New Delhi, Oct 17: Local heroes Virat Kohli and Gautam Gambhir gave ample display of their class as India relied on a clinical display to spank England by eight wickets in the second cricket one-dayer and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series here today.
The Indians first restricted the visitors to 237 all out riding on paceman Vinay Kumar's career-best effort of 4 for 30 before Kohli (112 not out) and Gambhir (84 not out) rattled up the required runs—with as many as 80 balls to spare on a good batting track at the Ferozshah Kotla.
After the bowlers produced a disciplined show to dismiss England in 48.2 overs, Kohli and Gambhir took centrestage with a record 209-run partnership to script another huge win for the hosts following the resounding 126-run victory in the first game in Hyderabad on October 14.
The Delhi duo set a new record for the third wicket partnership against England, eclipsing the previous best of 175 between Navjot Singh Siddhu and Mohammad Azharuddin.
This partnership was also the highest third wicket partnership at the Kotla, surpassing the record of Sachin Tendulkar and Azharuddin who had stitched 175 runs.
Kohli took a single off Dernbach to not only notch up his 7th ODI ton but but also record the first century by an Indian at the Kotla in 15 years.
Tendulkar was the last Indian to hit a century during the 1996 World Cup match against Sri Lanka.
Electing to bat, most of the English batsmen—Kevin Pietersen (46), Samit Patel (42), Ravi Bopara (36), Jonathan Bairstow (35) and Jonathan Trott (34) -- got the starts but could not translate them into big knocks after losing both their openers for a duck.
