England beat India to keep Cricket World Cup hopes alive in thriller at Edgbaston
ENGLAND roared back to their best when it mattered most as they kept their World Cup hopes alive with a 31-run victory over India.
Eoin Morgan’s side had been facing a humiliating exit from their home tournament if they had lost to Virat Kohli’s men at Edgbaston.
But when the heat was on they delivered an emphatic display – with Jonny Bairstow letting his bat do his talking with a century.
And now they know victory over New Zealand in the final group match will be enough for them to make it through to the semi-finals.
Bairstow had responded to the defeat to Australia which left their semi-final hopes hanging in the balance by accusing the country of wanting them to fail.
That drew stinging criticism across the board, but back at the crease with opening partner Jason Roy the Yorkshireman came up trumps with a brilliant knock of 111.
Their blistering opening stand of 160 provided the platform to finish on 337-7 from their 50 overs.
And just when the huge Indian support in the crowd were getting their voice in their reply, it was the recalled Liam Plunkett who made his point with a decisive intervention.
Plunkett first snared Kohli for 66 just as he looked to be piling on a match-winning innings for his side.
And after Chris Woakes ended Rohit Sharma’s knock of 102, Plunkett then claimed the wickets of the dangerous Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya as England piled on the pressure with the ball.
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That included a stunning diving catch on the boundary from Woakes to remove Pandya – one of the catches of the tournament so far.
The Indian crowd began to fall silent as Morgan’s men turned the screw with a much-improved display in the field.
And despite some lofty blows from the veteran MS Dhoni, India finished on 306-5, 31 runs short of England’s total.