this fixture with question marks hanging over his form and effectiveness. Dhoni was aiming to stay till the end. Onus was on the left-hander to throw down the gauntlet.

Breaking the shackles

Jake Ball, predetermined to overuse the short ball, helped Yuvraj break the shackles. He bowled to Yuvraj’s pads and was flicked to the deep square leg fence. The England seamer bowled even shorter and conceded another four. Ball over-corrected with a half-volley and Yuvraj flicked his wrists to take another boundary.

Dhoni played out two maidens and looked unperturbed. Maybe, he was trying to keep Yuvraj out of Woakes’ reach. Morgan missed a trick by not persisting with his best bowler for one more over and from that point onwards, it became an easy ride for India.

The old men were brilliantly complementing each other and a full house at Barabati revelled. When Yuvraj strides forward and lifts a fast bowler over the arc between point and mid-off, you know he is back in his element. Stokes presented him with an opportunity to play his favourite shot and a six ensued. Yuvraj was going at run-a-ball. Dhoni picked up the pace after reaching his half-century. A half-chance off Plunkett on 43 was his only blemish. His partner was flawless throughout.

A four off Plunkett took Yuvraj to 99. A single through square leg gave him his first ODI hundred – 14th overall – since 2011. The reaction was a thanks to the Almighty and some chest thumping. He has gone through enough pain of late. His moment in the sun brought plenty of accolades even from England (and also Australia, from where Kevin Pietersen tweeted).

Yuvraj finally departed for 150 off 127 balls. This was after adding 256 runs for the fourth wicket with his erstwhile skipper. The combined age of the two veterans was 70. Together they proved age is just a number.

Dhoni got a little frustrated, when his hit came in contact with the spider-cam. Moments later, he broke into a smile and sent the next delivery from Woakes about six rows back over long-on. A single took him to his 10th ODI hundred. His second 50 came off 39 balls. He finished with a strike rate of 109.83.

India scored 94 runs between the 30th and 40th overs. Between 40 and 45 they added 47 before throwing the kitchen sink in the final five. Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja – all scored at strike rates over 200. India’s 381 for six was their second-highest total against England behind 387 for five at Rajkot in 2008.

Fair play to Morgan, Ali, Jason Roy and Joe Root, but the series was done and dusted before the dinner break.

– MS Dhoni became first Indian and fifth batsman overall to hit 200 or more sixes in ODIs. The third six off Chris Woakes was 200th in 248 innings for the former Indian skipper. Sachin Tendulkar’s 195 sixes in 452 innings of 463 matches was the previous highest for India.

– Yuvraj Singh (150) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (134) was the second pair to score centuries in the same innings, both aged 35 plus. Before this, Tillakaratne Dilshan (161 not out) and Kumara Sangakkara (105 not out) did the same against Bangladesh at Melbourne on February 26,2015.

– Number of totals against England that are more than India’s 381/6 in Cuttack. The highest is NZ’s 398/5 at The Oval in 2015, followed by India’s 387/5 in Rajkot in 2008-09. This was India’s 23rd total which was in excess of 350 or more in ODIs, the most by any team.

– Yuvraj bettered his own record of the highest individual score for India vs England in ODIs by scoring 150. The previous best score was 138 at Rajkot in 2008.

India beat England by 15 runs in thrilling 2nd ODI, take 2-0 series lead: Highlights, As it happened

avindra Jadeja took the key wicket of Jason Roy against England in Cuttack. (Source: Reuters)

After winning the toss and electing to bowl, England had India on the ropes in the second ODI in Cuttack. England bowler Chris Woakes claimed three early wickets including that of Virat Kohli inside the first five overs to send the Indian top order back in the hut. This is a big game for both teams as a win for India will give them an unassailable 2-0 series lead while a win for England will tie it 1-1 and give them a chance to fight in third ODI. Despite the early setbacks, helped by Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni’s centuries, India would score 381/6 in the 50 overs.

In reply, England lose Alex Hales early before getting some balance from Jason Roy and Joe Root both of whom would score fifties and put together 100 runs before being undone by the spin effort. The visitors would lose the wickets of Roy, Root and Stokes quickly to make their job tougher.

Later in the contest, Eoin Morgan would score a pulsating 102 run knock and would get suitable support from Moeen Ali who would also score a 55 runs.

India vs England 2nd ODI

2143 hrs IST: R Ashwin with three wickets, Ravindra Jadeja with an economical show and Bhuvneshwar Kumar with lovely death bowling to prevent England from equalising the series. Eoin Morgan’s century got England ever so close to the win but India kept at it and get the win. Earlier, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh scored centuries to take India to 381/6 after the first three wickets fell cheaply.

