Mohali, Jan. 23 (ANI): India thrashed England by five wickets in the fourth one-day international cricket match here on Wednesday, clinching the five-match series by 3-1.
Rohit Sharma opened the Indian inning today and gave a solid start with 83 runs. After that Suresh Raina scored a quick 89 off 79 balls to take to deciding five-wicket win.
Earlier in the day, the English team batted first and scored 257 runs for seven wickets as Joe Root (57 runs not out) and Kevin Pietersen (76 runs) provided the late sparks with some lusty hits.
England lost three wickets in quick succession in the middle of the innings after a reasonably good start but Root unleashed a stunning counter-attack to steer the total past the 250-run mark.
Root sent the ball across the boundary eight times for and knocked a six during his 45-ball sparking inning.
Kewin Pietersen and captain Alastair Cook laid the foundation with a solid 76 runs.
Spinner Ravindra picked three wickets, while Ishant Sharma and R. Ashwin grabbed two each at the Mohali track, which appeared to be good for batting.
While chasing the target, India lost opener Gautam Gambhir early, but Sharma and Virat Kohli steadied the innings with a 52-run partnership for the second before James Tredwell struck in his very first over by evicting Kohli for 26.
Local boy Yuvraj Singh, who joined the action for the third wicket, did not survive long as Tredwell trapped him leg before as he for a sweep shot.
Sharma notched up his 13th ODI half century and celebrated the moment by spanking Tredwell for a six and a four off consecutive deliveries.
But the men in blue held their nerve during the chase and it was Raina who guided the team to the victory after Yuvraj.
It was a most awaited victory for skipper M. S. Dhoni and his team as they have seen defeat in the Test series against England and an ODI series defeat against Pakistan at home in the recent past.
The two teams will now move to Dharamsala for the last and final ODI on Sunday. (ANI)
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