India win series 1-0, wrest Pataudi Trophy

By IANS

London : India were held to a draw by England in the third and final Test here Monday, but the result was enough to give the visitors a 1-0 series win – the first in 21 years – and the Pataudi Trophy.


Support TwoCircles

India won the second Test in Nottingham to take a 1-0 lead, after Rahul Dravid’s side escaped with a draw with the help of rains in the first Test in London.

Set to make 500 in 110 overs to win, England finished at 369 for six wickets, with Matt Prior (12) and Ryan Sidebottom (3) remaining unbeaten.

But it was Kevin Pieterson’s strokeful century (101, 159 balls, 18x4s) and Ian Bell’s half-century (67, 62 balls, 12x4s) that saved the home side from defeat.

India had made 664 and declared their second innings at 180 for six while England scored 345 in the first innings but the visitors did not enforce the follow-on.

Leg-spinner Anil Kumble, who scored his maiden century in Tests and five wickets in the match, was adjudged the Man of the Match. It was the only century for India in the entire series.

It was the third time ever that India had won a series on the English soil. The first series win had come in 1971. In 1986, India won the series 2-0.

One of the stars of the 1986 series, Dilip Vengsarkar, who amassed 360 runs, is here in his capacity as chairman of selectors.

Another hero was diminutive pacer Chetan Sharma took 16 wickets to play a leading role in the win, left-arm spinner Maninder Singh and pacer Roger Binny bagged 12 each.

But left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan overtook Sharma, taking his wicket tally from series to 18 at 20.33 and won the Man of the Series. He also became the highest wicket taker in a three-match series on English soil.

Fast bowler James Anderson who captured 14 wickets was named the Man of the Series for England.

The team gave India another reason to celebrate the nation’s 60th independence anniversary that falls Wednesday.

This is the first series defeat for England since the 2001 Ashes series against Australia.

Earlier, England, starting from overnight 56 for no loss, lost their first wicket when left-arm pacer Rudra Pratap Singh had Strauss (32, 113 balls, 6x4s) caught by V.V.S. Laxman at second slip when he tried a forcing shot in the cover region.

With his dismissal, the Strauss-Alastair Cook 79-run partnership, of which 56 had come Sunday, came to an end.

The second wicket fell soon after. Left-hander Cook (43, 85 balls, 5x4s) tried to turn the ball away to the leg-side but failed to keep it down and Laxman grabbed the fast travelling ball at short leg slip for his second successive catch. England: 86/2.

England could have been 113 for three. But Dravid dropped a straightforward catch from captain Michael Vaughan off Kumble when at 18. Dravid, at the lone short slip, dived to his right but the ball popped out of his hand.

Thanks to his reprieve, England had a rather comfortable lunch at 126 for two in 50 overs. India bowled 30 overs in the first session.

Vaughan and Pieterson added 39 runs after Dravid’s lapse when Sreesanth ended the 66-run partnership by dismissing the former, almost 11 overs after lunch.

Vaughan (42, 95 balls, 5x4s) flashed way away from his body to a harmless-looking delivery and only managed to edge the ball to wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

England’s South African import Pieterson continued to grow in confidence playing authoritative strokes all round the wicket. He completed his 10th half-century off 108 balls (9x4s).

Minutes before tea, Pieterson was involved in a war of words with Anil Kumble.

As Kumble the bowler moved to his right to pick up the ball played by Paul Collingwood. Pieterson’s elbow seemed to have hit Kumble, by accident or by design, and umpire Ian Howell had to intervene to pacify the two.

With wickets not falling as quickly as the Indians would have liked to, they went into the pavilion for a welcome tea break even as clouds covered the ground.

Soon after tea, new ball was taken after 84.1 overs, with England at 266 for three (Pietersen 86 and Collingwood 40).

Sreesanth, who bowled a brilliant line and length from the start of the day, struck with the very first delivery as Collingwood (40, 81 balls, 5x4s) completely missed the line and the ball hit his back (right) pad.

Pieterson continued to hold one end up with some solid batsmanship. He reached his 10th century off 155 balls, containing 18 boundaries.

After acknowledging the applause from the crowd that also had his family members, Pieterson lost concentration and was out nicking a Sreesanth beauty to Dinesh Karthik at second slip. For the Indians, the match came alive again.

But Ian Bell and Matt Prior joined hands to deny India another wicket for a long, long time. Bell completed his 14th half-century at run a ball.

It took Kumble to break the 74-run sixth-wicket partnership when Bell completely missed a straight delivery trying to sweep and ball hit his front pad. Umpire Steve Bucknor as usual took a while before raising his finger.

The wicket again gave another glimmer of hope. But Prior and Sidebottom held on to earn a draw.

SCOREBOARD

Day 5, Third Test, India vs. England, Brit Kennington Oval, London

India (1st innings): 664
England (1st innings): 345
India (2nd innings): 180/6 decl

England (2nd innings, overnight 56/0):
Andrew Strauss c Laxman b Singh 32
Alastair Cook c Laxman b Kumble 43
Michael Vaughan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 42
Kevin Pietersen c Karthik b Sreesanth 101
Paul Collingwood lbw b Sreesanth 40
Ian Bell lbw b Kumble 67
Matt Prior not out 12
Ryan Sidebottom not out 3
Extras: (byes 2, leg byes 4, wides 9, no balls 14) 29
Total: (for six wickets in 110 overs) 369

Fall of wickets: 1-79 (Strauss, 31.4 overs), 2-86 (Cook, 34.1 overs), 3-152 (Vaughan, 60.4), 4-266 (Collingwood, 84.1), 5-289 (Pietersen, 88.6), 6-363 (Bell, 105.2)

Bowling:
Zaheer Khan 20 3 59 0 (3w)
Sreesanth 21 7 53 3 (1nb, 1w)
Anil Kumble 37 9 123 2 (5nb)
Rudra Pratap Singh 13 2 50 1 (1nb, 1w)
Sachin Tendulkar 19 0 78 0

Result: Draw
Series: India won 1-0
Man of the Match: Anil Kumble (India)
Man of the Series for India: Zaheer Khan
Man of the Series for England: James Anderson
Umpires: Steve Bucknor (Australia) and Ian Howell (South Africa)
TV umpire: Peter Hartley (England)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka)

SUPPORT TWOCIRCLES HELP SUPPORT INDEPENDENT AND NON-PROFIT MEDIA. DONATE HERE