Merely a fortnight before the start of World Cup, defending champion India looks all jittery facing England in a virtual knock out match in the Carlton Tri-Series tournament. England has been a perennial under-achiever in the limited over format and India has dominated ODI cricket in the last few years. Yet the odds are stacked against MS Dhoni's team, battling injury woes and lack of potent bowling option.
James Taylor is the Man of the Match: He says " I am delighted with our win and to make the finals, but want to give credit to Buttler as well. I was struggling when the wickets fell but was trying to concentrate and Buttler also played an outstanding innings. I've been waiting to get opportunities and trying to get my side over the line and am glad that I managed to do that today. I knew if I stuck around till the end then we would get there. It was decent wicket and the bounce was interesting."
Dhoni: "When we started batting I thought we did decent with the new ball and a few more runs in the initial stages would have helped. We needed to bowl well and score about 40-50 runs more. There was poor selection of shots. The wicket did not play a factor but the English bowlers extract more from these conditions. We need to look at our attack keeping in mind the balance of the side. Having two spinners works for us because Ashwin and Jadeja, and Ashwin and Axar can bat a bit while three seamers and a spinner weakens our batting. Playing an extra seamer weakens the batting and even leads to a slow over rate. We will be ready for the Pakistan match and the next few days will help us to freshen up. Test series trains you a lot and we need to get our confidence back in the ODIs.
Eoin Morgan: We made it difficult for ourselves and both sides battled with the conditions. The guys showed that they are ruthless especially Buttler and Taylor. Buttler is excellent and there's more to come. Our bowling has done well, building blocks on our way to the World Cup.
16:54 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
James Taylor awarded Man of the Match for his knock of 82 off 163 balls
After being troubled early (losing quick wickets) they won by three wickets and have made it to the final of the series against hosts Australia. Their openers got out cheaply made low scores, middle order too did not add much but James Taylor fought it out scoring a gritty 82, enjoying the support of Jos Buttler. The duo steered England to a comfortable position by then. The fight India put up wasn't enough on this pitch and with this attack.
India have ended the tour without a win and will now prepare themselves for the World Cup. A lot of questions to answer - opening combination, middle-order worries, new-ball attack, endless list.
16:35 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
England win by three wickets with 19 balls remaining and have toppled India out of the tournament. England will play Australia in the finals on Sunday.
16:28 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
OUT! England lose the dangerman Buttler, but they need just 8 runs to win. Mohammed Shami to Buttler, OUT, bit full outside off and he lofts it with a drive straight to Rayudu at deep cover!
JC Buttler c Rayudu b Mohammed Shami 67 off 78b
16:23 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
43.2 overs- 191/6. OUT! A wicket goes down a bit late in the day. Good catch in the deep by Binny. Sharma to Taylor, OUT, top edge is taken at deep fine leg, Binny takes the catch.
James Taylor c Binny b Sharma 82 off 122b
43 overs- 191/5. Indian bowling attack looking toothless as nothing seems to be working. England get a lifeline as the TV umpire gives that a NOT OUT!
15:57 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
38 overs- 148/5 England need 53 runs to win from 72 balls.
Buttler- 42 off 56, Taylor- 63 off 104
50 for James Taylor. 50 off 86 balls. 4th ODI fifty
15:30 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
32 overs- 128/5. At the crease: Taylor- 48 off 83, Buttler- 37 off 41
15:21 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
26 overs- 97/5. Jadeja to continue his fourth over
14:57 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
23 overs- 82/5. England need 119 runs from 162 balls with five wickets left.
Taylor- 31 off 60, Buttler- 9 off 10
22.1 overs- 77/5. At this stage India were 86/1
21 overs- 70/5- OUT! Binny running riot through the England batting camp. Gets Bopara this time! Bopara hands catching practice to Jadeja who didn't have to move an inch at point.
RS Bopara c Jadeja b Binny 4 off 6b
14:40 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
18 overs- 54/4. OUT! Binny strikes again! Gets his second wicket of the match. This time its Eoin Morgan. Angled the ball outside off, Morgan drove uppishly and the toe end of the bat gave an easy catch to Dhawan at mid on
EJG Morgan c Dhawan b Binny 2 off 13b
14:22 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
15 overs- 45/3. Indian bowlers do well to keep England guessing and are not giving away runs.
14:21 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
14 overs- 44/3. OUT! India is on a roll! Joe Root is gone. Binny has struck with a return catch! He pitched that one outside off which Root drove back firmly, and Binny grabbed it with both hands.
JE Root c & b Binny 3 off 2b
14:14 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
Joe Root is the new batsman
12.1 overs- 40/2. OUT! Patel to Ali, OUT, Rayudu takes a good sliding catch diving forward from long off! Moeen came down the track and lofted it down the ground. Plays a loose shot.