2134 hrs IST: LAST OVER OF THE INNINGS. England are 360/8, need 22 for the win. Willey and Plunkett in the middle. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the ball

1st ball: Goes for a single. 21 needed from 5 balls

2nd ball: DROPPED! Tough one to take for Yuvraj. Take a single still. 20 needed from 4 balls

3rd ball: Misfield from Ashwin, on a wet ball, allows two runs. No problem with that. 18 needed from 3 balls

4th ball: Need six of each ball. Willey gets the toe end of the bat and Dhoni fields it but not before they run for a single. 17 needed from 2 balls. Looks sealed unless a no-ball!

5th ball: Slower one from Bhuvi and it is not read by Plunkett. Dot ball.

6th ball: 1 run from the final ball and that’s the game in the bag. India beat England by 15 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series

2130 hrs IST: Eoin Morgan run out Bumrah 102 (81)

Unlucky stuff for Morgan! Plunkett tries to play out the yorker but can only send it back to Bumrah who fields it and sees Morgan out of his crease, quickly goes back and smashes it into the stumps. Threw it on to the stumps, nerves playing a big, big part right now.

2129 hrs IST: Eoin Morgan doesn’t celebrate his hundred and brings up his ninth ODI hundred. First ball of the Bumrah over goes over the fielder and runs on to the boundary for a four.

2123 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again. His ninth over. Starts with two runs and then a four. Poor line, down the leg side and it is dispatched for a four. Third ball of the over is outside off and it is slashed into the vacant region for another four. 36 needed from 15 balls. Switches to around the stumps now. Two singles now. Morgan is on 96 and on strike. Picks up another single and moves on to 97. England are 349/7 after 48 overs

2121 hrs IST: FOUR AND FOUR! Plunkett with two heavy blows and that’s 17 runs from the over. From India almost having a wicket to this still being alive. Thrilling stuff!

2118 hrs IST: Liam Plunkett survives a lbw decision by Bumrah. Umpire gives it out, or not out, but England go for the review. Not a no ball, no edge on it and it is going on to hit the stumps despite the impact being outside the off. Plenty of confusion but in the end, it stays not out.

2116 hrs IST: Jasprit Bumrah keeps it slow and short and Morgan has plenty of time to settle himself and free his arms. Not well disguised that and Morgan makes the most of it by smacking it for a SIX! Goes sailing over the long-on boundary. Not over this!

2110 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar once again for India. 73 needed from 29 balls. Good start to the over from Bhuvi. 0, 0, 1 to start matters. Next delivery goes for a four. Bhuvi misses the yorker this time and it is hit for a four. And another four to end the over. England are 319/8 after 46 overs. Need 63 runs from 24 balls

2109 hrs IST: FOUR! Full, outside off and Plunkett goes for a drive. Only gets an outside edge and it beats Dhoni to run off to third man for a four. Lucky, lucky runs!

2105 hrs IST: Chris Woakes b Jasprit Bumrah 5 (4)

A ball after a smacking stroke that went over the cover region, Bumrah brings in the slower delivery and Wokaes tries to play a big heave on the leg side but misses it completely. A bit early on that shot and the off stump is bothered in the process

2103 hrs IST: Good over by Bhuvneshwar that. Just three runs and a wicket to go with it. That would ease some nerves as Liam Plunkett joins the middle

2100 hrs IST: Moeen Ali b Bhuvneshwar 55 (43)

Moeen Ali drags it on and India needed that – desperately needed that. Length delivery outside off and Moeen tries to swing at it but only ends up getting the bottom edge that disrupts the stumps. Slower one that so credit to the Indian seamer.

2057 hrs IST: Bhuvneshar Kumar once again. Two yorkers to start with and it results in a single each. Lots and lots of new bats being brought on for the batsmen to check and use. Eoin Morgan the one who needed a new one after the previous one was cracked

2052 hrs IST: Kedar Jadhav once again. Clever bowling by him. Mixing it up. First ball is a low fulltoss and it goes straight back to the bowler. Dot ball. Second delivery is short and it is duly dispatched for a four. Things not going well for Jadeja in the field. Three fours in this over and Moeen Ali is making the most of this part time spin option in use. Ali reaches his fifty in 40 balls.

