The state association's robot umpire waves the Indian flag, India v England, 2nd ODI, Kochi, January 15, 2013

The state association's robot umpire waves the Indian flag, India v England, 2nd ODI, Kochi, January 15, 2013© BCCI

The state association's robot umpire waves the Indian flag, India v England, 2nd ODI, Kochi, January 15, 2013© BCCI

india goes down in world cup

Strauss and Bell leave India rattled
india goes down in world cup

India v England, World Cup 2011, Group B, Bangalore

Strauss sets England on course for 338

Andrew Strauss led from the front in another daunting run-chase, compiling a captain's innings of 92 from 90 balls to follow up his agenda-setting 88 against the Netherlands last week, as England pointed themselves in the right direction in pursuit of India's massive target of 339 at Bangalore. Strauss added 68 for the first wicket with Kevin Pietersen, who fell for 31 to a freakish caught-and-bowled from Munaf Patel, and though Jonathan Trott was pinned lbw for 16 by the legspinner Piyush Chawla, England's score at the halfway mark remained a creditable 163 for 2.

Andrew Strauss

However, Ian Bell might well have been dismissed on 17 from the very last ball of the 25th over, when Yuvraj Singh went up for an lbw appeal as Bell attempted and missed a sweep. Though India's subsequent review suggested he was out, with the ball pitching inside the line of off stump, and the Hawkeye replay showing the stumps being broken, umpire Billy Bowden upheld his original verdict, because Bell had come down the wicket by more than 2.5 metres before the moment of impact. It was a controversial ruling, albeit one written into the ICC's playing conditions, and it was one that could yet prove significant.

A positive start was a pre-requisite as England set off in pursuit of what, if successful, would be the fourth-highest in ODI history, and Strauss responded in the perfect fashion when Zaheer Khan, armed with the new ball, strayed onto his pads first-up to gift a flicked four through fine leg. Later in the same over he doubled his tally with a punched square drive, and when Munaf followed a first-ball appeal against Pietersen with a second-ball half-tracker, England were properly up and running.

Strauss had his moments of luck, particularly on 17 when TV replays suggested he had nicked a drive against Zaheer that the Indian fielders were unable to hear against the din of the crowd. Five runs later, he miscued a pull that flew just out of reach of Harbhajan Singh at mid-on, but for the most part he was rewarded for his intent and aggression, and by the end of the batting Powerplay, England were 19 runs to the good, on 77 for 1, compared to India's 10-over total of 58 for 1.

Pietersen was barely less impressive in his short stay, as he pounded four fours in eight Zaheer deliveries including an arrow-straight drive that whistled past the stumps at the non-striker's end. His dismissal when it came was extraordinary, as Munaf was dumped on his backside by a brutally struck drive, only for the ball he had parried from in front of his face to plop into his right hand as he glanced up to regain his bearings.

Trott got off the mark with a crisp drive for three to extra cover, and proved an able ally in a 43-run stand for the second wicket, nudging eight singles to keep the strike rotating, while dragging Harbhajan through midwicket to pick off his solitary boundary. But Chawla, who took a while to locate the perfect length, beat him all ends up with one that hurried on, and he was already walking before umpire Bowden raised his crooked finger.

Bell, England's best player of spin, was beaten twice in two balls as Chawla ripped first his googly then his legspinner to perfection. But faced with an asking rate of roughly six an over, he took over Trott's supporting role while Strauss continued to make the running for England, with Chawla and Yuvraj Singh both dispatched through the leg-side, while Harbhajan was driven inside-out through extra cover in a rare show of flamboyance that might equally have been a case of being beaten in flight. Either way, England remained very much in the game, and the Bangalore crowd was awaiting an excuse to rediscover its voice

Sachin Tendulkar fifth hundred in the World Cup

India v England, World Cup 2011, Group B, Bangalore

Tendulkar stars as India post 338

Sachin Tendulkar fifth hundred in the World Cup

Sachin Tendulkar produced the performance that every man in his nation had prayed was in his grasp, as India's batsmen ignited their first home fixture of the 2011 World Cup with a towering display against England at Bangalore. On a sporty wicket that offered assistance to the bowlers but value for every stroke, they pillaged 35 fours and seven sixes in an imposing total of 338, with Tendulkar standing supreme with 120 from 115 balls, his 47th ODI century, and his fifth in six World Cup campaigns. A late collapse, instigated by the tireless Tim Bresnan, saved England's blushes a touch as they scalped seven wickets in 25 balls, but it will take a superhuman effort under the floodlights to win this game now.

Sachin Tendulkar launched
 his innings
 in ominous style
© Getty Images

Even by Tendulkar's matchless standards, his was a vintage performance, and a masterful example of how to pace an innings. He was a casual bystander in the day's opening exchanges, as Virender Sehwag swiped England's early bid for momentum with an audacious but chancy 35 from 26 balls, but he picked up his tempo throughout a second-wicket stand of 134 with Gautam Gambhir, without ever needing to take risks to make his mark. The high point of his innings came when he belted consecutive sixes at the start of Graeme Swann's second spell, a calculated show of class that undermined England's trump bowler, and left Andrew Strauss floundering for alternatives as his tactics were picked apart.

