Sep 03: Top order batsmen returned in style giving a chance to India in the seven-match series defeating England by 38-run under the Duckworth-Lewis method at Headingley, Leeds. India after batting first put a huge total of 324 for six in the rain curtailed match but England missed a chance to bundle up the Natwest Series with 4-1 lead.
England captain Paul Collingwood after winning toss invited India to bat and both the openers Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly though started slowly scoring only 4 runs in the first four over but later gained the momentum and put a 116 runs for the first wicket. This is the 19 th instance for both the batsmen with a century stand while opening for India.
Sachin (71, 13*4) and Ganguly (59, 2*6,7*4) put a firm base that made easy for other batsmen to follow. Tendulkar caught behind by Paul Collingwood and Sourav after hitting some characteristic strokes caught in the boundary line while in attempting his third maximum in an over of Montey Panesar.
However, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir batted superbly and maintain the scoring acceleration. Gambhir made a valuable 51(5*4) of 66 balls and it looks as if the former opener is also fit for the ever-changing third spot. Yuvraj also scored quickest 72 (2*6,10*4) runs in just 57 balls before caught by James Anderson of Collingwood.
India at the end of its innings was able to put 324 runs on the board leveling the highest score of Sri Lanka (324/2) in 2006 on the ground. Though, it was not an impossible task for England considering present form of its batsmen but Indian bowlers especially Power and Sourav Ganguly did well by taking two wickets each.
England while chasing suffered early setback when Ajit Agarkar sent Alastair Cook (4) to the Pavilion and soon after Ian Bell edged an out-swing delivery but Sourav Ganguly could not hold. From here the game was in even shape for both the teams as Mathew Prior and Bell puts a 90 run partnership. But here comes the golden arms of Ganguly who beat Prior in a swing delivery and wicket keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni did no mistake while stumping.
India ace pace bowler Zaheer Khan removed the dangerous Kevin Petersen for a duck and then Sourav struck again by caught behind Bell. Dhoni equals the world record of six dismissals in a match as a wicketkeeper by 5 catch and 1 stumping. Then it was skipper Collingwood who had to stand to end but wickets continued to fell at the other end. He remains not out of 91 of just 71 balls with the help of three boundaries and four sixes.
In the middle as rain stop the progress of the game England came back to the ground with a revised target of 311 in 45 overs but later for the third time umpire’s decided to call off the game and as per the D/L method Indian won it by 38 runs. Now the series is 3-2m, England taking the lead and the next match is at Lords.
Ganguly for his 59 runs and two valuable wickets in a seven-over spell declared man of the match.
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