Kohli, Jadhav make it a great night in Pune

PUNE: Virat Kohli and Kedar Jadhav hit centuries and combined in a 200-run stand to help India comfortably chase down a steep target of 351 against England and win the first One-Day International by three wickets yesterday.

India’s chase seemed over when England reduced them to 63/4 in the 12th over but captain Kohli and local boy Jadhav turned the match on its head with the hosts reaching the target with 11 balls to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

The touring side would have felt confident of victory after posting 350/7.

Half-centuries from Jason Roy, Joe Root and Ben Stokes took England to their highest ODI total against India, who won the toss and opted to bowl first.

England lost Alex Hales early but opener Roy (73) and Root, who top-scored for his side with 78, added 69 for the second wicket to lay a solid foundation.

Stokes provided the late assault with a 40-ball knock of 62, studded with two fours and five sixes, as India bled 105 runs in the last eight overs.

Left-arm seamer David Willey gave England the ideal start with the ball by dismissing Indian openers Lokesh Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan inside the first six overs.

Yuvraj Singh, playing his first ODI in over three years, and former skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did not last long either as India were left staring at a heavy defeat.

But Kohli, playing his first match as India’s full-time captain across all formats, and Jadhav then took the attack to the England bowlers.

Stokes dismissed Kohli after a 105-ball 122, studded with eight fours and five sixes. Jadhav was out after a 76-ball 120, with 12 fours and four sixes, to fast bowler Jake Ball, the most successful English bowler with 3/67.

Hardik Pandya, unbeaten on 40, and Ravichandran Ashwin (15 not out) combined in a crucial eighth-wicket stand of 38 at the end to take India home.

The second match of the series will be played at Cuttack on Thursday.

Meanwhile, New Zealand captured three late wickets yesterday to give themselves a sniff of an unlikely victory against Bangladesh in the first Test at the Basin Reserve.

The visitors were 66/3 in their second innings at the end of the fourth day’s play, with an overall lead of 122 runs. Mominul Haque was on 10 while night watchman Mehedi Hasan was run out for one with three balls left of the day’s play.

Mitchell Santner had started the collapse of three wickets for 16 when he bowled Tamim Iqbal for 25, before Neil Wagner had Mahmudullah caught by wicketkeeper BJ Watling for five.

Santner then ran Mehedi out with a direct hit to give his side confidence for the final day’s play, with two of Bangladesh’s top-order batsmen under injury clouds.

Opening batsman Imrul Kayes retired hurt on 24 after he appeared to suffer a pulled muscle while taking a quick single.

Captain Mushfiqur Rahim did not field in New Zealand’s innings of 539 due to suspected broken fingers.

Imrul took the gloves in Mushfiqur’s absence and snared five catches, a record for a stand-in wicketkeeper, in New Zealand’s innings that was anchored by Tom Latham’s career-best 177.

Latham had resumed on 119 with Henry Nicholls, who was on 35 and the hosts on 292/3.

Both were untroubled as they took New Zealand to 347 before Nicholls was caught at leg slip by Mehedi off Shakib Al Hasan for 53.

Watling and Latham then took New Zealand past the follow-on target of 395 but the opener was trapped in front by Shakib shortly after, just when a double century was on offer.

Santner then made a careerbest 73 before he was the last man out. - Reuters