MM Ali c Rayudu b Patel 17 off 34b
14:08 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
9 overs- 32/1. England require another 169 runs with 9 wickets and 41 overs remaining
James Taylor- 5 off 17, Moeen Ali- 13 off 24
13:42 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
6 overs- 19/1. Mohit Sharma bowling a disciplined line and length.
13:40 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
3.5 overs- OUT! India strike early through Mohit Sharma to dismiss Ian Bell. Bell is trapped lbw! Mohit bowled a low cross-seamed delivery from outside off.
IR Bell lbw b Sharma 10 off 13b
2 overs- 6/0. Mohit Sharma bowls a good length.
13:15 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
Start of second innings: Ian Bell and Moeen Ali have walked out. Stuart Binny has been handed the new ball and two slips are in place
13:13 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
The English bowlers pacers were accurate right from the first over and Moeen Ali weaved two quick wickets for 35 runs which hurt India. Anderson kept things tight, and Finn took three to make sure India's batting line-up, even with Kohli at No. 3, didn't settle down once the opening stand was broken.
12:37 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
England need 201 runs to win in 50 overs at 4.02 runs per over
OUT! Woakes to Mohammed Shami, OUT, slower ball does it and Shami edges it to the keeper! It was a legcutter at 106kph, Shami slogged on the leg side and thick edge was caught by Buttler over his head. India all out for 200
Mohammed Shami c Buttler b Woakes 25 off 18b
48 overs- 199/9. Shami and Sharma keeping India afloat
12:28 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
47 overs- 190/9. Shami getting those valuable runs for India slamming a boundary and a SIX.
12:17 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
44.2 overs 165/9. OUT! Hitting on the rise. bounce has taken him. He tries to smash one in the covers. Axar Patel dismissed on one. another great catch by Bell at slip, another wicket for Finn! Drivable length outside off, Axar went hard at it and found a thick outside edge, this time Bell had time to dive to his left and catch it with both hands. India are lost and have no idea how to respond to this attack.
AR Patel c Bell b Finn 1 off 5b
12:14 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
OUT! Wickets are falling quickly and he gives his away too! Charges down for the short delivery on the leg side, mistimes the pull and gifts a simple catch with a top edge to Finn at mid on.
RA Jadeja c Finn b Broad 5 off 9b
12:09 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
43 overs- 164/7. Axar Patel comes in.
OUT! Jamie Anderson has struck and ended Dhoni's time at the crease. On the backfoot it hits Dhoni under the knee roll. He expected that one to bounce, but was caught in front of off and middle.
MS Dhoni lbw b Anderson 17 off 32b
11:54 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
39.2 overs- 152/6. Ravindra Jadeja comes in.
39.2 overs. WICKET! Ian Bell takes a screamer catch to dismiss Stuart Binny. A splendid one-handed catch from Bell at slip! Binny drove at this well outside off, off the front foot, drew the outside edge and it was going to third man but Bell dived full length to his right and got that one.
11:49 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
39 overs- 152/5. An expensive over! Two boundaries by captain Dhoni.
11:36 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
36 overs- 136/5. Stuart Binny is the new batsman in.
WICKET! Finn to Rahane, OUT, beautiful delivery, Finn gets the well-set batsman! The ball was coming in towards the batsman from outside off, it was too close to him as he tried to run it down the third man and the outside edge was taken by Buttler to his right
AM Rahane c Buttler b Finn 73 off 101b
11:31 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
35 overs- 134/4. Batting powerplay in progress (overs- 36-40)
Dhoni has walked in to bat.
WICKET! And this time Stuart Broad strikes to dismiss Rayudu c Buttler. Scores 12 off 17b. Stuart Broad bowls a tempting delivery outside the off-stump, too close to the body.
11:23 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
33 overs- 133/3. At the crease- Rahane- 71 off 96, Rayudu- 12 off 16
11:12 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
30 overs- 111/3. Broad is back and Rayudu is the next man to come in.
29.2 overs- WICKET! Moeen Ali strikes to dismiss Raina! Moeen Ali creates panic in Indian batting camp. Moeen strikes again, Raina has given it away! He came down the track for the length delivery outside off, went and edged it to backward point for an easy catch. SK Raina c Woakes b Ali 1 off 5b
FACT- Moeen Ali has got Raina OUT thrice (including twice in this series).
10:58 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
28 overs- 105/2. At the crease- Rahane- 55 off 81, Raina- 1 off 4
Raina comes in next.
27.1 overs- 103/2. WICKET! Virat Kohli finds Joe Root at deep mid off. Moeen Ali to Kohli, OUT, Moeen has struck, Kohli slams one at long off! He came down the track, lofted it straight down the ground and Root ran to his right to take a good running catch near the rope. V Kohli c Root b Ali 8 off 19b
100 comes up for India in the 26th over. In the last five overs only 12 runs have been scored.
25 overs- 95/1
Half-century for Rahane- 50 off 71 balls
22 overs- 86/1. Virat Kohli comes in next.
WICKET! Woakes gets a wkt off the first ball, claims Dhawan who had very little foot movement. Dhawan c Buttler b Woakes 38 off 65b. The footwork not quite there. Dhawan tried to cut that away from his body, there was thick edge. Edges it to Buttler who takes a low catch to his left.
10:23 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
19 overs- 75/0
Moeen Ali has been brought into the attack and has a leg slip in place because of the bounce on the pitch.
10:02 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
15 overs- 61/0. India tightening the screws on England. Dhawan slams a boundary and that was right in the middle of the bat. He is starting to look confident at the crease with good timing.
Rahane- 29 off 40, Dhawan- 31 off 50
Whoever wins this match goes into the finals on Sunday against Australia at Perth.
9:44 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
11 overs- 36/0. Dhawan- 14 off 34, Rahane- 21 off 32
10 overs- 34/1. This is the first time in the series India have not lost a wkt within 10 overs. End of 1st powerplay.
Stuart Broad come in to the bowling attack
9:33 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
9 overs- 29/0
Dhawan- 13 off 29, Rahane- 15 off 25
There is not enough pace on this pitch and a tennis ball bounce.
Rahane taking risks as he tries to unsuccessfully play a few big shots against Anderson.
Ajinkya Rahane is not a flat track bully. He has got runs in overseas conditions too.
9:15 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
4 overs- 9/0. Good running from India. Rahane provides support to Dhawan as they take quick singles.
9:07 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
Dhawan survives a run out chance as he is desperate to get off the mark. Was way out of the crease.
2 overs- 3/0
9:06 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
1 overs- 1/0
9:00 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan have walked out and James Anderson has been given the new ball
India need to bat full 50 overs and only then can they make it difficult for England after posting a 'decent' score.
8:37 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
Eoin Morgan: The pitch looks a bit soft. We took a lot of confidence from our win against India in the league game. Potentially this might be our best side going forward but we will have to adapt and make changes as and when. Couple of days training helped in keeping us sharp.
Dhoni: We would have bowled first too and it looks a bit soft, dry wicket will be good. No signs of fatigue as such but it is demanding after a four-Test series. Rohit is not fit and we don't want to risk him. Ishant is not fit so Mohit comes in his place.
The Indian squad has one change. Mohit Sharma in for an unfit Ishant Sharma.
No changes in the England squad.
8:32 IST Friday, 30 January 2015
Toss: England win the toss and choose to bowl first
India squad- MS Dhoni (C) , R Ashwin, STR Binny, S Dhawan, RA Jadeja, V Kohli, DS Kulkarni, B Kumar, Mohammed Shami, AR Patel, AM Rahane, SK Raina, AT Rayudu, I Sharma, MM Sharma, RG Sharma, UT Yadav
England squad- IR Bell, MM Ali, JWA Taylor, JE Root, EJG Morgan*, RS Bopara, JC Buttler†, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, ST Finn
Merely a fortnight before the start of World Cup, defending champion India looks all jittery facing England in a virtual knock out match in the Carlton Tri-Series tournament. England has been a perennial under-achiever in the limited over format and India has dominated ODI cricket in the last few years. Yet the odds are stacked against MS Dhoni's team, battling injury woes and lack of potent bowling option.
The WACA pitch is expected to be favourable to the pacers. It will be a good chance for Indian speedstars spearheaded by Ishant Sharma to make a mark. Bhuvaneshwar Kumar can come handy if the pitch is conducive to swing bowling. India will be banking a lot on Stuart Binny to perform the crucial 5th bowler role. The batting looks comparatively sorted but Shikhar Dhawan's lack of form is a cause of concern. More than lack of runs, his mode of dismissal suggests that Dhawan is finding it tough to cope with the pace and bounce of Aussie tracks. Virat Kohli after a stellar test series has had a relatively quite ODI tournament and India will be hoping that he comes to the party soon. The batting needs to pull in their weight to give cushion to the bowling attack, which has not inspired much confidence.
England for a change has a settled 11. Under new captain Eoin Morgan the team has shaped up well and may give some contenders run for their money in the World Cup. They will like to win against India to garner much needed confidence and self belief which has often lacked the Lions. As for India, a defeat will further amplify the murmur of team's lack of ability to defend the coveted title.
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