Key events

After that Root masterclass, things stand at one-one going to Lord’s. So at least there is a chance for one England victory on Sunday. Thanks for your messages today – see you then. Bye!

“Wouldn’t Hendrix be more appropriate than the Beatles?” asks Ian Wild.

“Hey Joe, Hey Joe, where you going with that bat in your hand?”

The TV fails at the wrong time but I catch the end of Shubman Gill saying Joe Root is “the master of those kind of totals.”

Harry Brook is happy. Says Root is a phenomenal player and a great bloke to have around, “he always turns up when we need him. He’s been one of the best in the world for a while at rotating the strike and that’s a major part of 50-over cricket.”

Player of the match - Joe Root

Of course it is. He says he doesn’t care about getting a hundred because “we want to win the series, and in those conditions on that pitch,. Very much looking foward to a big game at Lord’s now. Throughout the whole game it was difficult to bat, and our bowlers did well. Some times you have to win ugly and scrappy.”

“You have to judge the team on the here and now, not the past games. We won in Sri Lanka, similarly to this series we lost the first game and learnt lessons and the question is can we do that again at Lord’s against a brilliant team.”

A great stat from my fellow OBOer Tim de Lisle. “Joe Root was always good but at 35 he’s getting better. In ODis over the past year, he’s averaging 78. His last three innings are 111 not out, 76 not out and 99 not out.”

“Joe Root,” says Mark Butcher, “does not leave it up to other people.”

England beat India by four wickets and level the series!

44.1 overs: England 235-6 (Root 99, Atkinson 23 ) Root is stranded on 99! He gives Atkinson a hug as a wide is followed by an Atkinson boundary. An excellent win for England, skilfully masterminded by Root. He raises his bat as he walks off the field to applause from the crowd and back-slaps from the dressing room.

44th over: England 230-6 (Root 99, Atkinson 19) The Hey Jude chant from the World Cup is transposed to Hey Joe. Though Atkinson may spoil the party as he hauls four through midwicket with only five needed. He guides the last ball down to long leg where he picks up one and nicks the strike! Four to win.

43rd over: England 222-6 (Root 98, Atkinson 13) England survive Bumrah’s last six balls. A blind top edge from Atkinson almost hits the steward sitting on a chair inside the boundary as it falls for six. Then Atkinson gets clonked on the helmet and they runs a leg bye before the physio runs out for a concussion check. Living on a Prayer plays before what could be the final over – 12 needed.

42nd over: England 214-6 (Root 97, Atkinson 7) A couple of singles then Root flicks at a wide ball from Gurnoor like a Victorian lady with a fan, and it runs down to the rope. India think Atkinson will fall for the short ball, and he pulls and misses, but it is given as wide. Next ball he stands tall and stamps four through extra cover for four. This is the over – just 20 needed now.

41st over: England 202-6 (Root 91, Atkinson 2) Gill plays his trump card. Bumrah, pendulum arms, sprints in. Atkinson just slams his bat down in time on a yorker. Five from it. 32 needed.

WICKET! Jacks c Kohli b Gurnoor 30 (England 197-6)

Too late? Jacks tries to tuck into a bouncer but just slaps it to extra cover where Kohli makes no mistake

40th over: England 197-6 (Root 88, Atkinson 0) Atkinson sits on the England balcony, looking pretty chilled. Jacks nearly plays on, the ball rolls like a wayward sheep just inches from off stump. Then he pulls, Gill at midwicket loses it, and picks up four. Thus pumped, he tries again and holes out. Enter the no longer chilled Atkinson. 37 needed.

Will Jacks walks back to the pavilion after losing his wicket. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

39th over: England 191-5 (Root 87, Jacks 25) Jacks is a little more animated, thrashes a couple off Prasidh, then a skimming drive for four. The overhead camera pans away to show a full house at Cardiff and a beautiful summer evening.

38th over: England 182-5 (Root 86, Jacks 17) Axar’s ninth over brings a long-lost boundary – Root sweeping and the runs needed drops to 52. Careful accumulation will do the job.

