India were knocked out of the tri-series cricket tournament
on Friday after yet another spineless display as England recovered from a
top-order collapse to record a three-wicket victory in Perth and secure a place
in the final.
In a do-or-die game, India's batsmen let the team down badly
as they frittered away a good start to be bundled out for 200 in 48.1 overs,
losing as many as nine wickets for 97 runs from a relatively comfortable 103
for one.
England were tottering at 66 for five at one stage but
staged a gritty fightback through James Taylor (82) and Jos Buttler (67) as
their stand steered the team home with 19 balls to spare at the Waca ground.
England will now take on Australia in the final on Sunday.
It was yet another disappointing show by the Indians, who
have now failed to win a single international match during their ongoing tour
of Australia.
The tournament, which served as a dress rehearsal for the
upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup, has shown that there are lot of chinks in
defending champions' armoury as they lost three out of the four matches while
one was abandoned.
While it a mixture of variable bounce and poor application
which resulted in India's batting downfall, it was Ajinkya Rahane, who some
what proved to be a saving grace with a patient knock of 73 as his teammates
did not show the stomach for a fight.
On the other hand, it was diminutive Taylor, along with the
flashy wicketkeeper batsman Buttler, who showed a lot of resolve despite losing
the top five as their 125-run partnership guided Eoin Morgan's team home.
Taylor hit only four boundaries in his 122-ball innings but
played the role of a sheet anchor to perfection. Buttler had seven fours in 77
balls to his credit.
While Stuart Binny (3/33) is slowly making a case for
himself in the starting XI with three top-order wickets, India's bowling
line-up is yet to bear a settled look and inspire confidence as they are set to
begin the Cup defence in hardly two weeks' time.
Earlier, India's uninspiring batting show continued as save
Rahane, none of the other batsmen were able to score a half-century with
England's seamers doing a good job to make a comeback after a decent opening
stand.
Steven Finn (3/36) was the pick of the bowlers while Chris
Woakes (2/47), Stuart Broad (2/56) and spinner Moeen Ali (2/35) claimed two
scalps each after inviting India to bat.
Out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan (38) and Rahane got off to a slow
start but they batted to a plan, rotating the strike to good effect and slowly
the runs started coming, albeit in a trickle as the first 10 overs yielded only
34 runs.
Thereafter, Rahane looked in good touch, as the openers
brought up their 50-run stand in the 14th over. Even Dhawan play some good
shots after spending time at the crease, cutting and driving with much more
ease.
But he couldn't go on, and edged one to Buttler behind the
stumps off Woakes in the 21st over. The scorecard read 83 for one at the time.
Rahane got to his eighth ODI fifty in the 25th over and
though he tried to play some expansive strokes, he realised the need to hold
one end up soon enough.
England tightened up their bowling and their good fielding
started paying dividends. Virat Kohli (8), who had come in to bat at number
three, was the next to depart as he attempted a big shot off Ali only for Root
to take a good running catch at long-off.
Ali returned for his next over and got rid of Suresh Raina
(1), who played a horrendous stroke. The left-hander danced down the track,
going for a big shot, only to be caught at backward point.
Ambati Rayudu (12) added 27 runs for the fourth wicket with
Rahane but he never looked settled at the crease. He was out just before the
batting powerplay was due, in the 35th over, caught behind off Broad.
The big blow came when Rahane was dismissed in the very
first powerplay over, trying to work Finn down to third man, but ended up
caught behind.
India also lost Stuart Binny (7) in the powerplay's final
over, caught brilliantly at first slip by a diving Ian Bell off Finn again.
Those five overs yielded only 23 runs.
Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (17) tried to stay at the
wicket for the final 10 overs but he was finally out LBW to James Anderson
(1-24) in the 43rd over.
Ravindra Jadeja (5) played a rash stroke while Axar Patel
(1) is still yet to come to terms with conditions in Australia as far as his
batting is concerned.
India only managed to cross the 150-mark in the 39th over
and were struggling at 165/9 before a 35-run partnership for the final wicket
between Mohammad Shami (25) and Mohit Sharma (7) helped gain a little
respectability to the total.
Shami threw his bat around and was the last to be dismissed
in the 49th over, caught behind off a slower delivery by Woakes.
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