Rajkot: India`s woeful run of losses continued after a struggling
top-order failed to convert good starts even on a placid track as
England drew first blood with a thrilling nine-run victory in the first
cricket one dayer here on Friday.
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Chasing
a stiff target of 326, India lacked the batting firepower and were
restricted to a 316 for nine in a high-scoring contest to concede a 1-0
lead to visitors in the five-match series.
Opting to bat first,
England rode on a record 158-run opening stand between captain Alastair
Cook (75) and in-form Ian Bell (85) to post an imposing 325 for four on a
batting paradise at the newly built Saurashtra Cricket Association
Stadium.
The
Indians conceded as many as 38 runs in the final two overs with Ishant
Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar giving away 20 and 18 runs respectively.
The late flourish by England proved costly for the hosts.
India
began the run chase in right earnest with Ajinkya Rahane (47) and an
out-of form Gautam Gambhir (52) adding 96 runs for the opening stand but
both were guilty of frittering away a good start.
Yuvraj Singh
(61), Suresh Raina (50) and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (32) were other
notable scorers but again none of them could translate the start into a
match-winning effort.
Off-spinner James Tredwell was te pick of
the English bowlers as he scalped four for 44 while Jade Dernbach
chipped in with two wickets.
It was a creditable turnaround for
the visitors who came into match with back-to-back defeats in the
warm-up games against India A and Delhi respectively.
The two teams will now travel to Kochi for the second one-dayer to be held on January 15.
But
Raina's departure in the 42nd over followed by the successive
dismissals of skipper Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja in the 45th over
virtually sealed India's fate.
The rest of the batsmen were not
up to the task of scoring the remaining runs though Ravichandran Ashwin
(13) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (20 not out) brought the hosts closer to the
target with a partnership of 24 for the 8th wicket but the target proved
just beyond reach.
The victory is England's 14th in 41 ties between the two teams in this country.
Earlier,
opting to bat first, England were powered by a record century
partnership between captain Cook and Bell, who both scored impressive
half centuries after the visitors chose to bat first.
Cook and
Bell compiled 158 runs for the first wicket breaking a 30-year record
for England against the hosts in the process to lay a fine platform on a
placid track.
Left-handed Cook made 75 in 84 balls with 11 fours
and a six while his right handed partner was slightly more aggressive
in making 85 off 95 balls with nine fours and one six.
The duo
departed in quick succession just past the halfway stage of the innings
but the good work of the openers was continued by latter order batsmen
Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.
Pietersen (44 in 45 balls) and
Eoin Morgan (41 in 38 balls) put on a breezy third wicket stand of 76
runs in 9.5 overs before both fell in 12 balls to Ashok Dinda.
However,
Samit Patel smashed 44 not out in 16 balls, with six fours and a six,
and added 70 runs in the last six overs with Craig Kieswetter who
remained unbeaten on 24 off 20 balls with a four and two sixes.
The
last two overs cost India 38 runs and with it the match in the final
analysis. India commenced the stiff run-chase, having earlier made a
winning score of 325 for 5 against the West Indies in November, 2002 at
Ahmedabad - their highest at home - on a very sound note.
Openers
Gambhir and Rahane batting confidently against the pace bowlers to
rattle up quick runs before both perished to off spinner Tredwell in
successive overs.
Both batsmen played the flick, glance and slash
well to gather runs at a fast clip and Gambhir even struck fast bowler
Steven Finn for three successive fours in the latter's third over in
which the English bowler conceded 17 runs.
The 50 was raised in
the 7th over before there was a minor scare when Gambhir narrowly made
it home after sprinting for a second run to deep square leg.
But
the advent of double off-spin in the form of Tredwell and Joe Root
brought down the run-rate a bit and in their eagerness to up the tempo
both openers fell.
Rahane was the first to go when he failed to
reach the pitch of the ball after stepping out to Tredwell and lofted a
catch to long off to the 57th ball he faced.
Tredwell sent back
Gambhir soon after the left handed batsman had surged to his half
century and the Indian 100 had come through a catch at short mid wicket
when the batsman flicked the off-spinner.
From 96 for no loss,
things became tougher for the hosts at 102 for 2 in the 19th over and at
the end of the 20th India were 104 for 2, eight runs off their rivals'
score at the same stage. By the halfway stage, the difference was nine
in favour of England.
India fell further behind when Kohli
departed for 15, edging one to wicketkeeper Kieswetter off Tim Bresnan
leaving home team at a difficult 138 for 3. It was the Delhi batsman’s
4th failure in as many innings.
However, Yuvraj put India ahead
in the next five by launching an all-out attack on Dernbach and hitting
the medium pacer for three successive leg side fours in the 28th over
and another in the 30th to race to his 50 in 38 balls, containing a six -
a leg side heave off Bresnan - and eight fours.
At the end of the 30th over, India had moved ahead to 176 for 3 in comparison to England's 167 for 1.
Suresh Raina gave Yuvraj good support as the two left-handers kept India in the hunt by adding 60 runs in 9 overs.
But
India suffered a big setback when Tredwell induced the well-set Yuvraj
to paddle sweep and the top edge was caught at fine leg just inside the
30-yard circle by Dernbach. It was the off spin bowler's third wicket of
the innings.
Though the home team was ahead by 10 runs after the
35th over at the start of the mandatory bowling powerplay, they had
lost two extra wickets and at that stage needed 128 runs from the last
90 balls.
Raina, now the aggressor and senior partner, took 11
runs off Finn's 36th over and then slammed the wayward Dernbach for two
leg side fours in the 39th.
In the 40th over there was a
controversial appeal for a catch by Bresnan at third man off Raina after
the ball had been dropped by the diving fielder and taken off the turf.
Third
umpire Vineet Kulkarni ruled the decision in Raina's favour when the
batsman was on 40. India added 33 runs in the bowling powerplay which
left the hosts needing to get 95 runs in the last 10 overs. They could
manage only 85 though.