2044 hrs IST: Bhuvneshwar Kumar is introduced into the attack. His figures thus far: 5-0-23-1. DROPPED! Ravindra Jadeja lets it fall from his grasp. A slower one from Bhuvi and Moeen Ali goes for the big hit but doesn’t middle it. Goes comfortably towards Jadeja who misjudges it and it bounces back off his chest. Normally a safe fielder, not this time though. Played inside out by Moeen Ali and it falls safely. Kohli getting the crowd involved by asking them to make some noise and they reply in kind by listening to their skipper. Another couple for England as Jadhav fields well on the boundary. Eight runs from the over. England are 282/5 after 42 overs

2043 hrs IST: Good over from Kedar Jadhav. He goes for just five runs in that over – all singles. England need some big hits to get close to India’s score – singles won’t cut it unfortunately.

2038 hrs IST: Right then. Ashwin bowls his final over and the 40th over. India need a wicket to break this pairing but four balls in, Ashwin goes for two singles but not wicket in sight. Make that five balls and two singles. Morgan aware it is best to play Ashwin out and he does so. England are 269/5 after 40 overs. Need 113 runs from 10 overs – 11.3 runs an over

2034 hrs IST: Hardik Pandya starts poorly into his sixth over. A length ball followed by a short one with plenty of room for Morgan to make merry. First one goes sailing into the stands and second one for a four.

2028 hrs IST: Ashwin has one over remaining but he is replaced by Jasprit Bumrah. Second ball of the over and short ball by the seamer is pulled for a boundary over midwicket. England are over the 250-run mark. Two balls later, Morgan picks up a single and brings up his fifty

2024 hrs IST: Poor line by Jadhav. Keeps going away from the leg stump to the left hander Moeen Ali who spanks it into the gap for a four. Pulled behind square by the England batsman

2021 hrs IST: Drinks! England need 145 runs in 14 overs. Daunting task

2016 hrs IST: Kedar Jadhav is chipping in with the ball. Moeen Ali proving to be effective for England. He slams from off stump to the left of long-on. Runs away to the fence

2012 hrs IST: Pressure building on this England chase it seems with wickets falling at regular intervals. They need over 150 in 16 overs and the required rate is climbing as well – 9.5 now.

2003 hrs IST: Jos Buttler st Dhoni b Ashwin 10 (9)

Buttler dances down the track but Ashwin veers the delivery outside the leg stump and is comfortably in Dhoni’s grasp who has the simple task of removing the bails. England are 206/5

2000 hrs IST: The double spin job comes to an end as Hardik Pandya comes into the attack. Eoin Morgan continues to belt the ball out of the park. This time it sails into the crowd – distance of 91 meters. Pitched full and it is in the hitting zone for the England skipper and he makes the most of the opportunity

1959 hrs IST: Jadeja’s spell comes to an end without any break in between. He finishes with figures of 10-0-45-1.

1949 hrs IST: Ben Stokes b Ashwin 1 (3)

Inside edged on to the stumps by Stokes and he’s upset with his shot. Arm ball from Ashwin and it stays a tad low. Stokes goes on the back foot, instead of coming forward, and pays for that. Two wickets in eight balls for India and England’s job gets much, much tougher. Jos Buttler is the new man in

1945 hrs IST: Ben Stokes is the new man in for England. He joins Eoin Morgan in the middle. England need 210 runs from the remaining 23 overs

1942 hrs IST: Jason Roy b Jadeja 82 

Bowled! Superb delivery by Ravindra Jadeja and he’s got the big wicket for India. Removes the set England batsman from the middle. Pitches on middle stump and spins away a touch to hurt the off stump as Roy tries to steer it down but fails in doing so. England are 170/3

1940 hrs IST: CLOSE! With fielders inside the ring, Roy goes the aerial route and it is not very well controlled. Just about beats Jadeja at the edge of the circle and it goes for a four.

1934 hrs IST: SIX! Beautifully played by Roy! Clears the front leg and then the long off boundary with such ease. Sweetly struck off the middle of the bat and it goes beyond the ropes. Taken by someone and casually flung back. Not the easiest shot to play that against Ashwin but he’s made it look so effortless.

1930 hrs IST: All-round spin combination in operation now. Not many dot balls for India but the boundaries have relented for now. England, meanwhile, have moved on to 150/2 in the 24th over

1926 hrs IST: Eoin Morgan is the new man in. Jadeja switching from over the wicket and around the wicket to the left hand and right hand combination in the middle. The left-arm spinner lands it short and Roy thumps it down the ground to beat the fielder at long-on

1920 hrs IST: Joe Root c Kohli b Ashwin 54 (55)

Root goes for a sweep but gets the top edge and it is in safe hands of Virat Kohli who holds on with ease after running in and taking it at midwicket. Didn’t spin as much as Ashwin normally does and that looks to have led to the edge. India finally have the breakthrough to dismantle the 100-run stand. Ashwin does the damage!

1918 hrs IST: Here’s Ashwin now. Bowling around the wicket. Jason Roy steers the ball into the gap and picks up a single for his fifty. Next ball, Joe Root with a reverse sweep that beats the fielder and is comfortably into the gap for a boundary. Now Root gets to his fifty. Forces Ashwin to switch to bowling over the wicket

1917 hrs IST: Ravindra Jadeja continues to be his own economic self. Just two runs from the over and England are 121/1 from 19 overs.

1912 hrs IST: Drinks! At the break, England are in cruise control with Joe Root and Jason Roy. They’re 119/1 after 18 overs and need 263 runs from 32 overs

1910 hrs IST: DROPPED! Sort of. Finger tip chance at midwicket for Bumrah to take it but he can only push it over for a boundary. Pulled and connected well by Roy. The jump isn’t timed well by Bumrah and the chance goes begging

1908 hrs IST: Excellent touch and placement by Root to bring up another boundary. Effortless shot that. But still, another case of ball being kept outside the off stump and being made the most of.

1902 hrs IST: England’s 100 come up with yet another boundary. Kept outside the off stump and allows Roy to free his arms and he does so. Finds the vacant region and brings up England’s 100 in the 16th over

1900 hrs IST: Pandya continues and it is his third over. England are 94/1 after 15 overs. Banged in short and Root is clever to deflect and play it over Dhoni for a boundary. Fielder comes running in from third man but can’t do anything to prevent a four.

1853 hrs IST: SIX!! Jason Roy launches into it and sends it soaring into the stands. 85 metres it travelled and that’s the first six of the England innings. Dispatched comfortably over deep midwicket

1852 hrs IST: Roy gets the bottom edge on a sweep and it runs quickly to fine leg for a boundary. England are 81/1 after 13 overs. Need 301 runs to win in 37 overs

1851 hrs IST: A gorgeous sight in Cuttack as thousands have their phone’s lights on at the same time and it is captured by the cameras. Makes for a lovely sight

1850 hrs IST: Pandya bangs in short in his over and soon enough is latched on and spanked by Jason Roy for a boundary. A confident stroke placed well in front of square. Good over nevertheless

1845 hrs IST: And here is spin of Ravindra Jadeja. He goes for just four runs in his first over – four singles. Pandya from the other end

1838 hrs IST: Roy drops his hands at the last moment and steers the ball towards the vacant third man region and picks up a boundary. England are 66/1 after 10 overs. Equation: 316 runs required from 40 overs

1836 hrs IST: Uppish shot by Root and it is no problem. Played with intent and from the middle of the bat, no fielder in that mid-off region to cause any reason for concern. Runs away to the ropes. Another boundary, on the last ball, to close the over. Short and straight from Bhuvi and allows Root to roll his wrists and place it wide of short fine leg

1831 hrs IST: 50 up for England with a well slashed boundary by Root. Pierces the gap on the off side between three fielders – primarily the two fielders in the backward point area. That was a well placed delivery but an equally well placed shot by the England batsman to find the space

1829 hrs IST: Economical over by Bhuvi now. Just two singles from it. England are 46/1 after 7 overs. Need big hits early on to alleviate any pressure that could arise later.

1825 hrs IST: Good over for the visitors. Root and Roy both smacking a boundary each to Bumrah and making the most of the field restrictions early on.

1821 hrs IST: Chance at a run out as the England pairing look to steal a single but the throw is not anywhere near close enough to the stumps but it wouldn’t have mattered it seems with Roy safely in

1818 hrs IST: Joe Root is the new man in for England and he’s off the mark with a glorious cut shot that goes running to the ropes. Sweetly timed, making the most of the pace of the delivery.

1814 hrs IST: WICKET! Alex Hales c MS Dhoni b Bumrah 14 (12)

Hales plays an outside off stump delivery with bit of hard hands. It moves away just a tad and takes the outside edge which falls comfortably in Dhoni’s gloves. Early wicket and India celebrate!

1812 hrs IST: CLOSE! So very close! Roy gets a thick inside edge but it goes off for a boundary as it beats MS Dhoni behind the stumps. Very nearly dragged that back on. Meanwhile a massive cheer as Yuvraj removes his shirt to wear a new one.

