England dominate India to firm semi-final hopes

England celebrate the wicket of Rohit Sharma.

India played in bright orange jerseys but England shone brighter for once as the hosts revitalised their struggling Cricket World Cup campaign with a 31-run victory.

Eoin Morgan's team needed this win at a sunny Edgbaston to stay in control of its own fate at the tournament, and once India captain Virat Kohli departed for 66 it always looked likely England would prevail.

India, playing in an away kit to avoid a clash of colours with England, finished on 5-306 after losing the toss and watching England amass 7-337 with a first World Cup century from Jonny Bairstow (111) and Jason Roy returning from a hamstring injury with a 57-ball 66.

Bairstow was even more brutal than Roy, ending with 10 fours and six sixes, including a huge swipe in the 19th over off Kuldeep Yadav which substitute fielder Ravindra Jadeja on the boundary would not have reached with a ladder.

The pair combined for 160 before Roy was out.

Despite the abundance of sixes from England — 13 against just the one for India from MS Dhoni (42 not out in 31 balls) in the last over of the game — this was a more controlled aggression on show from the tournament hosts, with even dot balls often being given a good whack.

Joe Root chipped in with 44 from 54 deliveries and Ben Stokes smashed six boundaries and three sixes to lead the later charge with 79 from 54 as England, on course for a 400-plus total at one point, still managed to set India a record World Cup chase.

Pacer Mohammed Shami took 5-69, while spinner Yuzvendra Chahal returned 0-88 off 10 overs.

The chase looked huge for India but it wasn't always comfortable for England.

Kohli was in typically superb form and shared a 138-run partnership for the second wicket with Rohit Sharma (102), who reached his century at a roughly run-a-ball rate and had hit 15 fours by that stage.

Kohli had only been dismissed once at Edgbaston in five previous innings.

Make that two in six. He was out after a 76-ball innings with seven fours when he sliced the ball to substitute fielder James Vince at backward point off the bowling of Liam Plunkett (3-55).

Kohli's loss was a significant momentum shift and eventually India lost to England at the World Cup for the first time since 1992.

India had been 1-28 after 10 overs — the slowest powerplay of the tournament — and it was too heavy a weight to carry through the innings. Hardik Pandya was threatening at the end with 45 off 33 balls but was caught by Vince off Plunkett with around five overs left and India still needing 71 to win.

Chris Woakes ended on 2-58, including three maidens, and Jofra Archer a tidy 0-45.

England returned to fourth spot in the standings on 10 points, one ahead of Pakistan.

England plays 2015 finalist New Zealand in its last group game at Durham on Wednesday. Two days later Pakistan plays Bangladesh at Lord's. It wasn't only bad news for Pakistan. Sri Lanka can no longer advance to the last four.

India remains second with a game in hand — facing Bangladesh at Edgbaston on Tuesday and Sri Lanka on Saturday at Headingley — but Kohli's team is no longer unbeaten.

THE STAR

Jonny Bairstow after scoring his century.

After engaging in a slanging match on twitter with former England captain Michael Vaughan, Jonny Bairstow repsonded in the perfect way, with his bat. 111 off 109 balls, engaging in a 160 run opening partnership with Jason Roy in just 22 overs, the game was taken away from India from there. It's good to see Bairstow find the form he had in the IPL preceeding the World Cup.

THE MOMENT

The decision not to review was rued by the Indians.

In the 11th over of England's innings India could have changed their own destiny. With England only on 48, Hardik Pandya slipped one down leg side through to the keeper, not before the Indians gave a hearty appeal which was turned down. The Indians convened, and decided not to review the decision, which on replay was a costly mistake. The next two balls would go for 10 runs, and the next 11 overs for 112. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

THE FAILURE

Virat Kohli, and his openers KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma failed to set the platform India needed.

It's not often you will hear this, but Virat Kohli features in this games failure, alongside fellow top order players KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. Rahul would be dismissed for a 9 ball duck, whilst both Sharma and Kohli, despite scoring a century and half-century respectively, had strike rates below a run a ball. India were only 1/28 off their first 10 overs, only 20 runs behind where England were, but by over 20 they were 70 runs behind their opposition. The mountain was too high to climb.

WHAT NEXT - India take on Bangladesh on Tuesday, whilst England have New Zealand on Wednesday, both games which will decide the fate of the teams pushing for the final top four spot. TONIGHT - Sri Lanka take on the West Indies