Indian skipper Rohit Sharma defied a floodlight failure to return to form with a cracking 119 as India swept to a four-wicket, series-clinching win over England in the second one-day international on Sunday.
Chasing 305 for victory, Rohit's 90-ball knock, laced with 12 fours and seven sixes, set up the chase as India achieved victory with 33 balls to spare in Cuttack.
The hosts took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, which comes ahead of the 50-over Champions Trophy starting February 19 in Pakistan and Dubai.
Rohit, 37, reigned supreme with his 32nd ODI ton in 76 balls with a six off leg-spinner Adil Rashid after he put on 136 runs with opening partner Shubman Gill.
"It was good, really enjoyed being out there, scoring some runs for the team," Rohit said after being named player of the match in his 50th ODI as captain of India.
On his batting plans, Rohit said, "I broke it into pieces how I wanted to bat. It's a format that is longer than T20 cricket and a lot shorter than Tests. Still, you need to assess and bat according to the situation."
Rohit, who scored two in the opening match, took on the bowlers with a flurry of boundaries.
A 20-minute break due to a floodlight failure at the ground did not stop Rohit, who reached his fifty to overcome a lean patch in India's recent Test series defeat in Australia.
He averaged just 10.37 in his previous 16 innings before the ODI series across all formats in the 2024-25 season.
Rohit, who displayed an array of strokes including his trademark pull, finally fell to Liam Livingstone's leg-spin and walked off to a standing ovation.
Vice-captain Gill, who made 60, struck his second successive half-century in 45 balls after he made 87 in the opening win.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
