TEAM INDIA HIT BACK

The Indian tiger, tamed and domesticated by tourists at will in recent times was reborn a predator as it destroyed England by a massive 127 runs to level the five-match ODI series 1-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru international stadium here on Tuesday.

The writing on the wall was clear once Indian bowlers began to exploit the slow and gripping conditions to decimate England for just 158 after skipper M. S. Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja had made a mockery of the visitors’ ‘bowling at death’ to post a solid 285/6 in 50 overs.

Jadeja, the man-of-the match, was in sublime form, which reignited memories of his stint in Kochi with the now defunct Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the IPL 2011, with two prized wickets after a whirlwind knock of 61 off just 37 deliveries.

It was one of those rare days, where there were more than one genius at play and the young Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, who might just yet be a diamond in the rough, but was all brightness on a surface that helped seam movement. On any other day it would’ve seemed outrageous to let your opening bowler get along an uninterrupted spell of 10 overs, but young Bhuvi was unstoppable and Dhoni let him exhaust his armoury at a stretch.

And he repaid the trust by dismissing England skipper Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan.

Ravinchandran Ashwin wrapped up the English tail, before he had ended their resistance by dismissing Craig Kieswetter.

Earlier, the Indian innings that made sluggish progressions for most part of the game had come alive just in the final 10 overs where Dhoni and Jadeja added 91 runs for the sixth wicket stand.

Dhoni’s 48th ODI fifty came with a thunderous straight four off Finn and when caught at backward square leg by Root off Dernbach in the final over, he had motored to a solid 72 off 66 deliveries.