Returning exactly after a month to the venue where they suffered a crippling collapse that resulted in a loss in the second Test here against Australia, India were once again done in by the Gabba bounce as their search for a maiden win on this tour continued.
Playing England at a neutral venue after a long gap of 12 years since the 2003 World Cup clash in Durban, India produced one of their worst batting performances in one-day internationals as they were bowled out with still 57 balls left in their innings after MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first for the second consecutive time.
With James Anderson (4/18) returning to action in fine fashion and Steven Finn (5/33) exploiting the bounce in the pitch to perfection, India could only muster a pitiable 153 all out in 39.3 overs. But for a 70-run stand between Dhoni (34) and Stuart Binny (44), who replaced R Ashwin in the side, India would have struggled to post even a three-figure total.
England chased down the target with little fuss. That they reached 156 runs for the loss of just Moeen Ali inside 40 overs (27.3) also earned them a bonus point, leaving India with the task of winning both their remaining matches to make the February 1 final in Perth. Ian Bell (88 n.o., 91b, 8x4) and James Taylor (56 n.o., 63b, 4x4), who had lasted just three balls between them against Australia in the tri-series opener, saw England home with plenty to spare.
With the centurion in the previous match, Rohit Sharma, missing the match due to a sore right hamstring, India were dealt a body blow before the start of their match. Ajinkya Rahane opened the innings along with Shikhar Dhawan whose poor run in Australia continued as the southpaw found a thick edge to Jos Buttler off Anderson’s second over.
Rohit’s replacement Ambati Rayudu came in at No 3 and along with Rahane added 56 runs for the second wicket during an unconvincing partnership. While Rahane struggled with his timing, Rayudu batted edgily but crucially for India, the two had warded off the Anderson threat.
The right-arm seamer, after resting his injured knee, bowled an impressive opening spell of 6-2-15-1. Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes were handled with some degree of comfort but it was Finn who did all the damage with his maiden five-wicket haul.
The gangling seamer, who was sent home on leave just before England’s ODI series at this very venue as he was unable to even land the ball, left India reeling at 67 for five after a spell of 4-0-12-3 and following a face-saving Indian recovery, the 25-year-old paceman produced figures of 4-0-21-2 that saw Dhoni’s men fold up swiftly.
Rahane, who had begun to look confident, threw it all away with a miscued whack. The right-hander stepped out to launch Finn over mid-wicket but the extra bounce meant that the ball got big on him, ballooning to mid-on after taking the bottom of the bat. Rahane’s dismissal triggered a collapse –four wickets for 10 runs in the space of 24 balls – that India barely recovered from.
Virat Kohli, who for some strange reason has sacrificed his No 3 position, once again tried to manufacture a shot from deep inside the crease but the steep bounce generated by Finn found a thick edge to Buttler who had a busy day behind the stumps.
An advancing Suresh Raina was beaten by the Moeen Ali’s big turner for Buttler to complete a simple stumping while Rayudu’s effort to guide Finn over third-man was gobbled up by Buttler, the extra bounce again swallowing an Indian batsman.
The partnership between Binny and Dhoni ended with the latter nicking Finn to Buttler in an attempt to pull and thereafter it was a free fall once again.
Axar Patel inside-edged Finn on to his stumps off the very first ball he faced while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was cleaned up by Anderson after the batsman had denied Finn a hat-trick. The fine bowling effort was capped by two brilliant catches on the line by Eoin Morgan and Ali to dismiss Binny and Mohammad Shami as Anderson finished as well as he had begun.
score board
INDIA
Rahane c Taylor b Finn 33
(40b, 1x4, 1x6)
Dhawan c Buttler b Anderson 1
(5b)
Rayudu c Buttler b Finn 23
(53b, 2x4)
Kohli c Buttler b Finn 4
(8b)
Raina c Buttler b Ali 1
(3b)
Dhoni c Buttler b Finn 34
(61b, 1x4)
Binny c Morgan b Anderson 44
(55b, 3x4, 2x6)
Axar b Finn 0
(1b)
Bhuvneshwar b Anderson 5
(5b)
Shami c Ali b Anderson 1
(7b)
Yadav (not out) 0
(0b)
Extras (LB-3, W-3, NB-1) 7
Total (all out, 39.3 overs) 153
Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Dhawan), 2-57 (Rahane), 3-64 (Kohli), 4-65 (Raina), 5-67 (Rayudu), 6-137 (Dhoni), 7-137 (Axar), 8-143 (Bhuvneshwar), 9-153 (Binny). Bowling: Anderson 8.3-2-18-4 (w-1), Woakes 7-0-35-0 (w-1), Broad 7-0-33-0, Finn 8-0-33-5 (nb-1, w-1), Ali 9-0-31-1.
ENGLAND
Bell (not out) 88
(91b, 8x4)
Ali c Kohli b Binny 8
(12b, 1x4)
Taylor (not out) 56
(63b, 4x4)
Extras (W-3, NB-1) 4
Total (for 1 wkt, 27.3 overs) 156
Fall of wicket: 1-25 (Ali).
Bowling: Binny 7-0-34-1 (nb-1), Bhuvneshwar 2-0-18-0 (w-1), Yadav 6-0-42-0, Shami 4-0-23-0 (w-1), Axar 7.3-0-32-0 (w-1), Raina 1-0-7-0.
