Sharma hits 32nd ODI hundred as India beats England by 4 wickets to win cricket series

CUTTACK, India (AP) — Rohit Sharma ended a poor run of form with his 32nd ODI hundred as India beat England by four wickets in the second one-day cricket international to win the series on Sunday.

Sharma, who last scored a half-century in October and averaged less than 11 in his last 16 international innings across the formats, hit a 76-ball century.

India, which won the first ODI in Nagpur by four wickets, took a 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The hosts had also won the preceding Twenty20 series 4-1.

Sharma scored 119 runs off 90 balls, hitting seven sixes and 12 fours, as India finished with 308-6 in 44.3 overs. Shubman Gill hit a second successive half-century in the series – 60 off 52 balls with nine fours and a six.

Earlier, England won the toss and chose to bat first. It scored 304 all out in 49.5 overs. Joe Root top-scored with 69 off 72 balls, while Ben Duckett scored 65 off 56.

Play was halted for 20 minutes because of floodlight failure at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack.

One of the seven floodlight towers powered off abruptly during the seventh over of the Indian innings.

Ahmedabad will host the third ODI on Wednesday.

Sharma set a hectic pace as he raced to a half-century off 30 balls. He put on 136 runs for the first wicket with Gill, and the pair appeared unaffected by the floodlight delay.

Gill was bowled by a pinpoint yorker from Jamie Overton in the 17th over.

Kohli, back after a knock to his knee prior to the first ODI, was out for five shortly after. He was caught behind off Adil Rashid.

In hitting seven sixes, Sharma also became the second-highest six-hitter in ODIs – 344 in all, ahead of Chris Gayle’s 331 (West Indies) and behind Shahid Afridi’s 351 (Pakistan).

India crossed 200 in the 27th over before Sharma was caught off a full toss from Liam Livingstone in the 30th. He added 70 off 61 balls with Shreyas Iyer, who scored 44.

Iyer and Axar Patel added 38 after Sharma’s dismissal, but the former was run out after a mix-up.

KL Rahul was caught behind off Overton and then Hardik Pandya off Gus Atkinson. But Patel finished unbeaten on 41 off 43 balls and helped India cross the finish line.

In the afternoon, Duckett and Phil Salt (26) had put on 81 off 65 balls for England's first wicket.

Varun Chakravarthy (1-54) snared his first ODI wicket when Salt was caught off a skier. Chakravarthy was making his ODI debut for the hosts. The 33-year-old is India’s oldest debutant since its inaugural ODI team in 1974 (against England).

Duckett was out caught off Ravindra Jadeja, who took 3-35.

Harry Brook scored 31 off 52 balls, and perished while trying to attack the bowling. Gill caught him running back from mid-off – a stupendous catch off Harshit Rana.

Root and skipper Jos Buttler (34) then added 51 off 54 balls to anchor the English innings and helping the score past 200. Gill took another brilliant catch at mid-off to dismiss Buttler in the 39th over.

The last six wickets fell for 85 runs as the visitors finished with another under-par score despite a good start.

England made three changes, with Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson and Overton all included. Pacer Jofra Archer was rested, while all-rounder Jacob Bethell out with a hamstring issue.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

India's Virat Kohli plays a shot during the second one day international cricket match between India and England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma, left, and Virat Kohli await a DRS review during the second one day international cricket match between India and England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma raises his bat as he celebrates after scoring a century during the second one day international cricket match between India and England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

England's captain Jos Buttler leaves the field after his side lost the second one day international cricket match against India in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's Ravindra Jadeja, left, and Axar Patel celebrate after winning the second one day international cricket match against England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

England's captain Jos Buttler leaves the field after his side lost the second one day international cricket match against India in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma plays a shot during the second one day international cricket match between India and England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma, right, shakes hand with his England counterpart Jos Buttler before the coin toss for the second one day international cricket match between India and England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

India's captain Rohit Sharma, left, flips the coins for toss as England's captain Jos Buttler watches before the start of the second one day international cricket match between India and England in Cuttack, India, Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Four years after showing up late for the Beijing Olympics and missing one of his races because of a case of COVID-19, U.S. long track speedskater Casey Dawson is enjoying what he jokingly terms his “villain arc,” peaking at the right time ahead of the Milan Cortina Games.

Dawson secured a spot for next month in the men's 5,000 meters — an event he was forced to skip in 2022 while sick — by winning at that distance at the U.S. Olympic trials in 6 minutes, 12.857 seconds on Friday night.

“I actually got COVID two or three weeks before going to the competition. Tested positive for 50 straight tests,” said Dawson, a 25-year-old from Park City, Utah. “Couldn’t go over to the Games. I missed the opening ceremonies. Missed the 5,000 meters. Showed up 12 hours before my 1,500 meters. So I kind of got a little screwed over from that point of view. But this time around, I’m just looking forward to getting there smoothly and just getting a little bit of redemption.”

And then, with a chuckle, Dawson added: “It’s kind of fun to have, like, my villain arc, I would call it. Just coming back and having some fun.”

Ethan Cepuran was about 6 1/2 seconds back Friday, finishing next in 6:19.335.

The last American man to medal in the 5,000 at an Olympics was Chad Hedrick at the 2006 Turin Games.

Dawson already had secured the lone U.S. place for Milan in the men’s 10,000 — a race not being contested at these trials — and also will be part of the trio for men’s team pursuit at the Olympics.

Dawson, Cepuran and Emery Lehman took the bronze in that event in Beijing four years ago, set the world record in 2024 and claimed gold in the team pursuit at the world championships in March.

In the other race Friday, the women's 3,000, Greta Myers won in 4:06.799. As of now, the United States does not have a berth in Milan for that distance, but one of its athletes could end up in the field if another country relinquishes an opening.

“It's hard to wait,” said Myers, a 21-year-old from Lino Lakes, Minnesota. “But I'm very hopeful. I think it's at least a 50-50 chance that it'll happen.”

The U.S. Olympic roster for long track won't become official until the four-day trials at the Pettit National Ice Center wrap up on Monday. One element that could come into play is that the Americans are allowed to bring a maximum of eight men and six women to these Winter Games.

The biggest star of the team — and the sport — is scheduled to make his trials debut Saturday in the men's 1,000 meters: Jordan Stolz. The 21-year-old from Kewaskum, a town about 40 miles north of Milwaukee, is not just competing at home this week; he's racing at the same rink where he first began taking lessons as a kid.

He made his Olympic debut at age 17 in Beijing four years ago, finishing 13th in the 500 and 14th in the 1,000.

At both the 2023 and 2024 world championships, Stolz earned titles in each of the 500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters.

He's already pre-qualified for the Olympics based on performances at those three distances. All he really needs to do to lock down berths on the squad for the Feb. 6-22 Milan Cortina Games is show up at the starting line this week.

The 500 and 1,500 are slated for Sunday, and the mass start is Monday.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Casey Dawson, of Park City, Utah, right, and Ethan Cepuran, of Glen Ellyn, lllinois, left, compete in the men's 5,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speed skating at the Pettit National Ice Center in Milwaukee, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)

The Pettit National Ice Center is seen in Milwaukee on Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, the first day of the U.S. Olympic trials for long track speedskating. (AP Photo/Howard Fendrich)