When India’s batsmen are on song, calculations can easily be swept away like dead leaves in the wind. Coming into the fifth match of the NatWest series, they were pegged back by their own fallacies and an opposition that played well above itself. But the visitors obliterated memories of an inconsistent fortnight with an inspired batting display.

India amassed 324 for six in 50 overs under overcast conditions and a 20-minute rain-delay towards the end of their innings after England skipper Paul Collingwood asked them to bat first. Aggressive half-centuries from Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh were the cornerstone of the Indian total.

Confident bowlers

With a huge total on the board, India’s bowlers bowled with confidence and the England batsmen could not withstand the pressure. The home side, required to score a revised target of 311 in 45 overs, could only manage 242 for eight in 39 when rain forced the umpires to call off the match. India won by 38 runs on the Duckworth-Lewis system.

Collingwood waged a lone battle with a courageous unbeaten knock of 91. The only time England looked like making a fist of the chase was when Ian Bell and Matt Prior were at the crease, the duo realising 90 in just 10.4 overs to give England a flying start. However, Sourav Ganguly snaffled both batsmen quickly to push England on to the backfoot.

Once their first four batsmen were dismissed for a mere 104, it was clear that England were going to struggle. With this win, India managed to claw back to a 2-3 deficit with two games to go.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who took five catches and pulled off a stumping, equalled the most dismissals in a one-day innings by a wicket-keeper.

The hovering dark clouds might have prompted Collingwood to opt to bowl, but the conditions proved deceptive as the ball did not swing as much as the English skipper would have liked. With the pitch playing true, Tendulkar and Ganguly, in his 300th one-dayer, exploited the favourable conditions.

Their partnership, worth 116, had a sedate beginning as neither James Anderson nor Jon Lewis conceded a run in their respective first overs.

Tendulkar decided in Lewis’ third over that it was time to get going, and he executed that decision like only he can. He smashed Lewis for four boundaries as the Indian score rattled along.

That was just the beginning of a deluge which the England bowlers found difficult to check. Tendulkar led the charge as he exhibited his exquisite batsmanship in all its splendour.

There were those patented drives on the rise, power-packed cuts and those sassy taps to fine-leg, and a packed house enjoyed the heady cocktail.

Ganguly only needed to support his partner, and he did his job to perfection. But it was not that the Kolkatan was overshadowed all the time.

Ganguly too displayed his repertoire, taking a liking to Anderson. Ganguly unsettled the Lancashire bowler with innovative shots as India emphatically shed the shackles.

Tendulkar looked all set for that elusive hundred, but Lewis had his revenge when he induced a faint edge that Prior collected easily behind the stumps.

Ganguly too departed after completing his fifty, a mighty heave off Monty Panesar picking Alastair Cook out in the deep. But the dismissals had no effect on the Indian scoring rate, courtesy the efforts of Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir, who added 94 for the third wicket in 14.5 overs.

The Delhi southpaw played a responsible innings, allowing Yuvraj to score freely. The lone black spot on his innings was a chance offered to Kevin Pietersen off Collingwood.

Yuvraj was his customary aggressive self as he waded into the English attack with an array of daring shots.
In all, England leaked 95 in the last 10 overs. Despite Yuvraj’s departure, India crossed the 300-run mark as Rahul Dravid and Dhoni played small, but forceful innings.