Knews Desk- In the second ODI match played between India and England at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff, England defeated Team India by 4 wickets and leveled the three-match series 1-1. The biggest hero of this victory was the experienced batsman Joe Root, who led the team to victory by playing a brilliant unbeaten inning of 99 runs. However, he remained just one run away from the 21st century of his ODI career. The special thing was that his century was not snatched away by any Indian bowler, but by his own teammate Gus Atkinson. Joe Root managed England’s faltering innings and remained at the crease till the end. When he was batting on 97, England needed only 12 runs to win. Root took his score to 98 by taking one run in the 43rd over of Jasprit Bumrah. After this, in the next over, Gus Atkinson played most of the balls and kept the strike with a single on the last ball.

In the 45th over, India put the fielding completely inside so that Root did not get a chance to hit a four. Prasidh Krishna’s first ball was wide, leaving England needing just three runs to win and Root was one run away from his century. Meanwhile, Root also went to the non-striker’s end and talked to Atkinson, but on the very next ball, Atkinson hit a strong four. With this shot, England won the match and Root returned unbeaten on 99 runs. With this innings, a unique record was also registered in the name of Joe Root. He has become the first England batsman to remain unbeaten on 99 runs in One Day International cricket. At the same time, he is only the 17th player in the history of ODI, who remained not out on 99 runs. He is the sixth England player, across all international formats, whose innings ended on 99*.

After the match, Joe Root made a big revelation on this entire incident. He told that he himself had told Gus Atkinson not to think about his century at all and concentrate on making the team win. Root clearly said that the team’s victory is more important for him than individual achievement. His thinking is being highly appreciated in the cricket world. Even though Joe Root’s 99-run innings could not be converted into a century, his responsible batting and team-first thinking once again proved that he is one of the most reliable players of England. Thanks to his innings, England made a brilliant comeback in the series and now both the teams will take the field in the decisive match with the intention of winning.