SAM MORSHEAD AT EDGBASTON: It took Rohit Sharma just two deliveries to send a short-arm pull towering over wide mid-on for six. Virat Kohli was presumably seething in the changing room
What took India more than 49 overs on Sunday took them little more than 49 seconds two days later.
For all Virat Kohli’s moaning about the short boundary at Edgbaston, his side only cleared the ropes once against England.
This time around, it took Rohit Sharma just two deliveries to send a short-arm pull towering over wide mid-on for six.
Kohli was presumably seething in the changing room.
Guys, you’ve got to stop giving Rohit Sharma a life!
The India opener produced a dazzling fourth century of the World Cup at Edgbaston on Tuesday - a record he now shares with the great Kumar Sangakkara - but once again he benefited from a dropped chance early in his innings.
No one has been handed a reprieve as many times as Sharma’s five in this tournament, but by now you would think fielders would have learned a lesson.
In total, the 32-year-old has racked up 369 runs after being spilled - thanks to Tamim Iqbal fluffing his lines at deep cover with the batsman on nine - with three of those second chances being turned into centuries.
Virat Kohli after he was dismissed for 26
He was dropped on four by Joe Root at slip on Sunday, and made 102.
South Africa’s Faf du Plessis floored one with Sharma on one and went on to see him compile an unbeaten 122.
Australia got off a little more lightly, shipping just 55 more after offering the Indian a let-off on two.
What’s the moral of the tale, folks? You don’t really need us to spell it out to you.
Sharma, meanwhile, is now the leading runscorer in this year’s competition, with 544. No one has more than his five career World Cup hundreds. And he has hit three centuries back-to-back at Edgbaston - two in the past three days plus another ton against Bangladesh in the 2017 Champions Trophy.
England could be semi-final next opponents for Sharma and India. Where? You guessed it.
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India have been by far the most miserly bowling side in the first 10-over powerplay in this World Cup.
Their team economy rate in that period, over the course of their seven completed matches to date, is just 3.90.
The nearest of the other nine teams is England, at 4.63.
The figures illustrate both the brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah and the influence of Mohammed Shami since his introduction to the side following Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s injury against Pakistan.
Shami has collected 14 wickets in the four matches since, and is now third on the all-time World Cup standings for India.
Bangladesh's bowlers celebrate a wicket
As Virat Kohli goes, this is now something of a lean streak, as ridiculous as that sounds.
His dismissal of 26 here, caught on the tiny boundary he berated after defeat by England, means he has now gone nine whole ODI innings without a century.
Such is the Indian captain’s gluttonous appetite for runs, this constitutes his worst run with bat in hand in the format for two years (‘worst’ used with tongue implanted in cheek, of course - Kohli still averages 48.3 over his last nine visits to the crease).
Should the captain go through the entire World Cup without a ton, it will become his longest century-less spell in one-day internationals since 2013.
The India captain has already picked up one ICC fine in this tournament - for excessive appealing against Afghanistan, and he could yet find himself in hot water after showing signs of dissent here.
Kohli was not pleased the by the decision made after he referred an lbw shout against Soumya Sarkar upstairs, and remonstrated with on-field officials.
Wagging your finger at an umpire is not a good look for the most iconic cricketer on the planet.
Mustafizur Rahman’s 5-59 here was his third against India in ODIs, nobody has more
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