In all Tendulkar stroked 10 fours and five sixes in what was, somewhat curiously, his first one-day hundred against England for nine years. By the time he was dismissed with 11 overs of the innings remaining, caught off a leading edge at cover (to give the labouring James Anderson his first one-day wicket in India for 53 overs dating back to 2006), India's total stood at an imposing 236 for 3, and it was a measure both of Tendulkar's brilliance and of England's dogged refusal to give in, that Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni were unable to cut loose to quite the extent they might have expected.

The batting Powerplay yielded 32 runs in five overs, and though Yuvraj kept up the tempo with nine fours in a 50-ball 58, he became the first victim of the collapse, when he holed out to deep midwicket to give Michael Yardy a wicket from the last ball of his spell. That set the stage for Bresnan to embark on a superb spell of death bowling to scalp his first five-wicket haul, and the best by an England seamer in World Cup history.

The first of Bresnan's victims - one ball later - was Dhoni, who sized up the midwicket boundary but picked out the substitute Luke Wright, before Yusuf Pathan, Virat Kohli and Harbhajan Singh were all dispatched in the space of four deliveries, courtesy of a slower ball and two yorkers. Consecutive run-outs then followed in Anderson's final over, but not before he had been filleted for 91 in 9.5 overs, the most expensive English analysis in World Cup history.

The omens for England had not been exactly positive going into the start of this match. Eleven defeats in their last 12 away matches against India underlined their status of underdogs, as did the two team's respective performances in their opening fixtures of the tournament - England's laboured victory over the Netherlands compared distinctly unfavourably to India's crunching win against Bangladesh in Dhaka, and when Stuart Broad, their best and most aggressive seamer, was ruled out with a stomach complaint before the start of the match, a vast swathe of England's gameplan went down with him.

Nevertheless, the opening exchanges were extraordinary. Sehwag, fresh from last week's brutal 175 against Bangladesh, faced up to Anderson, whose ten overs had disappeared for 72 against the Netherlands, and might have been dismissed three times in five balls. Anderson's first delivery was a full-length outswinger that a flat-footed Sehwag flashed past a diving Swann at second slip; his third zipped off a leading edge and looped over Ian Bell at cover, and the fifth lollipopped back down the track and just out of Anderson's reach in his followthrough.

With the stable door already ajar, the horse was set to bolt when a nervy Shahzad conceded two more boundaries in his first over, but England to their credit tightened their lines and made the early breakthrough courtesy of Bresnan, who lured Sehwag into a cute dink that nestled comfortably in Matt Prior's outstretched right glove. The Chinnaswamy Stadium immediately descended into the sort of silence that Graeme Swann had declared before the match was his favourite sound in the world.

Swann had a chance to extend that silence in his second over when Gambhir, emboldened by a sashay down the track that had resulted in a sumptuous four over long-off, tried the same stroke again, but inside-edged at a catchable height past Prior's gloves, and away for four. But while Gambhir's overt aggression diverted England's attention, Tendulkar's stealthier approach began to reap its rewards. He had reached 28 from 47 balls before he signalled to the dressing room that it was time for a heavier bat, and having belted Swann back over his head for four, he turned his attentions to the offcutters of Paul Collingwood, who joined the attack as England's fifth bowler in the 18th over of the innings, and was cracked for two Tendulkar sixes in the space of three overs.

If that got the crowd's juices flowing, then Tendulkar's double whammy against Swann - a pair of massive mows over the leg-side - tipped the entire stadium into ecstasy. He followed up with a sweet uppercut off Shahzad, teasing third man who had been dragged too fine in the previous over, and then further denuded Anderson's figures with consecutive off-side fours - the first of which was a trademark turf-scorching cover-drive.

Anderson's day did not improve when Gambhir inside-edged a flash through fine leg to reach his half-century from 59 balls, and though he eventually fell to a lazy poke at Swann two balls later, the manner of his departure would not exactly have given England much cheer. A sharp tweaker turned past the edge to clip the top of off, to give India's spin twins, Harbhajan Singh and Piyush Chawla, as much food for thought as England's batsmen. There's only one way back into this match for England now, and it's a mighty steep climb with a precipice either side.

India 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Munaf Patel.

England 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Matt Prior (wk), 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Mike Yardy, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Ajmal Shahzad.

Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo

India v England

India v England, World Cup 2011, Bangalore
A test of nerves and character

Match Facts

February 27, Bangalore

Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)

Michael Yardy

The Big Picture

The build-up and hype ahead of this match has been huge and we are still barely into the second week of the World Cup. This was always going to be one of the marquee clashes of the tournament, and even though it has been moved away from Eden Gardens to the slightly less daunting Chinnaswamy Stadium, that hasn't dulled the anticipation. You only need to see the unfortunate pictures from outside the ground during the week, as locals rushed for tickets, to know how desperate they are to watch their team.

However, there are two sides taking part and England are insisting they can use the expectation being piled on to the hosts in their favour. From a purely cricket view, the stadium switch won't have disappointed Andrew Strauss's team because, both on and off the field in Bangalore, conditions will be slightly less hostile than could have been the case in Kolkata.

Yet England's record against India in their own backyard makes for grim reading. They have won one of their last 13 completed ODIs in the country, going back to the 5-1 drubbing in 2006 and the 5-0 scoreline in 2008, before the series was cancelled due to the Mumbai bombings. In between they were also thrashed at the 2006 Champions Trophy. On one hand the odds say they are due a win, but on the other the statistics make damning reading.

If they want to spoil India's World Cup party the key will be containing the power-packed top order. Virender Sehwag set down the gauntlet with 175 against Bangaldesh and was backed up by Virat Kohli's fine hundred. Sachin Tendulkar was cut short on 25, while Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni didn't even need to bat. It's a daunting prospect, but England have shown they can rise for the big occasion. Whatever happens, let's hope it matches the expectation.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)

India WLLWW
England WLLLW

Watch out for...

Ahead of India matches, it's the likes of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh who take most of the headlines, but you ignore Gautam Gambhir at your peril. He has become a supremely consistent batsman across all formats and is the perfect foil to his top-order team-mates. He started with a neat run-a-ball 39 against Bangladesh and England will have to ensure they give him as much focus as the mega-star names around him. A one-day average of 34 against England, six runs below his career level, is something he'll want to correct, but the visiting bowlers will want to increase that daylight.

None of England's quicks can be pleased with their efforts against Netherlands, but there were some encouraging signs from Stuart Broad in his first international since the second Ashes Test. Having warmed up with 10 wickets in two games against Canada and Pakistan, he bowled with decent pace against the Dutch and found bounce from a flat Nagpur surface. However, he sometimes got carried away with banging the ball in and forgot to aim at the stumps. His yorker can be effective (he was denied such a wicket when Paul Collingwood forgot to walk inside the circle) and against top-quality batsmen he'll have to be ready to adjust his game plans.

Talking of the quick bowlers, one of the reasons the venue switch isn't all bad news is the bounce that could be on offer. It won't be flying through at shoulder height, but the quick bowlers are likely to find some encouragement especially after the recent heavy rain in the city. One-day cricket is at its best with an even contest between bat and ball.

Team news

Virender Sehwag was struck in the ribs during a net session but is expected to be fine for the match and India have no reason to tinker with the top order. The big question mark comes with Sreesanth, who had a nightmare against Bangladesh when his five overs went for 53. India got away with it that day, but can't afford to carry a bowler in every match. However, Ashish Nehra is not yet at full fitness so India will have to decide whether to stick with Sreesanth or play an extra spinner.

India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Sreesanth/Piyush Chawla, 11 Munaf Patel.

Broad has been suffering from an upset stomach but is expected to be fit and England's main decision is whether to strengthen their spin-bowling with a recall for Michael Yardy. The current plan is to get 10 overs from Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen but that's a huge risk against India. The problem is, though, that the man most likely to make way for Yardy would be Ravi Bopara, who helped see the team home against Netherlands.

England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson

Try picking the XIs for tomorrow's game by playing Team Selector.

Pitch and conditions

There was torrential rain in Bangalore on Friday afternoon which left large puddles on the outfield. The weather has remained cool and cloudy over the weekend, and there is a chance of more showers, which will make the toss important with the possible intervention of Duckworth-Lewis. The damp weather may work against Yardy, but the pitch turned square in the warm-up matches.

Stats and trivia

• Despite all the talk about Sehwag, his average against England in India is the lowest of the current top six - 37.70 - but the strike-rate is 100.
• Sreesanth's performance against Bangladesh was horrid, but he has 10 wickets at 16 each against England in India.
• Unsurprisingly, Pietersen is England's best batsman in India with an average of 56.08 from 14 matches and the lone century among the team's current top order
• India and England have met three times in Bangalore and it's the visitors who actually lead the head-to-head 2-1, although the wins did come back in 1985 and 1993.

Quotes

"I don't think it's a case of reinventing the wheel, we just need to play good, smart cricket. In some ways there's more pressure on India than us in this game."
Andrew Strauss turns to the psychological battle as he aims to turn around England's poor record in India.

"We are not celebrating yet, that's for sure. Of course, we had a good start in the opening game, where we batted really well and after that spinners did a good job in the middle overs. Again, I think it's about the team that will start well and hold the nerves for a consistent period of time."
MS Dhoni chooses to play it safe.

Andrew McGlashan is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo