India v England – A Humdinger of match ends in a Tie

ICC World Cup 2011:Group B Match: India Vs England, Feb 27 2011, Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore, India

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Match Report: ICC World Cup 2011:Group B Match: India Vs England, Feb 27 2011, Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore, India

The drama all started unfolding when the match between India-England was shifted from Kolkatta to Bangalore. Though Bangalore this time couldn’t snatch any important match but with this shift all of a sudden Bangalore and its crowd was on moon.

Sehwag’s previous match knock of 175 against Bangladesh added that extra excitement for this contest.It was just Few days back when the crowd which thronged to the stadium to get the tickets was beaten up during latti charge but the excitement among the crowd remained undiminished.

India batting first set up a huge target of 339 runs for England to win and take the lead in the points table but what happens when two brilliant teams battle out for the supremacy and none likes to lose the battle for the same. Yes, both deserved to win this match but in a game if everything goes well from first ball to the last ball then there are three possible ways of getting the result – A win, a loss and a tie. The destiny of this match was sealed for a tie between these two teams and made sure both the teams remained supreme even after the verdict.

England in reply, confidently began their chase with two of their top batsmen scoring at a brisk rate. The big man KP and the skipper Strauss took the challenge and went after the average Indian bowling attack and scored 68 runs for the first wicket before Pietersen was removed on 31.

The battle was all but one man show by Strauss who continued his Swan song with very little help from his team mates. It was Ian Bell who struck the cord with Strauss and continued their chase and put up a huge partnership of 170 runs for the third wicket which almost dented the Indian chances. Thanks to the Indian bowling which remained helpless throughout the England innings and it was only in the later part of the innings when Zaheer struck and removed few wickets quickly to bring his team back into the game. Strauss scored aggressive 158 runs in 145 balls with 18 boundaries and a six where as Ian Bell scored 69 of 71 balls with 4 boundaries and a six.

India by then almost lost the match untill 49.5 overs when England needed 2 runs in 1 balls with 2 wickets in hand. Munaf Patel managed to give only run and helped India to tie this brilliant contest. The pressure was all around during this phase but few will certainly remain disappointed the way Indian bowling failed to defend mammoth 338 runs and ended up drawing the match rather then winning it.

Early in the day, India was going into this match with a huge pressure all around when compared to England. But India made the right move after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Both Sachin and Sehwag started off the Indian innings on a flying note. Sehwag in his typical style started off his innings by giving a chance but scored 4 runs on the very first ball and later again got one more chance on the third ball of the first over but this time he was settled with 2 runs.

As the innings started to graduate, Sachin, from the other end looked rock solid though he was hitting from the middle of the bat but was failing to clear the gaps and took his own time to get his first boundary and later he converted one more on the very next ball.

Sehwag raced to 35 in flash in just 25 balls with 6 cracking boundaries but fell on the 26th delivery when he tried to play the ball which was bowled little away from the body and without much feet movement he played the shot and that safely landed in Keeper’s glouse. India lost its first wicket on a score of 46 runs in 8 overs.

As the innings progressed, Sachin took a special liking in Collingwood when he came to bowl. Sachin slammed 2 sixes off Collingwood bowling in different overs. First, when he was batting on 32 sent the ball of Collingwood straight over the rope to score his first six in this event and also the first in this match later he once again launched against the same bowlers and sent the ball over the mid wicket to bring up his first fifty in this tournament. The crowd came alive and by this time the promise was partly delivered. Sachin by now scored 50 in 66 balls with 3 boundaries and 2 sixes.

Sachin looked rock solid and became even more determined and continued his batting along with Gautam Gambhir who joined after the fall of Sehwag’s wicket. Gambhir on the other hand was aggressive whereas Sachin was building the innings from the other end.

Sachin in the 27th over greeted Swann for two beautiful and consecutive sixes one over the long on and the other one over mid wicket followed by single and quickly moved to 72 runs in 79 balls with 3 boundaries and 4 sixes. The duo put up a partnership of 134 runs for the second wicket before Gambhir was bowled by Swann on 51. Gambhir’s vital 51 runs in 61 balls included 6 boundaries. Yuvi joined Sachin and continued the innings and both attacked at their will.

In the meanwhile, Sachin brought up his 47th Odi hundred and overall 98th international hundred when he played the ball towards the fine leg boundary. Sachin became the only batsman to score five hundreds in the world cups and this was his only second hundred against England. The crowd came alive; the World cup 2011 came alive. Master kick started the World cup 2011 campaign in a superb fashion. Sachin brought up his 47th 100 in 103 balls with 8 majestic boundaries and 4 towering sixes which often breached over 80 meters in length.

Sachin’s violence finally came to end when he tried to work the ball on the leg side but sadly took the edge and flew to the cover region and Yardy did no mistake in taking this priceless catch of Anderson bowling. Sachin scored scintillating 120 in 115 balls which included 10 boundaries and 5 huge sixes. Before his wicket, Sachin put up a partnership of 56 runs with Yuvraj for the third wicket.

Yuvi and skipper MS Dhoni took the Indian innings to the final stage on a top gear and scored quickly with Dhoni taking the assault to the opposition and Yuvi continuing his crispy batting. The duo scored quick 69 runs in just 46 deliveries for the fourth wicket before Yuvi was dismissed. Yuvi got back his form and fired 58 runs in 50 balls with 9 boundaries. Dhoni too followed Yuvi in the very next ball of next over. The middle order and the tail end stretched the innings to 338 runs in 49.5 overs before they were finally bowled out. India set up a huge target of 339 runs for the England.

Though Indian batting is solidly put in right place but it’s the bowling factor which got exposed and became a cause of concern. England literally took away the match from India and it was Zaheer who rocked back late in their innings and helped India to get back into the game. Both India and England involved in a supreme battle and both deserved to win this match but in any game it’s the only team which wins. The Destiny of this match didn’t wanted to be partial for any team so it chalked out the verdict – It’s a Tie.

Squads:

India: V Sehwag, SR Tendulkar, G Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni( C & WK),YK Pathan, V Kohli, Harbhajan Singh, Z Khan, PP Chawla, MM Patel

England: AJ Strauss*, KP Pietersen, IJL Trott, IR Bell, PD Collingwood, MJ Prior†, MH Yardy, TT Bresnan, GP Swann, A Shahzad, JM Anderson

Toss India, who chose to bat
Player of the match AJ Strauss
Umpires BF Bowden and M Erasmus
TV umpire RJ Tucker
Match referee RS Mahanama
Reserve umpire Aleem Dar

Tags: bangladesh, featured, humdinger, india, sri lanka, worldcup 2011

Category: England, ICC ODI World Cup 2011, India