The win was on the cards but no one expected it to be a one-sided affair as it happened in the fourth one-dayer at Edgbaston on Tuesday. Team India registered a nine-wicket victory over England and sealed the five-match ODI series 3-0, with one match to spare.
Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan helped India register an easy victory, after bowlers restricted the hosts to a paltry total. Bowlers, led by paceman Mohammed Shami, justified skipper MS Dhoni’s decision of bowling first and bundled England to 206 inside 50 overs.
Shami was the wrecker-in-chief and picked up three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ravichandran Ashwin took two wickets each. Bhuvneshwar, in particular, was lethal with the new ball and ripped through the top order.
Bhuvneshwar sent Alastair Cook (9) and Alex Hales (6) in quick successions, the blows from which the hosts never recovered. Joe Root (44) and Eoin Morgan (32) helped England recover from a peculiar position but they also fell in quick successions.
Moeen Ali (67) was the stand out performer and scored a well compiled fifty. He saved England the blushes and helped them cross the 200 runs mark. Spinner, however, did not allow England’s tail to put any resistance and bundled them easily.
In response to a mere target, Indian openers came out with all guns blazing and thrashed the English bowlers all over the park. Harry Gurney picked one wicket, while other bowlers failed to make any impact.
Dhawan and Rahane stitched a 183 runs partnership for the first wicket. Rahane, however, fell after completing his hundred but Dhawan (97 not out) and Virat Kohli (1 not out) drove India home in just 30.3 overs.
