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2nd ODI: Dhoni, Yuvraj lead India to beat England in thriller

Brilliant centuries from Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni gave India a series-clinching 15-run win over England in a thrilling second one-day international.

India were reduced to 25-3 in Cuttack before Yuvraj, who struck 150, and Dhoni (134) shared 256. They helped India to 381-6, the third-highest total made against England.

Eoin Morgan made an 80-ball hundred, Jason Roy, Joe Root and Moeen Ali all made half-centuries, but England ended 366-8 to be 2-0 down with one to play.

Despite England’s recent improvement in one-day cricket, they still have not won a series in this country since 1984-85 and have lost 21 of their past 25 ODIs against India in India.

They looked well set to alter that record when Chris Woakes took three wickets in his first three overs, including the prolific Virat Kohli, but Yuvraj and Dhoni destroyed an England attack that had no control of length.

An unlikely chase was not out of the question on an ideal batting surface, only for India’s spinners to run through the England top order, with the late hitting of Morgan not enough in the face of the home attack’s greater nous.

Before returning for the first match, Yuvraj was out of the India ODI side for more than three years, dropped at the end of a 2013 when he averaged only 19.71 with the bat.

Here, he justified his recall with his first ODI century for six years and his highest score, dismantling the England bowling with stylish drives and brutal pulls.

England were right to initially probe the left-hander’s historical weakness against the short ball, but too slow to change a plan that did not work.

Time and again short deliveries were dismissed to the leg-side fence, even after Yuvraj had registered his 14th ODI ton with Jake Ball the most persistent offender.

Yuvraj successfully overturned a caught-behind decision on 145 and a double century seemed possible until he edged the excellent Woakes, comfortably the pick of England’s bowlers, to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler.