India opener Shikhar Dhawan fell two short of what could have been his 18th ODI hundred against England in Pune on Tuesday. Dhawan was dismissed for 98 off 106 balls by Ben Stokes after getting caught at short mid-wicket by England captain Eoin Morgan while trying a short-arm jab on short delivery. The left-handed batsman’s knock included 11 boundaries and a couple of maximums.
This would have been Dhawan’s first hundred since World Cup 2019. He last scored a ton against Australia at The Oval. Though he scored a century during the recently-concluded Vijay Hazare Trophy where he notched up 153 against Maharashtra in Jaipur.
India who were put in to bat by Morgan had a struggling start but vice-captain Rohit Sharma and his opening partner Dhawan soon got into the groove and stitched a stand of 64 runs before Sharma departed for 28.
Skipper Virat Kohli who came in at number three then steadied the ship with Dhawan as the duo compiled a partnership of 105 runs for the second wicket. Kohli notched up yet another half-century in ODI format before flicking one from Mark Wood in the air to deposit it in Moeen Ali’s hands in the deep mid-wicket region. He was undone for 56 off 60.
India then lost a couple of wickets in quick succession that included Dhawan’s dismissal and were reduced to 197/4.
The home side earlier, etched wins in the Test and ODI series. The Virat Kohli-led side thumped England 3-1 in the Test series and then beat the visitors 3-2 in the ODIs.