1809 hrs IST: Once again the ball heads towards the third man boundary but Bumrah stops a boundary after misfield on first instance. But not before the opening pair take a double. Next ball, Hales spanks a glorious drive through covers for a boundary.

1807 hrs IST: Bhuvi keeps it outside the off stump and continues to move away. Hales goes chasing and slashes at it, the ball goes running to the third man region for a boundary.

1802 hrs IST: Jasprit Bumrah is on from the other end and he goes for a boundary on the first ball. Outside the off stump and it is gently caressed towards the ropes. England open their account. A no ball from Bumrah is followed up with a stray delivery outside the leg stump which goes off the pads and runs away for a boundary while flooring Hales.

1758 hrs IST: England get their chase underway. Jason Roy and Alex Hales open for England and for India is the returning Bhuvneshar Kumar. Roy to face first. And a maiden to start things for India.

Chris Woakes was exceptional with the ball picking up four wickets in the 10 over. His figures read 10-3-60-4. All other England bowlers were taken to all parts of the ground. This will be one of the historic chases of England pull it off

A sensational 256-run stand between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni gave India their ninth highest ODI score. Nothing can beat the two batsmen who put up a splendid show in Cuttack. England could have thought that it will be Pune all over again for them

1729 hrs IST: India post record 381 for the loss of six wickets against England. 14 runs from the final over. 120 in the final 10 overs for India. This will be tough ask for England 

1727 hrs IST: Four runs from the first three balls then Jadeja hits a boundary! India move on to 375 for the loss of six wickets. Two balls remaining in the innings

1724 hrs IST: Last over of the innings coming up. India are 367 for the loss of six wickets. Chris Woakes will bowl the final over. He has taken four wickets in this innings. Jadeja on strike

1721 hrs IST: A powerful strike from Pandya has hit Jake Ball on his hands while he was trying to save his face. He is receiving some treament from the physio. Seven balls remaining in the innings

1717 hrs IST: WICKET! MS Dhoni c Ben Stokes b Liam Plukett 134. Full toss on the leg-stump and Dhoni flicks it but could not get the elevation. Straight to the fine-leg fielder. Gone after a splendid innings

1716 hrs IST: MS Dhoni receives some treatment on his wrist and then goes over covers to hit another six. That is just punishing the bowlers. Liam Plunkett has no idea where to bowl

1713 hrs IST: Two ridiculous sixes from MS Dhoni! He moves on to 128 off just 120 balls. India bring up their 350 in the 48th over.Crazy stuff from the Indian batsmen

1710 hrs IST: End of the 47th over and India are 337 for the loss of five wickets. 18 balls remaining in the innings. It will be MS Dhoni on strike with Liam Plunkett bowling for England

1708 hrs IST: Four and a six and a argument! Hardik Pandya starts with a four through covers, then a flat six over square-leg, where Ben Stokes got a hand to it trying to catch it. A fan throws it back and it hits Stokes on the jaw. He is not amused

1706 hrs IST: WICKET! Kedar Jadhav hits it straight to mid-wicket. Hits the lower part of his bat and gets no distance on that. End of the 46th over and India are 323 for the loss of five wickets

1704 hrs IST: SIX and FOUR! Jadhav goes over bowler’s head for six then goes over keeper’s head for four! Ridiculous from Jadhav. Liam Plunkett can’t believe it

1700 hrs IST: Over number 45 done. India are 308 for the loss of four wickets. How many can MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav from the remaining 30 balls? Can India reach 350?

1658 hrs IST: 300 up for India as MS Dhoni smokes one straight past the bowler for four! That was just power. No fielder would have put a hand to stop that. Brilliant, brilliant from Dhoni

1655 hrs IST: Kedar Jadhav joins the act and get a four through third man area! India are 296 for the loss of four wickets after 44 overs. 36 balls remaining in the innings. How many can India score?

1652 hrs IST: MS Dhoni is bowled off a free-hit. He realises it later and runs. India get four byes on that ball. Marching towards 300. Another big total coming up

1649 hrs IST: WICKET! Yuvraj Singh c Jos Buttler b Chris Woakes 150!

A superb innings from Yuvraj Singh comes to an end. Tries to go over long on rather than covers to a ball that was going away from him. Woakes has his fourth

1647 hrs IST: CENTURY NUMBER 10 FOR MS DHONI in ODIs. A magical hundred from Dhoni. He gets there with a single. This has been pure masterclass from him

1645 hrs IST: MS Dhoni smashes a six but as the ball hit the wire of spider cam, umpire calls it dead. He sends the next for six over mid-wicket. This man, on 99*

1643 hrs IST: 150 for Yuvraj Singh! First time in his career that he has reached 150. First Indian player to achieve this feat against England in ODIs.

