Chasing India’s mammoth 329 for seven, England came too close for the visitors' comfort, reaching 320 for eight. India's total was built around two splendid half-centuries by Sachin Tendulkar (99) and skipper Rahul Dravid (92 n.o.).
Dravid came under the spotlight again when the England chase was on. His decision to pick two spinners might have raised some eyebrows. But that move turned out to be a masterstroke as it was the tweakers who bruised England in the middle overs.
Patel strikes
Even after pacer Munaf Patel removed England openers Alastair Cook and Matt Prior in the space of two balls, the home side might have still cherished hopes of continuing the momentum in the middle overs, as they had done in the first one-dayer in Southampton.
But India had learned a lesson from that match and included Ramesh Powar in the line-up, sacrificing the seventh batsman. It was Powar and his younger colleague, leg-spinner Piyush Chawla, who dented the hosts' charge in the middle overs.
The third-wicket alliance between Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell was going strong when Dravid brought Chawla on. The Uttar Pradesh lad immediately showed his abilities, dismissing Pietersen. The Hampshire batsman played outside the line of a straighter one, anticipating it would spin past the off-stump, but instead the white blob rattled timber.
Pietersen walked back with amazement writ large on his face. Chawla did the trick again for India a little later, this time cleaning up Paul Collingwood. The England skipper played all over a googly and was also bowled. Chawla later added the scalp of Ian Bell, who made 64, but too slowly to have a telling impact on the game, to snap England's challenge.
Powar’s turn
Then, it was Powar's turn to get into the act. The Mumbai off-spinner invited Andrew Flintoff to go for a big hit with a well flighted delivery. The burly Englishman could not resist the temptation and his slog sweep ended in the safe hands of Ajit Agarkar in the deep.
With half the side dismissed and 145 more needed, England were well and truly on the back foot. It was not the just the wickets the spinners had taken, but also the manner in which they bowled that was impressive.
The spin duo was never afraid of the big-hitting English middle-order batsmen. The smaller boundaries here also meant they could not afford to err in line and length even marginally. Mumbaikar Powar also managed to procure considerable turn and bounce, keeping the England batsmen from attempting anything extravagant. The conditions were kind to the Indian spinners, the lack of chill in the air helping them grip the ball better.
Their figures, especially that of Chawla, could have looked far rosier, but for the desperate assault of Dimitri Mascarenhas in the end stages. The tall all-rounder used his experience in the Twenty20 format to clear the ropes with ease. He smashed five sixes and a four en route to a 39-ball 52 that might have raised the hopes a miraculous win in English hearts. But the Indian total was a touch ahead of them on the day.
For their part, pacers Patel -- though he went for runs in the slog overs -- and Rudra Pratap Singh played the supporting role to a nicety, picking up wickets at the right time. But Agarkar’s continued to be a worry.
The other point of worry was the fielding and catching. India's fielding in the outfield was close to pedestrian and their catching was well below par as the visitors grassed four chances, including two from Pietersen.
SCORE BOARD
INDIA
Ganguly c C’wood b Flintoff 39
(54b, 5x4, 1x6)
Tendulkar c Prior b Flintoff 99
(112b, 15x4, 1x6)
Yuvraj c Collingwood b Broad 49
(53b, 6x4)
Dravid (not out) 92
(63b, 11x4, 1x6)
Dhoni c Tremlett b Anderson 21
(18b, 3x4)
Kaarthick lbw Flintoff 1
(2b)
Agarkar c Prior b Flintoff 1
(3b)
Powar c Prior b Flintoff 1
(2b)
Chawla (not out) 1
(1b)
Extras (LB-8, W-9, NB-8) 25
Total (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 329
Fall of wickets: 1-113 (Ganguly), 2-180 (Tendulkar), 3-243 (Yuvraj), 4-302 (Dhoni), 5-310 (Kaarthick), 6-324 (Agarkar), 7-326 (Powar).
Bowling: Broad 9-0-54-1 (w-1, nb-2), Anderson 10-1-56-1 (w-3), Flintoff 10-0-56-5 (w-1, nb-3), Tremlett 9-0-73-0 (w-2, nb-3), Mascarenhas 4-0-31-0 (w-2), Collingwood 4-0-24-0, Bopara 4-0-27-0.
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 22/0, 10: 39/0, 15: 69/0, 20: 113/1, 25: 146/1, 30: 175/1, 35: 202/2, 40: 236/2, 45: 282/3, end of innings: 329/7 in 50 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 39/0, Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 30/0, Power Play 3: 16-20 overs: 42/1.
ENGLAND
Cook c Dhoni b Patel 36
(41b, 8x4)
Prior c Dravid b Patel 33
(28b, 6x4)
Bell c Patel b Chawla 64
(96b, 6x4, 1x6)
Pietersen b Chawla 25
(25b, 3x4)
Collingwood b Chawla 27
(27b, 4x4)
Flintoff c Agarkar b Powar 9
(7b, 2x4)
Bopara lbw Patel 17
(20b, 1x4)
M’has c Agarkar b RP Singh 52
(39b, 1x4, 5x6)
Broad (not out) 29
(24b, 2x4, 2x6)
Tremlett (not out) 0
(1b)
Extras (B-1, LB-6, W-15, NB-6) 28
Total (for 8 wkts, 50 overs) 320
Fall of wickets: 1-76 (Prior), 2-76 (Cook), 3-136 (Pietersen), 4-176 (Collingwood), 5-185 (Flintoff), 6-220 (Bopara), 7-240 (Bell), 8-299 (Mascarenhas),
Bowling: Ajit Agarkar 9-1-67-0 (w-3, nb-1), RP Singh 10-0-56-1 (w-3), Munaf Patel 8-0-70-3 (w-9, nb-5), Sourav Ganguly 3-0-17-0, Piyush Chawla 10-0-60-3 (w-1), Ramesh Powar 10-0-43-1 (w-1)
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 37/0, 10: 75/0, 15: 98/2, 20: 127/2, 25: 157/3, 30: 181/4, 35: 205/5, 40: 230/6, 45: 270/7, end of innings: 320/8 in 50 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 75/0, Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 23/2, Power Play 3: 16-20 overs: 29/0.