Sachin Tendulkar’s 99 set up India’s nine-run victory against England at Nevil Road on Friday, which saw them level the seven-match one-day international series at 1-1. Tendulkar’s innings was the centrepiece of India’s record 329 for-7. In reply, the hosts got close, ending on 320-8. Ian Bell top-scored for England with 64.
India captain Rahul Dravid said England had played the ”perfect” one-day game after defeating his side by the huge margin of 104 runs in the opening match of a seven-match series at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday. Dravid, who sent England in to bat, saw the home team pile up 288-2 with Ian Bell and Alastair Cook both scoring their maiden one-day international hundreds.
Rahul Dravid didn’t score a hundred during India’s 1-0 series win against England, and nor did his fellow star batsmen Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. But far from being disappointed, India captain Dravid was elated after leading his country to only their third series win in 15 tours of England following a draw in the final Test at the Oval on Monday.
India took four wickets with the new ball to compound England’s dire position in the third and final Test at the Oval on Saturday. England, at stumps on the third day, were 326-9 in reply to India’s 664 — their record Test innings total against England. That left the home side 338 runs behind and still needing 139 more runs to avoid the follow-on.
Anil Kumble’s maiden Test hundred all but assured India of a series win over England on the second day of the third and final Test at the Oval on Friday. At the close England were 24-1 in reply to India’s first innings 664, still needing a further 441 to avoid the follow-on target of 465.
Sachin Tendulkar was threatening to make England pay for dropping him on 20 as India finished the first day of the third and final Test on 316-4 at the Oval on Thursday. Tendulkar was 48 not out and VVS Laxman 20 not out following an impressive 91 from opener Dinesh Karthik.
Nick Easter scored four tries, his first in Test rugby for England, as the reigning champions began their build up to next month’s World Cup with a record 62-5 defeat of Wales at Twickenham. England, who’d lost 12 of their previous 16 Tests, took an early grip on this game and, at halftime were 22-0 ahead.
England coach Peter Moores has revealed he is considering asking for the volume on stump microphones to be turned down so his side’s sledging of India batsmen is no longer heard by television viewers. During the ongoing Test series fans tuning in to host broadcaster Sky’s commentary have been able to hear players trying to unsettle opposition batsmen.
India beat England by seven wickets to win the second Test on the fifth and final day at Trent Bridge on Tuesday to go 1-0 up in the three-match series. Resuming on 10 without loss, India needed just a further 63 to achieve their victory target of 73 and England required an astonishing fightback.
Sachin Tendulkar became only the third batsman in history to score 11 000 Test runs at Nottingham on Saturday as India kept the pressure on England at Trent Bridge. India, when bad light forced an early close to the second day of the second Test, were 254 for three — a lead of 56.