1639 hrs IST: India are 268 for the loss of three wickets after 41 overs. Ben Stokes to bowl to Yuvraj Singh now who is batting at 147*. MS Dhoni on 90*

1636 hrs IST: Review! Yuvraj Singh has been given out by the on-field umpire but he has reviewed it. The ball is full and is has taken the upper part of Yuvraj Singh’s bat. But it has also bounced after hitting the bat. Not out

1633 hrs IST: So India have 10 overs to play. They are currently on 261 for the loss of three wickets. Two big hitters at the crease. Both set for long time now. Yuvraj on strike as Woakes comes on to bowl

1629 hrs IST: Effortless from Yuvraj Singh! He just likes batting against England. Six over the bowler’s head. India are marching towards a big total in Cuttack. Highest ODI score for him now beating 139

1626 hrs IST: Yuvraj Singh is now the highest run scorer for India in ODIs against England. Goes past Sachin Tendulkar, who had scored 1455 runs. Yuvraj Singh has 1461*

1623 hrs IST: No stopping Yuvraj Singh today! He bludgeons another six over mid-wicket. All those shots we have missed in the last few years are on show. He is closing in to his 150 now. MS Dhoni into 80s

1620 hrs IST: Yuvraj Singh smashes two consecutive fours to end the 38th over and India are 237 for the loss of three wickets. Woakes to bowl again and MS Dhoni is on strike

1614 hrs IST: SIX! You don’t want to believe it but MS Dhoni has pulled off one of those tennis slap shots and it has gone all the way for six over long-on. Brilliant hitting from Dhoni

1610 hrs IST: 36 overs gone and England bring back Crish Woakes, the bowler who has taken all three wickets so far in the Indian innings. But that was at the beginning. India have piled up 192 since then

1604 hrs IST: An emotional moment for Yuvraj Singh to score a century after six years in one-day international cricket. This video captures it nicely for us

1600 hrs IST: India are 197 for the loss of three wickets after 34 overs. All thanks to Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni who brought India out of danger after being 25 for three at on moment

1556 hrs IST: YUVRAJ SINGH SCORES HIS 14th ODI CENTURY. What a player he has been for India. The man who won the two World Cups has scored a century after six years. And doesn’t he like it. Thanks the skies for this. Both arms up in the air. Emotional moment for him. Fourth against England

1550 hrs IST: Two fours in the over for Yuvraj Singh and he moves into the nineties. Super stuff from him. After such a long time we are witnessing a vintage innings from the flambouyant all-rounder

1547 hrs IST: MS Dhoni is getting some physio attention but nothing looks serious. Players take drinks in the meantime. Ben Stokes will be bowling after this. Yuvraj Singh will be on strike

1544 hrs IST: End of the 31st over and India are 172 for the loss of three wickets. The partnership worth 147 runs. Yuvraj clearly the aggressor in this but Dhoni coming into his own now

1540 hrs IST: Over number 30 ends in Cuttack. India are 167 for the loss of three wickets. This partnership going from strength to strength. Liam Plunkett to bowl the 31st over

1538 hrs IST: FIFTY! MS Dhoni, you beauty. The former captain gets to his 62nd ODI half-century. Though a outside edge for four, he will take it. He hits one off the next ball. Brilliant batting

1535 hrs IST: India move on to 156 for the loss of three wickets. Yuvraj Singh on 81* and MS Dhoni on 48*. England searching for wickets in Cuttack. Ben Stokes into the attack now.

1533 hrs IST: DROPPED! Leading edge of MS Dhoni’s bat and that flies towards the ropes. Jake Ball tried to catch running backwards but it goes through his hands. Four to Dhoni

1531 hrs IST: Over number 28 ends. India are 151 for the loss of three wickets. Morgan has some problems as none of the bowlers are proving to be successful for him. Here’s Liam Plunkett

1528 hrs IST: SIX! You got to be kidding! Super power from MS Dhoni. Goes down the pitch and just smashes it over mid-wicket for a six. That as flat as you like. Rocket. India bring up their 150 and the latest team fifty is off just 38 balls

1525 hrs IST: What a partnership this has been between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni. In no time they have taken India to 141 for the loss of three wickets at the end of the 27 overs in Cuttack

1519 hrs IST: End of the half overs of the Indian innings. They are 132 for the loss of three wickets after 25 overs. Solid platform for both Yuvraj and Dhoni. The former Indian captain is also looking to score runs now

1517 hrs IST: Century stand between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni! From 25 for three, India are 125 for three. Super stuff from the two vetrans of Indian cricket. Keep going

1515 hrs IST: England go back to David Willey. He has bowled three overs and given 13 runs but hasn’t picked up any wicket. Yuvraj Singh welcomes him with a four through mid-wicket

1513 hrs IST: End of over number 24 and India are scoring runs at a nice rate. They are 120 for the loss of three wickets. Yuvraj Singh is batting on 69 and MS Dhoni is batting on 26

1510 hrs IST: What do you guys think? Rohit Sharma says vintage Dhoni-Yuvi partnership. India 117 for three after 23 overs.

1506 hrs IST: End of the 22nd over and India with a solid stand of Dhoni and Yuraj. Nine runs off that over for India. Ben Stokes will continue and once again it will be Yuvraj Singh on strike for India

1504 hrs IST: 100 up for India in the 22nd over. A four from Yuvraj with a paddle sweep and then a single to take India to the three figure mark. Good recovery from India to reach here

1502 hrs IST: India have done well to recover from the early collapse. They are 95 for the loss of three wickets after 21 overs. Moeen Ali to continue and it is Yuvraj Singh on strike for India

1459 hrs IST: FIFTY! Yuvraj Singh gets to his 52nd half-century off 56 balls. Played Yuvi! This is his first half-century since November 2013 agianst West Indies. Brilliant batting today

1455 hrs IST: Though England have got their field right, Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni keep finding the singles every over and score the runs. Moeen Ali to MS Dhoni now

1452 hrs IST: Moeen Ali bowled the 17th over of the innings but he could not bring any success to England. India are 86 for the loss of three wickets after 17 overs. They are scoring at a rate of little over five runs per over. Ben Stokes again

1449 hrs IST: First fifty stand between Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni after the historic and still fresh in the memory 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka in Mumbai

1447 hrs IST: 50-run stand between Dhoni and Yuvraj. A single from Yuvraj that is a half-century stand for the fourth wicket for India. Dhoni then takes a single for himself

1445 hrs IST: Ben Stokes will be bowling after drinks. This will be his first over. Yuvraj Singh is on strike. MS Dhoni has ben the slow scorer in this partnership so far. Yuvraj attacking more

1440 hrs IST: Yuvraj Singh gets an edge but gets four! Lucky for him that there was no slip in place. He gets an edge but it has gone for four. Then takes a single to keep the strike for the next over

1435 hrs IST: Clever from Dhoni! He sees there is no slip and just tickles the ball through slip area for four! Opening the face of the bat. India are 69 for the loss of three wickets now

1434 hrs IST: Another good over from India. They take six runs off it and move on to 64 for the loss of three wickets. Liam Plunkett to continue with Yuvraj Singh on strike. He is really looking to take on the bowling

1431 hrs IST: FOUR! That MS Dhoni shot over point with him in the air. One of the few sights in ODI cricket that will leave you in awe. He completes 4, 000 ODI runs in India

1430 hrs IST: Maiden over from Liam Plunkett! That is the third in this Indian innings. Yuvraj Singh did get to play his shots but not for runs. India remaing at 58 for three. It is Jake Ball again to MS Dhoni

1425 hrs IST: Dhoni is happy to leave the ball alone outside off. Only three runs from the 13th over. India are 58 for the loss of three wickets. It’s Liam Plunkett bowling Yuvraj Singh now

1421 hrs IST: 50 up for India in the 11th over. Another four from Yuvraj Singh to help India reach the team fifty. He is in no trouble playing those drives. Super batting from the left-hander

1415 hrs IST: Maiden over from Chris Woakes. Ninth over fetches no runs for India as MS Dhoni just happy to play it out. India remain at 39 for the loss of three wickets. Jake Ball will continue and Yuvraj Singh on strike

1410 hrs IST: Three fours from Yuvraj Singh in that Jake Ball over. All on the leg-side and good looking shots. India move on to 39 for the loss of three wickets. Yuvraj Singh is looking in nice touch

1405 hrs IST: Jake Ball is coming on as the first change bowler in the eighth over for England. India are 27 for the loss of three wickets. Big wickets for England. Yuvraj Singh on strike

1400 hrs IST: MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are at the crease for India. After six overs, India are 27 for the loss of three wickets. England bowlers have their tail up in Cuttack

1357 hrs IST: This!

