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Cricket Players'I felt like I was watching a computer game': Stuart Broad amazed at England's thrashing of India bowlers in 2nd ODI
India vs England: England won the match by six wickets, gunning down a target of 337 runs with 39 balls to spare as they capped off their fifth-highest successful run-chase in ODIs.
Like a lot of people, fast bowler Stuart Broad was pretty surprised seeing England make a mockery of the 337-run target set by India in the second ODI in Pune on Friday. England won the match by six wickets, gunning down the total with 39 balls to spare to cap off their fifth-highest successful run-chase in ODIs.
Led by Jonny Bairstow's 19th ODI century and a whirlwind 99 off 52 by all-rounder Ben Stokes, England squared the series 1-1 to push it into the decider on Sunday. Watching the blazing run-chase unfold left a lot of people in awe, with Broad saying he felt like he was watching a highlights package with almost every other ball landing in the stands. Such was the disdain with which England batted.
"It was astonishing, wasn’t it? It was great entertainment, brilliant skill, amazing power. I felt like I was watching a computer game, almost replays. I was like what… another one? Another one? And they weren’t just clearing ropes," Broad said on Sky Sports.
"The fielders did not stand a chance, did they? They were going 20 rows back. It was like they were having throwdowns and doing that range hitting and practice without a care in the world, doing it in an international game with the series on the line."
England scored 87 runs between overs 31 and 35 to bring the asking rate down to under six an over. However, England themselves conceded over 100 runs in the final 10 overs, which allowed India to post 336/6 in the first place. Despite England conceding back-to-back 300-plus totals in the last two ODIs, Broad doesn't feel it's an area that generates concern, for the surface on which the match was played on was a belter of a pitch.
"It's really hard. Anytime you go for over a hundred, it's a brutal 10 isn't it? But that is how India set up. They do set up to bear an OK run rate in the first 30 overs - just around 4 and a half and then they look to explode with their power hitters at the end," Broad pointed out.
"Obviously, it was a disappointing match for the English bowlers but it was because we didn't manage to make the breakthroughs consistently through the middle period. I don't think it was massively over par to be honest. It looked like a very good pitch. Had England batted first, they could have gotten a similar score."
