India 258 for 5 (Raina 89*, Rohit 83) beat England 257 for 7 (Cook 76, Pietersen 76, Root 57*, Jadeja 3-39) by five wickets
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England fought hard to assemble a respectable total on a cold, wintry
day in the Punjab, but when the fog cleared the view was a familiar one:
another defeat in a one-day series in India. India's pursuit of 258 was
far from trouble free, but a winning margin of five wickets with 15
balls to spare was emphatic enough and left them 3-1 up one to play.
Instead of a dead rubber in ODI in Dharamsala, in the foothills of the
Himalayas, England would be forgiven for fancying a spot of skiing, but
sadly for them the weather forecast is improving and only the cricket is
going downhill. A record extended to 18 ODI defeats in their last 20 in
India is proof of that.
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It might have been different had England not fallen again to the curse of Steven Finn's knee.
When Finn thought he had Suresh Raina caught by Alastair Cook at first
slip, India still needed 80 from 89 balls with what would have been five
wickets intact. But Finn's recalcitrant right knee had collided with
the stumps again and umpire Steve Davis invoked Law 23, ruling that
Raina had been distracted. Cook's protests that Finn was entitled to a
warning went unheeded.
But the story of this series has been one of growing India dominance. MS
Dhoni has looked as impregnable in one-day cricket as he seemed flawed
in the Test series. After England's win in the opening game in Rajkot,
fuelled by a late batting assault from Samit Patel, India's batsmen
dominated in Kochi and Ranchi and when they got the benefit of an
influentiual toss in Mohali, their quick bowlers accepted it with
alacrity. They beat England in English-style conditions, although they
did have the better of them. As for Ravindra Jadeja, India will be more
convinced than ever that they have a player who can balance their
one-day side.
India's run chase was a personal triumph for Rohit Sharma, whose
selection ahead of Ajinkya Rahane as a replacement opener had not
possessed obvious logic on a seam-friendly morning, but who took
advantage of easing conditions to move on from a lean run of form which
had brought eight single-figure scores in his last nine innings. Rohit
burst ahead after reaching his fifty, addressing Tredwell's threat in
the process, and had 83 from 93 balls when Finn won a fortunate lbw
decision for a delivery slipping down the leg side.
On another day of fallible umpiring, Gautam Gambhir was adjudged caught
at the wicket, carving at a wide one and left with a look of unfeigned
surprise that the umpire thought he had hit it.
Virat Kohli was gently removed by Tredwell, not as much dismissed as
quietly informed that he would take no further part in the game. In the
calming manner of a hospital consultant, Tredwell's entire demeanour is
designed to allay fears. "Good morning, Mr Kohli, do relax, there is
nothing to worry about." But there was and by the end of his first over,
Kohli had chipped a gentle return catch as if half-anaesthetised. There
must have been some dip, or subtle change of pace, but you could study
innumerable replays and struggle to discern it.
Tredwell claimed a second wicket when he defeated Yuvraj Singh's sweep, dismissing him for the fourth time in the series.
England could ill afford to allow let-offs in the field, but both Kohli
and Rohit survived half chances. Rohit, on 12, drove Tim Bresnan high to
mid-off where Kevin Pietersen leapt to palm the ball in the air with
his right hand but failed to locate it as it fell. Kohli was 2 when he
pulled at Finn and the ball fell between the wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler,
and Bresnan at fine leg.
Buttler was running backwards for a catch which could not have fallen
more inconveniently had Kohli marked the spot with a cross, but he was a
stand-in wicketkeeper for Craig Kieswetter, and an inexperienced one at
that, and it was natural to wonder whether a more experienced keeper
would have been more assertive.
England, for whom only Finn and James Tredwell possessed any real
threat, never rallied again after Finn's unwitting collision with the
stumps. Jade Dernbach dismissed MS Dhoni with a short, wide one, but his
bowling circus has not troubled India.
India's pace attack made impressive use of a good fast-bowling morning
after Dhoni had won the toss. Bhuvneshwar Kumar conceded only 30 runs in
a probing 10-over allocation delivered without interruption and Ishant
Sharma was as dangerous as at any time in either Test or one-day series.
Alastair Cook's methodical half-century was an appropriate response, but
his demise, lbw to a ball from R Ashwin that pitched well outside leg
stump was another rum decision. Umpires drawn from outside the elite
panel, plus the absence of DRS, equals a greater likelihood of error
wherever a game is played.
There was 76, too, from Pietersen, but it was a more fretful innings
delivered by a batsman anxious for the first shaft of sunlight. He was
struck on the elbow as Ishant cut one back and narrowly escaped an lbw
decision in the same over when he just got outside the line. He needed
13 balls to get off the mark; 33 to find the boundary, an authoritative
straight drive against R Ashwin.
He was illuminated only briefly, muscling Ishant over midwicket for six,
but he got an excellent yorker in response as Ishant ensured that for
once his bowling figures were not damaged by bowling at the most
pressing times.
Cook, for all his frustration at his dismissal, had provided a solid
layer, but England's cause was not helped when they lost Eoin Morgan and
Patel in quick succession.
Morgan has had a poor series in a country in which, with IPL in mind, he
was anxious to advance his reputation. He drove Ashwin weakly down the
ground and only reached Yuvraj at mid-on. Patel was promoted to No. 5,
presumably with the approaching batting Powerplay in mind, but he made a
single in 10 balls when he chipped a return catch to Ravindra Jadeja.
Patel stalked off; he has done more stalking off recently than is good
for him.
England rallied with 100 from the last 10 overs, energised by Joe Root's
maiden ODI half-century, 57 not out from 45 balls, after he had been
dropped off Ishant by Kohli at slip. Throughout the winter, in all three
forms of the game, Root has proved more adaptable than perhaps even he
had expected. His cricketing intelligence is one of his greatest assets.
He should also have fallen on 42, a slog sweep against Jadeja bringing a
comical drop by Raina at midwicket. Jadeja's left-arm slows have
disturbed England throughout the series. The dismissal of Buttler and
Bresnan in his final over left him with 3 for 39.
David Hopps is the UK editor of ESPNcricinfo
Feeds: David Hopps
© ESPN EMEA Ltd.
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