India vs England: Last 10 ODIs show MS Dhoni and Co. have the upper hand
The Men in Blue have won eight of the last ten one-day internationals played against England and are largely aware of what Alastair Cook's men are capable of, courtesy numerous meetings in the recent past.
India, by far, has looked the best team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 and if any other team has shown that semblance of consistency, it has been hosts England. The two teams have taken each other on, on several occasions and have had a healthy rivalry in all formats. In ODIs, the rivalry becomes a lot more intense though, as revealed by the last 10 ODIs played between each other. (Also read: No special plans for England, says Ishant)
January 27, 2013: The last ODI played between the two teams saw England triumph in this dead rubber, in the picturesque Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in Dharamsala. India, having already won the 5-match ODI series 3-1, were bowled out for 226 with Suresh Raina top scoring with an 86. New-ball bowlers Steven Finn (2/27) and Tim Bresnan (4/45) starred along with James Tredwell (2/25) who was miserly in his 10 overs. England romped home with opener Ian Bell recording a dogged 113* from 143 balls.
Brief Scores: India 226 (49.4 overs) lost to England 227/3 (47.2 overs) by seven wickets.
January 23, 2013: India claimed a series win at the PCA stadium in Mohali in the fourth ODI. Having being put into bat, England mainstays Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen scored 76 each and Joe Root showcased his prowess in the shorter format with an enterprising 45-ball 57*. Indian spinners R Ashwin (2/63) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/39) were the main wreckers. In reply, Rohit Sharma (93-ball 83 as an opener) played the innings that perhaps gave the Indian team a realistic option of him being used at the top of the order. Suresh Raina continued to be consistant with a stroke-filled 79-ball 89*.
Brief Scores: England 257/7 lost to India 258/5 (47.3 overs) by 5 wickets.
January 19, 2013: A thumping win for India in international cricket's latest venue then - the JSCA stadium in Ranchi. Ishant Sharma (2/29), R Jadeja (6/19) and Ashwin (2/37) were at their focussed best as England floundered to 155 all out. The stage was set for home hero Dhoni to take the limelight but it was India's Mr. Consistent - Virat Kohli - who starred with a solid 79-ball 77* in the chase.
Brief Scores: England 155 all out (42.4 overs) lost to India 157/3 (28.1 overs) by 7 wickets.
January 15, 2013: This was the day when the Indian lower-middle order rose to the occasion at Kochi. On an up-and-down surface of the Nehru Stadium, India were in serious trouble at 119 for 4 after winning the toss. Suresh Raina played one of his more circumspect yet responsible knocks, scoring a 79-ball 55 to bail India out. MS Dhoni (66-ball 72) and R Jadeja (37-ball 60*) then powered the Indian innings to dent England's confidence at the half-way mark. The English reply was hit with the swinging storm of Bhuvenshwar Kumar, who accounted for Cook, Pietersen and Eoin Morgan's crucial wickets as R Ashwin (3/39) polished off the English tail cheaply.
Brief Scores: India 285/6 beat England 158 all out (36 overs) by 127 runs.
January 11, 2013: After having beaten by Pakistan 2-1 in the ODI series preceding the ODI series vs England, Team India hoped for some inspiration. But it was England team that held the nerve to win the first of the five ODIs at Rajkot. Openers Cook (75), Bell (86) gave England a rollicking start as Indian bowlers looked out of sorts on a flat deck. Chasing 326, India were kept in the hunt by Yuvraj Singh (61), Gautam Gambhir (52) and Suresh Raina (50) but England spinner James Tredwell's man-of-the-match performance (4/44) was crucial. He removed the set batsmen only for Bresnan (2/67) and Jade Dernbach (2/69) to stifle Indian lower order for runs later.
Brief Scores: England 325/4 beat India 316/9 by 9 runs.
October 25, 2011: India faced England after a humiliating 4-0 whitewash in the overseas Test series and a heartbreaking 3-0 loss in the 5-match ODI series that followed in UK. However, favourable conditions and non-full-strength England team helped India avenge the events of the earlier months. Fifth and final ODI at Eden Gardens in Kolkata saw MS Dhoni (75*) take India to 271 for 8. Indian medium pacers Praveen Kumar and R Vinay Kumar failed to impress against England openers Cook (60) and Kieswetter (63). Indian spinners Jadeja (4/33) and Ashwin (3/28) however dismantled England's top and middle order as the visitors crumbled to 176.
Brief Scores: India 271/8 beat England 176 all out (37 overs) by 95 runs.
October 23, 2011: R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja shared 5 wickets between each other and a young seamer in Varun Aaron impressed with 3 wickets as England were all out for a below-par score at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Professional batting from Raina (80) and Kohli (86*) helped India reach a comfortable win.
Brief Scores: England 220 all out (46.2 overs) lost to India 223/4 (40.1 overs) by 7 wickets.
October 20, 2011: Jonathan Trott (98*) and Kevin Pietersen (64) kept Indians at bay for most part in this third ODI in Mohali but it was a whirlwind knock by Samit Patel (43-ball 70*) that gave England a boost in the death overs. What followed in the Indian chase was a career-best knock by opener Ajinkya Rahane (91). The right-hander got support from Parthiv Patel (38) and Gautam Gambhir (58) while Dhoni and Jadeja secured a win for the hosts in the final over.
Brief Scores: England 298/4 lost to India 300/5 (49.2 overs) by 5 wickets.
October 17, 2011: R Vinay Kumar came up with his best bowling performance in ODI cricket (4/30) at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi as England batting failed to notch up a challenging score in the second game of the five-match series. India's run chase witnessed Virat Kohli's ever-growing appetite for runs as he scored a swashbuckling 98-ball 112* coming in at number 4. Kohli was partnered by Gambhir (84*) in a 209-run match-winning stand.
Brief Scores: England 237 all out (48.2 overs) lost to India 238/2 (36.4 overs) by 8 wickets.
October 14, 2011: A game where MS Dhoni led from the front with a man-of-the-match performance (70-ball 87*) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad as India opted to bat. Dhoni was ably supported by Raina (61). Indian spin bowlers R Ashwin and Jadeja (3 wickets each) brought much-needed joy to the Indian fans as England were bundled out cheaply after Alastair Cook (60) came up with a fighting knock that fell short of partners. India, thus, broke the string of depressing losing streak against England in 2011.
Brief Scores: India 300/7 beat England 174 all out (36.1 overs) by 126 runs.