India 271/8 in 50 overs (Rahane 42, Gambhir 38, Raina 38, Dhoni 71*; Samit Patel 3/57) beat England 176 all out in 37 overs (Kieswetter 63, Cook 60; Ashwin 3/28, Jadeja 4/33) by 95 runs.
Whitewashed: India humiliate England
“Welcome to India – its payback time,” was the chorus all over the Eden Gardens as India completed their incredible rout of England with yet another crushing victory as they sealed the series 5-0. Spinners dominating the English batsmen was the story of the series and the script was no different here under the lights in Kolkata as England miraculously collapsed from 129/0 to 176 all out with Jadeja and Ashwin spinning a web amongst the English batsmen.
Alastair Cook won the toss and unsurprisingly elected to field on a slow surface with dew expected to play a major part under the lights. While Manoj Tiwary replaced Parthiv Patel in the lineup, England gave Ian Bell his first chance in the series as he replaced the injured Pietersen. Rahane and Gambhir started off the innings in brisk fashion as they reached 80 in the 17th over without losing any wickets. But a triple strike left India in a spot of bother before Raina and Tiwary brought a sense of calm. Dhoni, coming into the middle at the fall of Tiwary, played intelligent cricket and rotated the strike without much risks before a late flurry of sixes and boundaries took India to 271; Dhoni himself remained unbeaten on 71 of 69 balls with four sixes and three boundaries as England were left a formidable target to salvage some pride in the series.
Kieswetter, playing for his spot in the squad, and Cook helped England get off to a flier as they negotiated the Indian bowlers without much discomfort. With 142 runs to win of 30 overs and all wickets intact, England was the firm favorites to seal the victory until Varun Aaron started the collapse after he shattered Cook’s stumps. After Kieswetter was trapped in front by Jadeja, the match was now wide open. Bell looked scratchy before he nicked Jadeja to Dhoni and when Trott and Bairstow followed him to the pavilion, England were staring at defeat once again. Bopara couldn’t do the rescue act this time as he was bowled round the legs by Raina and then it was a matter of time before the spinners ran through the tail.
India clinched the series 5-0, a remarkable turnaround after the thrashing they received in England, as they moved up two spots to sit on 3rd position in the ICC ODI Rankings. Jadeja was adjudged the man of the match for his impressive spell while Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who scored 212 runs in the series without being dismissed, was deservingly awarded the Man of the Series.
Tags: Cricket, Eden Gardens, England, India, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, ODI Series, Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli, Whitewashed
