India v England ODI series

Another magnificent display from Yuvraj Singh saw India beat England by 54 runs in Indore to claim a 2-0 lead in the seven-match one-day series.

Stuart Broad (4-55) reduced India to 29-3 but Yuvraj (118), Gautam Gambhir (70) and later Yusuf Pathan (50 not out off 29 balls) helped them post 292-9.

Kevin Pietersen (33) and Andrew Flintoff (43) gave England hope of an unlikely win but both fell to Yuvraj.

The spinner took 4-28 as England were bowled out for 238 after 47 overs.

The tourists must take heart from an improved performance following their 158-run defeat in Rajkot.

But they will find it difficult to work their way back into the series against a side far superior to them with bat, ball and in the field, as the series moves to Kanpur on Thursday.

While India could hardly have hit a richer vein of form, England's 4-0 win against South Africa is now a distant memory.


England lost the toss and were asked to field on a cracked pitch that was expected to favour the team batting first.

But India should have lost Gambhir with the very first delivery when Samit Patel collected at short mid-wicket only to send his throw wide of the stumps from close range.

Gambhir and Virender Sehwag were struggling to cope with the movement James Anderson was generating off the seam and, still in the first over, the paceman beat Gambhir's outside edge and almost bowled Sehwag via an inside edge.

Sehwag would not be so fortunate in Broad's first over and when his inside edge was clipped for a second time there was no let-off.

Broad, who returned demoralising figures of 0-74 from his 10 overs in Rajkot, was steaming in with new-found confidence and aggression and, varying his pace and length, he denied Suresh Raina the opportunity to settle.

The 22-year-old Nottinghamshire seamer pitched the fourth ball of his second over on a good length and Raina succeeded only in chipping to Patel at square leg.

India were clearly rattled and after wicketkeeper Matt Prior put down a difficult chance to collect Rohit Sharma's inside edge off Anderson, Broad tempted the same batsman into mistiming a hook straight to Owais Shah at mid-wicket.

The arrival of Yuvraj, fresh from his stunning 78-ball 138 on Friday, stabilised the innings and his huge free-hit six over mid-wicket off Flintoff seemed to mark a turning point.

Gambhir looked particularly fluent and he was all too willing to punish England's increasingly erratic bowling and often slipshod fielding.

The left-handed pair were making serene progress but, three balls after lofting Pietersen for six, Gambhir dragged on to his stumps.

It was the first of three critical breakthroughs for England as Mahendra Dhoni was deceived by a straight ball from Collingwood and then Yuvraj fell to Broad.

Yuvraj had crafted another wonderful innings, his 10th ODI century including 15 fours and two towering sixes, but after clubbing three blistering boundaries during the third powerplay he flashed outside off stump and feathered behind.

The danger was not over for England, though, and Pathan signalled his intent by slog-sweeping Patel for a huge maximum.

Direct hits from Pietersen and Patel sent Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan back to the pavilion before Harmison bowled RP Singh.

But Pathan let loose in the final over, bludgeoning Harmison for two enormous sixes and a scooped four to make 50 off just 29 balls.

It was vital for England that they came through the opening exchanges unscathed but in the first over Ian Bell defended Zaheer to Raina at short mid-off and was run out after calling for a suicidal single.

After Prior was almost run out himself, he and Shah batted admirably and were good value for their 96-run partnership.

Shah passed 50 by lifting Yuvraj over long-on for six but that was a rare show of flamboyance from either batsman, both of whom were suffering from cramp.

In the 24th over, left-arm spinner Yuvraj trapped Shah with a ball that appeared destined for leg stump and, in the 26th, he bowled Prior as the batsman missed an attempted cut.

England's situation might have become worse had umpire Amiesh Saheba not given Andrew Flintoff the benefit of the doubt following a vociferous appeal for caught behind off Yuvraj.

Captain Pietersen decided to take the third powerplay immediately after that scare and it paid off as with the field up, Flintoff belted Harbhajan for three sixes in the 33rd over and Patel for two fours in the 36th.

But England hopes were all but ended when Yuvraj returned to the attack and, in the space of four balls, trapped Flintoff plum lbw and then knocked back Pietersen's off stump.

An out-of-form Collingwood presented Harbhajan with a straightforward return catch and Ravi Bopara laced Pathan to a diving Raina at mid-wicket.

Despite some big hitting late on, off-spinner Sehwag got the better of Patel, Harmison and Broad to finish with 3-28 and prompt Indian celebrations.