1353 hrs IST: WICKET! Shikhar Dhawan b Chris Woakes. England on a roll in Cuttack. Chris Woakes has a third wicket as Dhawan plays on. A delivery that was angled away from the left-hander but Dhawan attempts to drive, gets an inside edge and back onto the stumps

In other news, 119 ranked Denis Istomin has shocked defending champion and second ranked Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open. Catch it here

1349 hrs IST: Just the three runs from the fourth over of the Indian innings. Yuvraj Singh is the new man in for India. Shikhar Dhawan is at the other end

1345 hrs IST: WICKET! Virat Kohli c Ben Stokes b Chris Woakes. This is a big, big wicket for England. Virat Kohli is caught in the slips! An outside the off delivery that is as full as a yorker and Kohli just dabs at it. He gets an outside edge and a brilliant catch from Ben Stokes. India 22/2

1343 hrs IST: Two fours from captain Virat Kohli to get off the mark. Two straight drives from him and the crowd is right into it. Woakes is disappointed with his bowling

1340 hrs IST: WICKET! KL Rahul c Ben Stokes b Chris Woakes. Another low score for Rahul. He is caught in the slips. Woakes gets it good on the seam and just a bit away movement that takes the edge off Rahul’s bat

1336 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries! Shikhar Dhawan drives through covers and gets two fours in two deliveries. First one was pitched up from Willey and Dhawan played it on the up. Next was slightly fuller, he drove again

1334 hrs IST: India start with six runs from the first over. Both openers off the mark. David Willey will share the new ball from the other end. Shikhar Dhawan will be on strike to him

1330 hrs IST: KL Rahul begins with a four! First ball of the match and it is an over-pitched delivery from Woakes that has been creamed through covers for four! What a start for India

1328 hrs IST: Shikhar Dhawan and KL Rahul make their way to the middle to open the innings for India. Both will like to get some runs under their belt after failing in the first ODI. Chris Woakes has the ball in hand and will begin for England

1325 hrs IST: Time for the National Anthems of the two nations. England first followed by India. The Barabati stadium buzzing with people. Thousands in for the match 

1312 hrs IST: In case you missed the toss, we got you covered. Morgan calling it right this time

1307 hrs IST: Playing XI for India

Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah

1305 hrs IST: Playing XI for England

Jason Roy, Alex Hales, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett, David Willey, Jake Ball

1303 hrs IST: Both England and India have made a change to their playing XI from Pune. India replace Umesh Yadav with Bhuvneshwar Kumar while England bring in Liam Plunkett to replace Adil Rashid

1300 hrs IST: England win toss and elect to bowl against India. Morgan cites the reason for it is dew. It is a lot hotter than Pune so one can expect dew in the night. Virat Kohli says that it is not in his hands

1255 hrs IST: The pitch is slightly cracked up but nothing in it for bowlers. This pitch has given runs to batsmen and penalty of them. Sunil Gavaskar says “The pitch is older brother of Pune pitch because it has more cracks. But still a batting pitch. Nothing in it for the bowlers.”

1250 hrs IST: We are just 10 minutes away from toss in Cuttack. India won the toss in Pune and decided to bowl against England. Will Virat Kohli be lucky again today?

1230 hrs IST: People are queuing up in numbers outside the Barabati stadium in Cuttack

1215 hrs IST: The last time an ODI was held in Cuttack, there was a lot of disturbance from the crowd. This time, the crowd is not allowed to bring in water bottles and pouches. But this is what happened in 2015 during an India-South Africa ODI

1200 hrs IST: The toss is just an hour away. It will be very crucial in context of this game being a day-night match. Pitch and dew coming into play. Also, both India and England spinners struggled in the high-scoring match in Pune.

1150 hrs IST: Yuvraj Singh made a comeback to the ODI team after a gap of four years and it was a vintage innings in Pune, though short. But his shot making was superb. A couple of sixes were that really got the crowd going. He is working hard in nets

1145 hrs IST: The England bowlers had a big problem bowling to Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav in the first ODI in Pune. Both scored centuries with a strike rate of over 100. For the second ODI, England have decided to use the short ball to Kohli and see if that works. Shamik Chakrabarty is in Cuttack and this is his report from the press conference: England eye short-cut to success

1130 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to the coverage of the second one-day international between India and England from Cuttack. The two teams know the importance of this game. First, an India win will give them an unassailable series lead. An England will win will tie it 1-1 and they will still be in this three-match series. Cuttack is supposed to have some dew in the night and the toss becomes an important factor for both teams