Rahul Dravid won a fourth consecutive toss and had little hesitation in opting to bat first, realising that chasing under lights would be a hazardous task. But India's final total 212 would have come as a bit of a disappointment. Patient fifties from Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, aided by a late flourish from Zaheer Khan, helped India reach that total.
Smart strategy
That India were kept down to the modest total had to do with England’s bowlers adopting a carefully structured strategy. Aware of the opposition's discomfort against the rising ball, England’s opening bowlers James Anderson and Stuart Broad peppered them with short-pitched stuff.
Sourav Ganguly, who had 68 dot balls in his last innings at Edgbaston, seemed determined from the outset to obliterate that black spot. The Kolkatan played some aggressive shots, unmindful of the pitch conditions and the need for a strong start.
At the other end, Tendulkar's approach was in direct contrast. The Mumbaikar started brightly with some delightful cuts and punches off Anderson, but went into his shell after Ganguly’s dismissal.
The left-hander, in his zest to clear the in-field, heaved Broad for Ian Bell to grab a simple catch at cover. Dinesh Kaarthick was in a mood to perfect his defensive technique than make runs. Admittedly, the conditions were not suitable for strokeplay, but still, Kaarthick's dour approach was baffling. He wasted 20 deliveries in his 22-ball innings, and all he could manage was an edge off Broad that narrowly missed his stumps before reaching the boundary.
Last laugh
The bowler had the last laugh when Kaarthick edged him to Matt Prior behind the stumps. Dravid lasted just eight balls before managing a feather touch off Andrew Flintoff to Prior. The two quick dismissals pushed India to 32 for three in the 12th over, and perhaps that situation forced Tendulkar to go into his shell.
His 81st one-day half-century came off as many balls, not the kind of knock one expects from Tendulkar. His bat hardly resembled the familiar punishing rapier; instead he used it as a defensive shield.
His innings was not as grim as some of the earlier ones as he managed to find the gaps and boundaries occasionally. He welcomed Monty Panesar with two boundaries, signalling a possible opening up from the maestro. He found an able partner in Yuvraj, and the duo added 71 for the fourth wicket, the former leading the charge with some well-timed shots.
England skipper Paul Collingwood used his street-smart brain to telling effect at that juncture. He calculated that a diversion from the routine might help distract Tendulkar, and his thinking was not wrong.
Collingwood introduced Kevin Pietersen in the 30th over and Tendulkar sensed his chance to break the stranglehold. Having already extracted a boundary from the over, Tendulkar went for a big one, but could not time it as well as he would have liked and Flintoff completed a smooth catch in the deep.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni walked in to a round of warm applause and loud cheers, but the crowd did not witness the anticipated fireworks.
The Jharkhand batsman adopted a sensible approach with the board reading 103 for four in the 30th over. Dhoni and Yuvraj played sensibly to push the board along and the duo also displayed a welcome trend of quick running between the wickets.
Brilliant ball
It needed a brilliant delivery from Panesar, who recovered well from an ordinary first spell that read 5-0-26-0, to break the swelling partnership. Dhoni's attempt at a forward defence to a straight one was defeated as the ball disturbed the woodwork.
Dhoni's dismissal forced Yuvraj to change the gears and he smashed Broad for 16 runs in an over, including two fours and a six, and his onslaught raised hopes of India reaching a much more competitive total. But Broad, England's most successful bowler, castled Yuvraj to end all those hopes.

Score board
INDIA
Ganguly c Bell b Anderson 9
(14b, 2x4)
Tendulkar c Flintoff b P’sen 55
(86b, 9x4)
Kaarthick c Prior b Broad 4
(22b, 1x4)
Dravid c Prior b Flintoff 1
(8b)
Yuvraj b Broad 71
(104b, 5x4, 1x6)
Dhoni b Panesar 13
(18b, 1x4)
Agarkar c Prior b Broad 6
(5b, 1x4)
Powar c Bell b Broad 7
(11b)
Chawla (not out) 13
(11b, 1x4)
Zaheer c C’gwood b Anderson 20
(19b, 3x4)
RP Singh c Bopara b Anderson 0
(1b)
Extras (LB-4, W-8, NB-1) 13
Total (all out, 49.4 overs) 212
Fall of wickets: 1-17 (Ganguly), 2-31 (Kaarthick), 3-32 (Dravid), 4-103 (Tendulkar), 5-140 (Dhoni), 6-147 (Agarkar), 7-178 (Yuvraj), 8-179 (Powar), 9-210 (Zaheer).
Bowling: Broad 10-1-51-4 (w-1, nb-1), Anderson 9.4-2-38-3 (w-2), Flintoff 10-3-31-1 (w-5), Panesar 10-0-39-1, Collingwood 9-0-43-0, Pietersen 1-0-6-1.
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 22/1, 10: 31/1, 15: 46/3, 20: 60/3, 25: 76/3, 30: 105/4, 35: 128/4, 40: 148/6, 45: 179/8, end of innings: 212 all out in 49.4 overs
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 31/1, Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 15/2, Power Play 3: 16-20 overs: 14/0.