England’s defeat by four wickets secures India’s second ODI win and series victory following Rohit Sharma’s sensational century

England were hurtled to one-day series defeat on an evening when a faulty floodlight was the only thing to inconvenience India captain Rohit Sharma.

Defending a target of 305, the only respite for Jos Buttler’s team came during a 40-minute period at the start of the chase when one of the ground’s eight towers stopped working.

Rohit had already struck three sixes by that stage and when he belted his seventh, straight down the ground off Adil Rashid, it took him to a 76-ball hundred – his 32nd in one-day internationals.

England did manage to extend the miserable run of the other all-time great within India’s powerful line-up when Virat Kohli edged Adil Rashid and Phil Salt clung on behind the stumps, the catch confirmed on review.

That was the second wicket in the space of three overs after Jamie Overton yorked Shubman Gill to end a 136-run opening stand.

But Rohit – who unlike his team-mates clearly didn’t see the funny side when the flickering floodlit caused one short delay and then a much lengthier one after Saqib Mahmood sent down a single delivery of the seventh over – was in no mood to allow his one moment of good fortune go to waste on the way to a comfortable four-wicket win.

The 37-year-old was on 36, in the first full over back following the stoppage, when England reviewed a leg before appeal by Mark Wood that was shown to be an umpire’s call clip of leg stump – had Chris Brown raised his finger instead of shaking his head, the pyrotechnics would have been cut short.

At halfway it felt like England were in the game, but they required early wickets at what is a high scoring venue.

England’s last visit here eight years ago saw India make full use of the Barabati Stadium’s modest boundaries – the longest distance being just under 65 metres – recovering from the loss of three early wickets to post 381 for six on a shower of sixes.

Rohit put those dimensions into context as he raced to a half-century from 30 balls, supported by his vice-captain Gill, whose own 50 came from 45.

Kohli, who missed the opening match of the series with a knee niggle, was roared to the crease but provided just one further moment of cheer for another raucous full house – an on-driven four off Gus Atkinson – before Salt clung on to a fine catch and confidently asked Buttler to send the not out decision upstairs.

India required just four an over when Rohit’s dismissal – walking into a full toss and skying into the grasp of mid-on – gave England just a third success.

A mix up between the wickets saw Shreyas Iyer sacrificed as a fourth, KL Rahul became Overton’s second victim after getting in a tangle pulling and Hardik Pandya holed out in the deep, but India’s sixth win in seven was never in doubt.

Just as in the first match of the series, England raced out of the blocks after Buttler won another toss, taking 75 runs from the power play.

It required a touch of fortune for them to do so as Salt was handed a life on six when an upper cut off Hardik Pandya was inexplicably spilled on the point boundary by Axar Patel.

Ben Duckett led the way, hitting seven of his first 23 balls to the boundary via a collection of cuts, pulls and wristy flicks. As so often here, though, the introduction of spin altered the pace of the contest.

Varun Chakravarthy, England’s tormentor-in-chief in the 4-1 Twenty20 series win for the hosts, marked his one-day international debut with the dismissal of Salt, and when Duckett followed soon after bringing up a half-century from 39 deliveries, it took two sturdy if unspectacular stands to ensure the innings did not go the way of the one in Nagpur on Thursday.

Joe Root’s importance in such a situation was highlighted by India burning their two leg before reviews on him by the 33rd over. First, with just a single to his name, a googly was shown to be missing leg stump while a brush of the glove saved him when sweeping on 36, Chakravarthy the bowler on each occasion.

His first 50 since the disastrous 2023 World Cup here came off 60 balls after the best of Gill’s three catches, a sprawling effort running back to long-off, accounted for Harry Brook.

At 219 for three in the 39th over, England appeared on course for a more substantial total but Buttler picked out Gill at mid-off and Ravindra Jadeja forced a complete re-evaluation of ambitions when he enticed Root and Jamie Overton into miscues.

It took Jadeja’s career wickets haul against England to 45, more than he has managed against any other opponent, and provided a reminder of how challenging it can be to hit spin at the death here.

Biding his time for the return of the seamers, Liam Livingstone launched a late rally, clearing the rope twice during a 32-ball 41 and with Adil Rashid weighing with three consecutive fours pushing England beyond 300.