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An unlucky moment unfolded in the course of the second ODI between India and England at <\/span>Sophia Gardens, Cardiff<\/span>, when <\/span>Shreyas Iyer\u2019s<\/span> shot by chance struck a seagull on <\/span>Thursday<\/span>. The incident occurred on the third delivery of the thirty third over, bowled by England pacer <\/span>Saqib Mahmood<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Mahmood delivered a length ball outside off stump, which Iyer drove firmly through the covers. The ball hit a seagull stationed in the quilt region before rolling towards <\/span>Ben Duckett<\/span> at sweeper cover. By then, Iyer and <\/span>Washington Sundar<\/span> had accomplished a single, but play was briefly halted as attention turned to the injured bird.<\/span><\/p>\n England opener <\/span>Jacob Bethell<\/span> then won praise for his thoughtful gesture, gently picking up the injured seagull with each hands and carrying it to a steward near the boundary rope. His act of compassion was warmly appreciated by the Cardiff crowd, who responded with a round of applause.<\/span><\/p>\n Watch the video here:<\/span><\/p>\n Moment of the day \ud83d\udcab<\/p>\n Ball hit by shreyas iyer had hit the bird , Jacob bethel himself took the injured bird to groundstaff \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83e\ude79 pic.twitter.com\/KLPbHKuv0n<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Shashank (@Shashankmsdian) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Earlier, England captain <\/span>Harry Brook<\/span> won the toss and elected to field first within the second ODI at Cardiff. Despite scoring a career-best <\/span>68<\/span> in England\u2019s six-wicket defeat within the series opener, spin-bowling all-rounder <\/span>Liam Dawson<\/span> was not noted of the playing XI, while pacer <\/span>Josh Tongue<\/span> also made way.<\/span><\/p>\n England brought within the pace duo of <\/span>Gus Atkinson<\/span> and <\/span>Saqib Mahmood<\/span> as they looked to bounce back after losing <\/span>14 of their last 20 ODIs<\/span>. India, meanwhile, made one forced change, with <\/span>Ishan Kishan<\/span> replacing the unwell <\/span>KL Rahul <\/span>behind the stumps.<\/span><\/p>\n Virat Kohli rolled back the years with a fluent <\/span>65<\/span>, but Rohit Sharma\u2019s prolonged lean patch continued as India were bowled out for a below-par <\/span>233 in 44 overs<\/span>. The innings unraveled dramatically in the center overs, with the visitors losing <\/span>4 wickets for just 15 runs in 26 deliveries<\/span>, largely on account of a fiery spell from <\/span>Jofra Archer<\/span>, who finished with <\/span>3\/47<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Archer received good support from <\/span>Saqib Mahmood (2\/52)<\/span> and <\/span>Gus Atkinson (3\/50)<\/span> as England\u2019s pace attack kept India under pressure. Kohli\u2019s <\/span>66-ball knock<\/span>, featuring <\/span>eight boundaries<\/span>, was highlighted by a shocking straight drive off Archer. In contrast, Rohit struggled for rhythm throughout his <\/span>26 off 47 balls<\/span>, including a stretch of <\/span>nine consecutive dot deliveries<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Vice-captain <\/span>Shreyas Iyer<\/span> emerged as India\u2019s standout batter with a composed <\/span>66 off 71 balls<\/span>, handling the short-ball challenge well despite receiving little support from the lower order. After England captain <\/span>Harry Brook<\/span> opted to bowl first, <\/span>Shubman Gill<\/span> looked positive during his <\/span>31 off 30 balls<\/span>, while Rohit found it difficult to rotate the strike and maintain momentum.<\/span><\/p>\n Get the most recent cricket news here, like us on Facebook<\/a>, and follow us on Twitter<\/a> and Instagram <\/a> for more such updates.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
India Lose Momentum within the Middle Overs<\/span><\/h3>\n
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