INDORE, 16 April 2006 — Indore-born Indian captain Rahul Dravid gave the city of his birth a perfect gift to Indoreans by wrapping up the ODI seven match series between India and England 5-1 after the Gauhati tie was washed out. India won the match here by seven wickets at the newly built Maharani Usha Raje cricket stadium.
Two big partnerships by the Indian top order which came good this time in the series put paid the hopes of the visiting Englishmen hopes to further redeem their image after their lone triumph at Jamshedpur in the fifth ODI.
India’s chase — extending India’s record chasing streak to 16 and counting — was remarkable only in its inevitability.
So great is the self-belief now, so sure is the team about its component parts, that it could shed Sehwag, Dhoni, and Kaif in addition to the absent Tendulkar — and hunt down 289 without ever looking remotely troubled.
Earlier, medium-pacer Sreesanth with a six-wicket haul for 55 runs in his stipulated 10 overs, who was declared man of the match, restricted England to 288 all out and did not allow them to cross the 300 runs mark.
It was a dream debut for the Indian opener Robin Utthappa who in collaboration with his skipper Rahul Dravid put on 166 magnificent runs in 28.3 overs for the opening wicket to virtually take the match away from the visitors. The partnership was a record at Indore as the previous best 149 was between Desmond Haynes and Greenidge of West Indies in 1983 against India here.
It was ironical that both Robin and Rahul departed at the team’s total of 166. Robin was first to go when he ran the second run casually and a long throw from long on by James Anderson to wicketkeeper Gertain Jones who scattered the bails. Robin had virtually made the ground but the throw caught him unawares before he could ground his bat. He made sparkling 86 in 96 deliveries studded with a dozen hits to the fence and one over it.
Soon after in the next over at the same total of 166 Dravid departed when Sajid Mahmood trapped him leg before wicket.
However, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina took over the role of their predecessors and slowly and steadily consolidated the gains achieved by them on a perfect batting track. They combined to put on 115 runs partnership for the third wicket off 118 balls. However, Raina who was well set went for a big heave and was bowled neck and crop by Kabir Ali in the 49th over when he had made 53 at the team’s total of 281. At this stage India needed eight more runs for victory in nine deliveries. Irfan Pathan joined Yuvraj who finally wrapped the match with a winning boundary in the mid-on region to give India seven wicket triumph. Yuvraj remained unbeaten on 63 in 57 balls with six hits to the ropes.
Sreesanth, who was declared man of the match, received a TVS motorcycle, Rs.50,000 cash and a trophy. While Yuvraj was adjudged man of the series for his three fifties.
Meanwhile, earlier put in to bat England stand-in captain Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell started the innings on a cautious note with both batsmen giving respect to the Indian medium pacers Irfan Pathan and Sreesanth.
The duo took the score to 43 when England lost their first wicket. Then Strauss was caught behind by wicketkeeper Dinesh Kartik off the bowling of Sreesanth at the total of 43 in the 10th over. After Karthik took a low down catch diving to his left a very confident appeal by the Indian players forced the field umpires to consult amongst themselves and then they took the help of third umpire who ruled Strauss out. He made 25 laced with five boundaries in 34 deliveries. Soon after with the addition of only four runs to the total Sreesanth struck again. The new batsman Mathew Prior seemed to be in a hurry and before settling down well went for his shots and paid the penalty. He was caught when he hooked Sreesanth to fine leg boundary where Pathan plucked a well-judged catch. Prior could contribute only two runs to his side. Thereafter, Kevin Pieterson joined Bell and they put down their heads together to consolidate the English innings as they were already two down for 47 on a batting track. Pieterson after settling down went on a rampage with Bell playing second fiddle to him. He treated medium-pacer VRV Singh with scant respect and in one over of his the batsman collected 24 runs which was marked with a six, four boundaries, two singles. The bowler further dented his analysis when he bowled two no-balls also to concede total 26 runs in the over.
The third wicket fell when Pietersen darted down the wicket from the non-striker end when Bell had stroked the ball to short fine leg only and the batsman had no intention to take a single run. Yuvraj Singh manning the region fielded the ball cleanly and finding both batsman stranded at batting end relayed the ball to bowler Ramesh Powar at the bowling end. Bell, however, made a belated charge to gain the ground but Powar did the needful. Bell with Pieterson realized 63 runs for the third wicket. Bell made 32 with the help of four hits to the fence.
Collingwood joined Pieterson and the two took the score to 165 when Pietersen holed out to Suresh Raina in the mid-wicket region after making quickfire 64 in 57 deliveries, which included 11 boundaries and one six that landed in the media box. The fourth wicket partnership between them was worth 55 and at that stage England were 165 for four.
Then came the highest partnership of the England innings between Collingwood and wicketkeeper-batsman Gertain Jones. The duo put on 92 runs for the fifth wicket and both departed one after the other within a space of 10 runs. Jones was first to go with being caught behind by Karthik off the bowling of Sreesanth. He contributed 53 with the help of seven boundaries and one six. Collingwood went next when he had compiled 64 off 83 balls with two boundaries and two sixes to his credit.
While Sreesanth was the pick of Indian bowlers with his six wicket haul for 55 which is the best so far in Indore ODIs played so far. Irfan Pathan took a brace for 44 runs while Yuvraj claimed one wicket for 30 runs. However, VRV Singh was at the receiving end when he conceded 36 runs in his first spell of two overs.
