Dhoni Says 4th ODI Tie Result

I will not crib about the tie, says Dhoni

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni took the result of the fourth One-day International against England, which ended in a tie here today, in his stride.

Rain forced the match between the two sides to end in a dramatic tie under the Duckworth-Lewis method, allowing the hosts to clinch the five—match ODI series by taking an unassailable 2-0 lead, but Dhoni did not seem too upset.

“I will not crib about the tie. Today when the ball got wet, we had enough resources. We know (Suresh) Raina has fair amount of firepower and if he gets going, can destroy any attack in the world. We have not won anything. It has been a long tour, we have one more game, we will give it our best,” Dhoni said after the match.

As for Ravindra Jadeja, Dhoni said, “Jadeja is doing his job brilliantly. In conditions like these, it is hard for the part-timers.”

Jadeja conceded 60 runs for a wicket from nine overs and also made a wild overthrow in the 40th over of the innings, which helped England in scoring 15 scoring runs.

England captain Alastair Cook though the tie was a “fair” result.

“It was touch and go towards the end, we ended up batting for D/L, being more defensive knocking off the singles, not sure when the rain was coming. Tie was a fair result. Great to see (Ravi) Bopara delivering on the big stage to get us a tie,” Cook said.

Bopara scored 96 to bring England within sniffing distance of a victory, and Cook was, understandably, appreciative of his batsman’s effort.

“We tried everything earlier but that partnership (between Dhoni and Raina) was fantastic. If we had kept them to 250, we could have got there comfortably. Possibly we missed Dernbach. We will know on (Stuart) Broad in 48 hours,” Cook said.

Raina, who struck a blazing 84 off 75 balls, said, the plan was to hit the balls in his zone.

“I was batting well but not getting big scores. My game plan is simple, when I get the ball in my areas, I play my game. Disappointing for Ravi to not have got the 100,” Raina said.

More than missing out on a well-deserved century, Bopara was disappointed with the way his side had to clinch the series.

“Not an ideal way to clinch the series, with the rain around, we did not know when to accelerate. Should I knock it for ones and twos, or go for the big shots, once (Graeme) Swann got out I thought we should really go for it towards the close. (The) last couple of games have been nice for me, (but still a) long way to go ahead,” Bopara said.

Bad ! India as rain forces a tie

England wraps up series as rain forces a tie

AP Suresh Raina struck a breezy 84 to power India to 280 against England in the fourth ODI at Lord’s.

 

 

A nerve-wracking match ended as a tie and India's search for that elusive victory over England continues unabated.

A packed Lord's witnessed a heart-breaking moment for India after its 280 for five stretched England in the fourth game of the NatWest Series before a largely sunny day turned damp and three rain-interruptions tweaked in a stalemate.

England scored 270 for eight in 48.5 overs and that was exactly the par score the Duckworth-Lewis method stipulated.

If England had managed another run or Ravi Bopara had blocked one ball, the match would have been in Alastair Cook's pocket.

High on drama

However, in a contest high on drama, it was fitting that Bopara (96, 111b, 6x4) who played a lone hand in reviving the host, picked a leaping Ravindra Jadeja in the deep while Munaf Patel flung his hands skywards.

The rain immediately arrived again and snuffed out the match when India would have fancied its chances as England needed 11 from the remaining seven balls.

India's latest match at Lord's may not have had the extraordinary depth of June, 1983, when Kapil Dev lifted the World Cup or the rebellious streak of a shirtless Sourav Ganguly in 2002, and yet it will haunt the ‘Men in Blue' for a while. England has now clinched the series after winning the earlier two games and the last game at Cardiff on Friday offers India a last chance to sign off with a victory.

Ebullient partnership

The visitor scored 280 for six in 50 overs and it was a total that was made possible by M.S. Dhoni and Suresh Raina's ebullient partnership. England needed a start but, with Alastair Cook, Craig Kieswetter and Jonathan Trott's early departures to the joy of R.P. Singh and Praveen Kumar, the chase proved tough though Bopara stayed firm.

Bopara and Ian Bell (54) stemmed the rising tide of Indian optimism with a 98-run fourth-wicket partnership. Bell stayed correct and Bopara cheekily opened the bat's face to guide a few behind square and England stayed in the hunt.