37th over: England 174-5 (Root 80, Jacks 15) Gill brings back Prasidh – a couple of singles tick by but not the wicket India needs

36th over: England 172-5 (Root 79, Jacks 14) Neat as this bowling is, India need a wicket.

35th over: England 167-5 (Root 78, Jacks 11) Bumrah is stretching, the shadows lengthening. Shivam continues his careful work. England twist and cut but keep picking out the fielders. Six singles from the over.

“Spirited Away is an all-time Top Three film!” replies Gary Naylor. I feel myself chastised.

34th over: England 161-5 (Root 75, Jacks 8) Axar pulls up his sleeves and gets back to his work. England are respectfully watchful. Sparklers this innings, not rockets.

33rd over: England 157-5 (Root 73, Jacks 7) The huge party stand at Cardiff is quiet, sucked into the slow drama. Shivam, careful, England, cautious. Four singles run with puffs of dust. Joe Root calls for a new bat and Brydon Carse runs out with a selection of five yellow handled blades.

32nd over: England 153-5 (Root 71, Jacks 4) India were 179 for five at the same point in their innings, before the collapse. Axar hones in on the magic spot and concedes just one.Tension mounts.

31st over: England 152-5 (Root 71, Jacks 4) Over number four from Shivam Dube comes and goes.

30th over: England 148-5 (Root 68, Jacks 3) Another parsimonious Axar over.

29th over: England 144-5 (Root 65, Jacks 2) Gurnoor starts with five wides and it continues to be a good over for England – a steady turnover of singles followed by a last ball Joe Root four, turned down to the rope at long leg.

Hello Gary Naylor! “You make Axar out to be a cousin of Kamaji from Spirited Away .” I’m afraid I never watched Spirited Away, though I’ve just watched an advert for Five Star Weekend which looks like some full on cheesy American entertainment for when I have the telly to myself.

28th over: England 130-5 (Root 59, Jacks 0) Just one from Axar’s over.

27th over: England 130-5 (Root 58, Jacks 0) Gurnoor’s sixth over. Root settles the nerves with four down to third, Jacks slashes at a bouncer but misses and they take DRINKS.

26th over: England 125-5 (Root 53, Jacks 0) At just over half way, England need 109 to win which won’t be a problem unless they have a flurry of wickets….and there’s the first. Buttler closes his eyes and droops his shoulders as he hears the stumps rattle. Axar, long limbs and sunglasses, spins his web.

WICKET! Buttler b Axar 17 (England 125-5)

Shimmy step, amateur miss, crunch of stumps.

Jos Buttler falls for 17. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

25th over: England 125-4 (Root 53, Buttler 17) The crowd are quiet, they know this is a crucial period. Bumrah tucks his necklace inside his shirt. Four dots, three runs – ah scrap that, another no ball. The free hit delivery is wide … Buttler reaches for it and scrapes a single.

Fifty for Joe Root!

24th over: England 120-4 (Root 50, Buttler 16) Prasidh with over number seven. Washington Sundar can’t bowl today, out with a suspected hamstring tear, so if England can see off Prasidh and Bumrah the road will become easier to travel. Another eased single brings fifty number three at Sophia Gardens for Joe Root, fifty number 67 in all– 76 balls, five fours.

Joe Root brings up yet another fifty. Photograph: Graham Hunt/ProSports/Shutterstock

23rd over: England 117-4 (Root 48, Buttler 15) Bumrah is back for over number seven, showing how badly Gill wants the breakthrough. Zips one past Root’s outside edge – the keeper likes it but Bumrah isn’t convinced enough for Gill to review. England are exactly half way to their target.

22nd over: England 114-4 (Root 45, Buttler 15) Gill beckons Prasidh back to counter Buttler. On the button over and just two singles from it. Root backs away from a ball very late - I think the umpires say too late – and the ball counts. Root is unusually animated.

21st over: England 111-4 (Root 43, Buttler 14) One, one, one off Axar then a huge straight happy-go-lucky six into the bushes by Buttler. More coins in the England piggy bank.