Ben Duckett and Joe Root lead England to 304 in must-win second ODI with India

Ben Duckett and Joe Root scored fifties but England lost seven for 85 as they settled for 304 all out in their must-win second ODI against India in Cuttack.

Duckett’s 65 helped England off to another fine start and Root anchored the middle overs with a typically busy 69, with all of the tourists’ top six getting to at least 26 after they won the toss.

While this was a much-improved display from a four-wicket defeat in Nagpur, several England batters were once more guilty of soft dismissals and were bogged down by spin, with Ravindra Jadeja again excellent as he collected three for 35, including having Duckett and Root caught in the deep.

England, bidding to avoid a fourth successive ODI series defeat and set up a decider in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, lost wickets regularly in the final 10 overs, with Liam Livingstone’s 41 off 32 balls getting them over 300.

Jacob Bethell’s left hamstring injury led England to rejig their lower order, with Jamie Overton recalled to go in with four quicks on a pitch that looks to be getting slower and lower.

Duckett took the whip hand in an 81-run opening stand alongside Phil Salt, initially streaky with fours off both edges but gradually finding rhythm with late cuts and pulls as England’s openers started well.

Salt, given a life on six when Axar Patel spilled a straightforward chance on the boundary, was more becalmed but flexed his muscles with a straight six off Hardik Pandya.

Jadeja then struck in his first over, tempting Duckett into a slog sweep straight to Pandya at long-on.

Having already burned a review when Root was struck on the pad first ball, which would have crept down leg, India elected against going upstairs when the Yorkshireman missed a sweep off Axar on 16.

India captain Rohit Sharma threw his hands in the air in frustration when replays showed Root would have been lbw had they queried the not out decision.

Root put on 66 with county team-mate Harry Brook, who struggled to rotate the strike against the spinners in his 31 before going hard at Harshit Rana’s off-cutter, with Shubman Gill taking an excellent over-the-shoulder catch.

England’s two old hands in Root and Jos Buttler aligned for a risk-free 51 off just 54 balls, which ended when the captain attempted to take down Pandya but could not get the elevation and picked out Gill in the ring to depart for 34.

Root looked disgusted with himself when he holed out off Jadeja, who a couple of balls earlier had grazed the edge of Livingstone’s bat on 10 but KL Rahul was unable to take a tough chance.

Jamie Overton came and went, spooning into the air off Jadeja’s final delivery, but a couple of big hits from Livingstone and three successive fours from Adil Rashid carried England to the verge of 300.

Livingstone took England beyond the magic number in the last over before he was run out, with Mark Wood perishing next ball as England were all out with one ball unused.