Inexplicably Bell charged at Jadeja and Manoj Tiwary, substituting for an injured Parthiv Patel, plucked the catch.

Ben Stokes then patted one back to R. Ashwin and, at 184 for five, England needed its tail to wag.

And wag it did through Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann before the rain forced the teams to play a cat-and-mouse game with the Duckworth-Lewis equation.

In the end, the rivals nursed a result identical to that World Cup game at Bangalore when the score froze at 338.

Openers on song

Earlier, openers on song offered Dhoni an easy morning to savour his tea though Alastair Cook's luck with the toss continued.

Parthiv and Ajinkya Rahane gradually blossomed in their 65-run partnership as initial respect for James Anderson and Steven Finn transformed to disdain.

Patel and Rahane's dismissals in a span of 12 deliveries pegged India back and, against the run of play, Graeme Swann scalped Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid in his first over.

At 110 for four, and with only Ravindra Jadeja to fall back on after them, Raina and Dhoni opted to consolidate while Swann bowled tight.

Raina (84, 75b, 7x4, 2x6) had to contend with three men on the fence for his whiplash pulls and there were three men close on the off-side to cut his dabs.

India's first 100 had come in 131 deliveries but its next 50 came in 92 balls.

The innings gained impetus when Raina thumped Finn twice, either side of the wicket and Dhoni (78 n.o., 71b, 6x4, 3x6) hoisted Swann's tossed up enticer into the stands.

The 169-run fifth-wicket partnership spread over 147 balls acquired an ominous air and promptly India's next fifty came in 37 deliveries and the innings' last ten overs yielded 109 runs.

But a triumph continued to elude the desperate squad.

Scoreboad

India: Parthiv c Bopara b Broad 27 (32b, 3x4, 1x6), A. Rahane lbw b Broad 38 (53b, 5x4, 1x6), R. Dravid c&b Swann 19 (33b, 3x4), V. Kohli c Kieswetter b Swann 16 (36b, 1x4), S. Raina c Stokes b Finn 84 (75b, 7x4, 2x6), M.S. Dhoni (not out) 78 (71b, 6x4, 3x6), R. Jadeja (not out) 0 (0b), Extras (lb-5, w-13) 18; Total (for five wkts. in 50 overs) 280.

Power Plays: One (Overs 1-10): 38/0; Bowling (11-15): 32/1; Batting (43-47): 58/0.

Fall of wickets: 1-65 (Rahane), 2-70 (Parthiv), 3-109 (Kohli), 4-110 (Dravid), 5-279 (Raina).

England bowling: Anderson 10-2-57-0, Finn 9.4-0-54-1, Bresnan 10-1-51-0, Broad 9.2-0-52-2, Bopara 2-0-12-0, Swann 9-1-49-2.

England: A. Cook c Kohli b R.P. Singh 12 (18b, 2x4), C. Kieswetter c Jadeja b R.P. Singh 12 (9b, 1x4), J. Trott b Praveen 23 (27b, 4x4), I. Bell c sub b Jadeja 54 (73b, 3x4), R. Bopara c Jadeja b Munaf 96 (111b, 6x4), B. Stokes c&b Ashwin 7 (11b, 1x4), T. Bresnan b R.P. Singh 27 (22b, 2x4), G. Swann run out 31 (23b, 3x4), S. Finn (not out) 0 (0b), J. Anderson (not out) 0 (0b), Extras (lb-5, w-2, nb-1) 8; Total (for eight wkts. in 48.5 overs) 270.

Power Plays: One (Overs 1–10): 50/2; Bowling (11-15): 20/1; Batting (45– 48.5): 37/2.

Fall of wickets: 1-21 (Kieswetter), 2-27 (Cook), 3-61 (Trott), 4-159 (Bell), 5-173 (Stokes), 6-220 (Bresnan), 7-270 (Swann), 8-270 (Bopara).

India bowling: Praveen 9-0-35-1, R.P. Singh 9-0-59-3, Munaf 9.5-0-54-1, Ashwin 10-0-44-1, Jadeja 9-0-60-1, Raina 2-0-13-0.

Players of the Match: Ravi Bopara & Suresh Raina