BIRMINGHAM: Ajinkya Rahane’s maiden One-day International hundred set the seal on a crushing nine-wicket series-clinching win over England in the fourth match at Edgbaston on Tuesday.

Victory saw world champions India take an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar took two early wickets, a double blow from which England never recovered, as they were dismissed for a meagre 206 featuring 67 — their first fifty of the series — from recalled all-rounder Moeen Ali.

Rahane (106) and Shikhar Dhawan (97 not out) then pulverised England’s attack in an opening stand of 183.

India gave their raucous fans, who accounted for some two-thirds of a 21,000 crowd, plenty to cheer with a blizzard of boundaries at the start of their run-chase.

Rahane hit four fours in five balls off James Anderson — the best an off-drive.

Left-hander Dhawan then struck a superb straight drive off fast bowler Steven Finn. The paceman suffered more punishment when Rahane pulled him for six.

Even off-spinner Moeen wasn’t spared, Rahane slog-sweeping him for his second six to complete a 60-ball fifty also including six fours.

Dhawan too went to fifty, off 57 balls, with a six when he drove Anderson straight back over the bowler’s head.

Dhawan followed up with a huge leg-side six, from a free hit, off recalled left-arm paceman Harry Gurney.

Rahane’s two off Chris Woakes saw him complete a first century in 33 matches at this level in 96 balls, with nine fours and four sixes.

But just when it seemed India would inflict England’s first home ODI defeat by 10 wickets, Rahane drove a Gurney full toss straight to England captain Alastair Cook at cover.

However, Dhawan sealed an emphatic win with more than 19 overs to spare when he smashed Gurney for six.

This defeat meant England had now lost five of their last six ODI series.

It was the first innings that proved decisive, with Kumar reducing England to 16-2 with two wickets in the fifth over on his way to a return of two for 14 in eight overs.

Fellow paceman Mohammed Shami followed up with three for 28 in 7.3 after India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss.

By the time Moeen came in the damage had been done.

Only Joe Root (44) and Eoin Morgan (32), who put on 80 for the fourth wicket, also made significant contributions to England’s paltry total.

Whereas spin had proved the main cause of England’s undoing in 133-run and six-wicket defeats in Cardiff and Trent Bridge respectively, on Tuesday they were 23-3 before a slow bowler came on.

Kumar struck twice in four balls to remove both Alex Hales and Cook after India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss.

Hales (six) was bowled by the first ball he received from Kumar when completely defeated by an inswinger.

A DEJECTED England captain Alastair Cook leaves the field after his team lost the ODI series against India on Tuesday.—AFP

Three balls later Cook (nine) cut Kumar low to Suresh Raina in the gully, making it 38 innings since his last ODI hundred.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja who ended a promising partnership when Morgan turned him to Raina at leg-slip.

Root carelessly top-edged a reverse-sweep off spinner Raina to debutant Dhawal Kulkarni, positioned for the shot, at short third man.

Moeen pulled Ashwin for England’s first six, in the 37th over.

Left-hander Moeen then used his feet well against spin to advance down the pitch and drive off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin for an elegant straight six. He completed a 37-ball fifty in style when he thrashed Raina over midwicket for six.
But his 50-ball knock ended when he was bowled by Ashwin.

This series, which marks the start of both teams’ lead-in to next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, concludes at Headingley on Friday.

Scoreboard ENGLAND:

A.N. Cook c Raina b Kumar 9 A.D. Hales b Kumar 6 G.S. Ballance c Rahane b Shami 7 J.E. Root c Kulkarni b Raina 44 E.J.G. Morgan c Raina b Jadeja 32 J.C. Buttler lbw b Shami 11 Moeen Ali b Ashwin 67 C.R. Woakes run out 10 S.T. Finn b Jadeja 2 J.M. Anderson not out 1 H.F. Gurney b Shami 3

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-9) 14

TOTAL (all out, 49.3 overs) 206

FALL OF WKTS: 1-15, 2-16, 3-23, 4-103, 5-114, 6-164, 7-194, 8-201, 9-202.

BOWLING: Kumar 8-3-14-2 (1w); Kulkarni 7-0-35-0 (1w); Mohammed Shami 7.3-1-28-3 (1w); Ashwin 10-0-48-1 (3w); Jadeja 10-0-40-2 (1w); Raina 7-0-36-1 (2w).

INDIA:

A.M. Rahane c Cook b Gurney 106 S. Dhawan not out 97 V. Kohli not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-5, W-2, NB-1) 8

TOTAL (for one wkt, 30.3 overs) 212

FALL OF WKT: 1-183.

DID NOT BAT: A.T. Rayudu, S.K. Raina, M.S. Dhoni, R.A. Jadeja, R. Ashwin, D.S. Kulkarni, B. Kumar, Mohammed Shami.

BOWLING: Anderson 6-1-38-0; Gurney 6.3-0-51-1 (1nb, 1w); Finn 7-0-38-0 (1w); Woakes 4-0-40-0; Moeen Ali 7-0-40-0. RESULT: India won by nine wickets.

UMPIRES: R.T. Robinson (England) and P.R. Reiffel (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: I.J. Gould (England).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Ajinkya Rahane.

FIRST MATCH: Bristol, no result.

SECOND MATCH: Cardiff, India won by 133 runs (D/L method).

THIRD MATCH: Trent Bridge, India won by six wickets.

FIFTH MATCH: Headingley on Friday.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2014