Atlast the much awaited series victory for the home team has brought some respite for the Indian Cricket fan. It was a moment of rejoice when the Indian captain drives Bresnan for a boundary sealing the home team’s victory for the series at Mohali stadium, in the final over.
England captain Cook won the toss and elected to bat and like the previous ODI in New Delhi, Cook lost his wicket early. This time it was Vinay Kumar who got the better of him with a ball that angled into him and trapped him leg-before on 3. England went one down on 8. But later went on to build a defendable total with 298 for the loss of 5 wickets. The batting prowess was exhibited by Trott with a not out knock of 98 runs and Pietersen scored 64, the Indian bowlers were just OK for the day with Kohli, Vinay, P kumar and R jadeja sharing a wicket each.
In response, the Indian openers held on fort and played some classic strokes to make it 300 for the loss of five wickets with four balls to spare at Mohali. The English attack was beyond appreciation, they really bowled well to defend the total and claiming three wickets for a short spell, but the hosts proved too much for the guests and in the end the 17 extras given by the English team made the difference. Team India closed with a meticulous Dhoni styled boundary to get 300 against the guests and seal the series with a 3-0 win. Indian Batting included a classy batting from Rahane who made 91 and Gambhir ended with 58, well the damage was done by Finn and Bresnan who hauled 2 wickets each to put the hosts into difficult situation. Rahane was the man of the match for the day
But after leading his side to a five-wicket win with a crucial unbeaten 35 from 31 balls, once more without seeming to break sweat, Dhoni said: "It's very important to be nice to your fellow team-mates. There were lots of gestures flowing around in the field when it comes to the England side. "When you are under pressure, most of the individuals will definitely commit mistakes. These are the things that really shape the character of the side. As far as talent is concerned, they are very good. But they need to stick together — because that's one thing that's very important, especially when the team doesn't get the desired result." A point to consider for the England team to make amends, if they have to face the English press.
