This match was certainly not for the faint hearted. At the end of an attritional war for superiority that saw two sides giving everything for a favourable result, Indian batsmen held their nerves to carry their team to a two-wicket win. India, in the process, equalised the series 3-3.

Chasing a mammoth 317 to win, India got off to a brilliant start possible with Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar firing from all cylinders to add 150 runs for the opening wicket. Earlier, England had made 316, with Owais Shah making his maiden one-day hundred and Dimitiri Mascarenhas smashing five sixes in the last over from Yuvraj Singh.

In the end, it needed a brave-hearted and composed effort from Robin Uthappa (47 n.o, 33b, 7x4) for India to romp home. They needed 10 runs from the last over, and the Bangalore boy hammered the required runs off Stuart Broad with two balls to spare. When Uthappa's drive went past Alistair Cook at mid-off the Indian players invaded the field in unbridled joy.

Old firm

But the foundation for the win was laid by the old firm of Tendulkar and Ganguly, who turned the clock back with some vintage shots as England bowlers left clueless for most part of their alliance. Tendulkar, declared man of the match, in particular was in great touch as he dished out some bright strokes all around the park.

But the shade of misfortune that haunted the master batsman throughout the tour did not spare him at the Brit Oval either. The Mumbaikar, suffering from cramps towards the end of his innings, was dismissed by Monty Panesar for 94. It was the fifth time that Tendulkar was dismissed in the 90s on this trip.

Ganguly too was in fine fettle as he gave stubborn company to Tendulkar before getting jettisoned for 53. The departure of Tendulkar and Ganguly sparked a mini-crisis for the Indians as they lost some quick wickets and at 234 for five the match could have swung any way.

Uthappa, who showed a cool head under testing circumstances, and Mahendra Singh Dhoni added 60 precious runs for the sixth wicket before Broad castled the latter. Uthappa, however, showed enough mettle to guide his team through.

Earlier, England batsmen brutally mangled India's hopes of restricting them to a modest total with a combination of judicious strokeplay and late flourish.

The hosts recovered well from a shaky 83 for four to post 316 for six after skipper Paul Collingwood decided to bat first. Apart from Shah's hundred, the contributions of debutant Luke Wright and Mascarenhas were equally important.

At the end of the 49th over England board read 286, and Indian skipper Rahul Dravid entrusted the task of bowling the final over to Yuvraj Singh.

The left-arm spinner kept the ball floating up to Mascarenhas, and the batsman needed no special invitation to exploit the dollies. The Hampshire player kept hammering the ball over the arc between mid-wicket and long-on and he garnered five consecutive sixes in the final over.

Perplexing decision

Dravid's decision was a perplexing one as Sourav Ganguly would have been a better choice – Sachin Tendulkar had already been used in the 49 th over – under the overcast conditions.

The home side amassed 114 runs in the last 10 overs, with 71 of them coming in the last five overs.

Before the blitzkrieg of Mascarenhas, Shah and Wright rescued England with a 106-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Shah also had fortune on his side as umpire Peter Hartley did not notice the edge that Ramesh Powar induced in the 41st over. The ball clearly took a deflection on Shah's bat while the batsman attempted a flick, but Heartley turned down the fervent appeals from stumper Dhoni and Powar. Shah was on 40 then.  

Wright, on the other hand, showed no jumpiness of a beginner and played with a great degree of confidence against both spinners and pacers to make a fifty. It took a brilliant direct throw by Uthappa from deep mid-wicket to end his innings. Kevin Pietersen too chipped in with a fifty.

The drama of the day was completed with the bizarre dismissal of Collingwood. Dinesh Kaarthick's throw beat the Durham player to the crease, but the umpires refered the decision to the third umpire only after a belated appeal from the Indians after they had watched the specific episode on the giant screen.