London, Sept 11: After the 2011 ICC World Cup encounter where India and England ended on the same score (338), the two sides produced a tied result yet again after rain forced the Lord’s ODI to be cut short with 1.1 overs left in the match. Chasing 281, England were on the Duckworth/Lewis par score of 270 for eight at the time the match was called off.
Earlier, Alastair Cook won the toss and had no hesitation in asking India to bat first. England replaced Jade Dernbach with Steven Finn in their playing eleven while India played an unchanged side from their previous game at The Oval.
The visitors put the nightmarish start of the Oval ODI behind them as Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane struck a 65-run partnership for the opening wicket. However, having given India a solid start, both batsmen were dismissed by Stuart Broad in successive overs. Rahane was trapped lbw for 38 in the 14th over while Patel (27) miscued a pull shot and offered an easy catch to Ravi Bopara at midwicket in the 16th.
Rahane’s wicket brought Rahul Dravid to the wicket. Playing his final ODI series, the batting legend played a couple of delightful cut shots off Ravi Bopara but struggled to consistently find the gaps. Virat Kohli suffered a similar predicament, the youngster running well between the wickets but finding it hard to punish the ball to the boundary. Graeme Swann, finally brought on by Cook in the 26th over of the innings, then struck twice in the space of four deliveries to send Kohli (16 off 36) and Dravid (19 off 33) back to the pavilion giving England the upper hand in the contest.
In the third ODI, MS Dhoni had walked out to bat with India in dire straits at 25 for four, which soon deteriorated to 58 for five. Dhoni had nevertheless revived the Indian innings with a spirited 112-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja that had taken the team to 234.
Although Dhoni walked out to join Suresh Raina with India in a far better situation in this game, the possibility of the side combusting for a score below 200, given the relative inexperience of the batsmen to follow, was very real. The threat led both Raina and Dhoni to produce some of the best cricket India have played on this tour.
The two ran hard between the wickets, converting single into twos, punishing the loose deliveries and then with India in need of big runs at the end, the two propelled the team to a score of 280. Raina scored 84 off 75 deliveries while Dhoni remained unbeaten on 78 from just 71 balls. Their prolific 169-run stand saw India plunder 109 runs in the last 10 overs off which 64 came in the last five alone.
RP Singh then helped India consolidate their position when he removed both openers Craig Kieswetter (12) and Alastair Cook (12) off the last and first ball of the fourth and sixth overs respectively. Jonathan Trott looked good in his short stay at the wicket (27-ball 23) but was forced to make his way back after he dragged a Praveen Kumar delivery onto his stumps. England were 61 for three in 12.1 overs at the loss of Trott’s wicket.
Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara steadied England’s innings at this stage and produced a 98-run stand that put them very much on the course of victory. Bopara seemed to continue from his good form in the Oval ODI (41-ball 40) while Bell was all class in his innings of 54 before he was caught by Manoj Tiwary off Ravindra Jadeja in the deep. Ben Stokes (7) fell to R Ashwin soon after to give India a real chance. But with Bopara playing a determined knock, complemented perfectly by cameos from Tim Bresnan (27 off 22) and Graeme Swann (31 off 23), the hosts were always in control of proceedings and even remained ahead of the Duckworth/Lewis score (240) by two runs when the game stopped due to a passing shower at the end of the 45th over.
But there was a final twist in the tale. With the hosts needing 15 off the last twelve deliveries, Munaf Patel ran Swann out and had Bopara (96) caught at deep midwicket to leave England at 270 for eight in 48.5 overs when rain intervened for the final time. With the D/L par score at 270 for eight, the two teams found themselves locked in a tie for the second time in five ODI matches.
The tied result also means that England have won the NatWest Series with the last ODI to be played at Cardiff on September 16.
Brief scores: India 280/5 in 50.0 overs (Suresh Raina 84, MS Dhoni 78*, Graeme Swann 2/49) tied with England 270/8 in 48.5 overs (Ravi Bopara 96, Ian Bell 54, RP Singh 3/59) under D/L method
Joint Men-of-the-Match: Suresh Raina for his gutsy 84 off 111 deliveries that helped propel India to a score of 280
Ravi Bopara whose 96 runs off 111 deliveries took England to the brink of victory
