ENG vs IND 2026: 'I told him to just get it done' - Joe Root after being stranded on 99 after chase in the second ODI

Joe Root remained unbeaten on 99 as England chased down 234 on a tricky wicket at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff in the second ODI against India. The win on Thursday, July 16, which was guided by Root's masterclass, helped the hosts level the three-match series at 1-1.

Root was on 99 at the other end when Gus Atkinson hit Prasidh Krishna for four in the 45th over with the field up. England's talisman, however, was once again the star of the show, pacing the chase brilliantly. He put on stands of 45, 41, 72 and 38 with skipper Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Will Jacks and Atkinson, respectively.

Speaking on his misfortune of being stranded one run short of what could have been his 21st century in 50-over internationals, Root mentioned telling his partner, Atkinson, to finish the game off with India pushing the field up and spoke about the importance of taking his team over the line instead of the individual milestone. 

"I told him [Atkinson] to just get it done. If they want to set fields like that and give us a chance to win the game, then let's take it. It's all about winning and there's no better feeling in cricket than being there at the end you chase something down. I don't even know if I have been 99 not out [before]," Root was quoted as saying by Cricinfo.

Since the start of 2025, Root has found a new lease of life in the ODI format. In that span, the English batter has scored 1230 runs in 20 innings, averaging a whopping 76.87 and striking at 91.58. He has also scored four centuries and eight half-centuries in that timeframe.

Root's 133-ball knock consisted of nine boundaries, as he withstood a fierce opening spell from Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna. He became the first-ever England batter and the 17th across teams, to remain unbeaten on 99 in an ODI innings. He said that difficult chases like these would help build experience ahead of the 2027 ODI World Cup, and the feeling would have been worse had England lost the match.

"It would've felt a lot worse if we'd lost. That's why you play to win. And for us to have that carrot ahead of us, winning at Lord's and the chance to beat the number one team in the world is really exciting," the seasoned batter added.

I'm delighted that we found a way of doing it ugly and doing it in a way that probably doesn't suit a lot of the other guys and what they're used to doing and how they're used to playing. It shapes us up really well with what's to come, and a great experience of a big pressure game ahead of a World Cup in 2027," Root concluded.

Being put into bat, India were bowled out for 233, despite half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. Atkinson and Jofra Archer picked up three wickets apiece as the Three Lions pulled the game back from 178 for 4. The final T20I of the series will be played at Lord's on July 19.