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India v England: Mahendra Dhoni inspires hosts to resounding win

By Sam SheringhamBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Cricketcomments178

MS Dhoni
Second one-day international, Kochi:
India 285-6 (50 overs) beat England 158 (36 overs) by 127 runs
Match scorecard

India outplayed England to inflict a crushing 127-run defeat and level their five-match one-day series at 1-1.

Captain Mahendra Dhoni (72) and Ravindra Jadeja (61 not out) blasted 82 off the last six overs as India accelerated to 285-6.

Seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar then removed Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in the space of three balls to rip the heart out of England's batting line-up.

India's spinners did the rest as the tourists were all out for a dismal 158.

England's batting performance was as dispiriting as it had been uplifting in Friday's first one-day international, when they racked up 325-4 batting first and held on for a nine-run win.

The loss of Ian Bell - caught behind in the second over by Shami Ahmed - got things off to an inauspicious start and, after captain Alastair Cook had been harshly adjudged lbw to Kumar, the same bowler struck twice in the 15th over to deal a fatal blow to the visitors' hopes.

Pietersen was bowled through the gate for 42 by a ball that jagged back sharply off the seam and Morgan was brilliantly caught one-handed by wicketkeeper Dhoni from a ball which moved away from the left-hander.

The promising Jadeja added the wickets of Joe Root for 36 and Chris Woakes to his superb cameo with the bat and Ravichandran Ashwin took three wickets as England's tail-enders offered little resistance when faced with a lost cause.

After winning the toss, India were largely kept in check by some disciplined England bowling until Dhoni and Jadeja provided the fireworks that a raucous crowd at Kochi's Nehru Stadium had been craving.

They lost both openers cheaply as Gautam Gambhir was clean bowled by Jade Dernbach and Ajinkya Rahane perished in an almost identical manner to Steven Finn.

Yuvraj Singh looked in good form for his 32 and was furious to be given out lbw to James Tredwell's second ball after umpire Steve Davis failed to spot a bottom edge onto the pad.

Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina both added useful runs without ever really getting on top of the England attack, and when Raina was caught by Bell off Woakes on the point boundary to leave his team 174-5 in the 40th over, India were in need of some late-innings impetus.

Enter captain Dhoni, who found a willing accomplice in the 24-year-old Jadeja.

Just as England's Samit Patel and Craig Kieswetter had in the first one-dayer, they exploited new fielding regulations - which only allow four men outside the circle in non-powerplay overs - to find the boundary with alarming regularity in a partnership of 92 off 10 overs.

Dhoni, who survived an appeal for caught behind off Woakes when he was in single figures, hit two sixes and seven fours. He deployed his trademark helicopter shot to devastating effect as both Finn and Dernbach were catapulted through the finest of gaps on the leg side.

Dhoni's dismissal in the final over - caught on the cover boundary by Root - merely cleared the stage for Jadeja to finish the innings with a blistering blast of two fours and a six, propelling India to a total that proved to be well beyond England.

The third match of the series takes place on Saturday in Ranchi.

We are using archive pictures for this series because several photo agencies, including Getty Images, have been barred from the ground following a dispute with the Board of Control for Cricket in India, while other agencies have withdrawn their photographers in protest.

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178 comments

  • Comment posted by gnasty gnome, at 15:19 15 Jan 2013

    Patel was once again useful with bat and ball, Cook may have been unlucky but then again so was Yuvraj. India bowling was far better than the first match, and Dhoni was exceptional. Agree regarding Dernbach and Kieswetter, it's not as if they're the only players of that quality available.

  • Comment posted by gjwoody84, at 14:53 15 Jan 2013

    I hope Botham feels silly today. Trott was needed today, and is a definite starter in my odi team when hes back.(avg 49, s/r 75). England continually play with 8, 9 good players and always have 2 or 3 who just arent good enough. Kieswetter and dernbach should never play for England ever again. While we are resting players we need to continue with woakes and root to see if they are good enough

  • Comment posted by User0170960891, at 15:38 15 Jan 2013

    Re Vishal @11-as always so, so wide of the mark it's almost funny. But back to the serious comments. I agree about Dernbach, can be useful but now serves up too many buffet balls. Still not convinced by Kieswetter and perhaps a change needed there. Would have liked to have seen the last few batsman use time at the crease sensibly and build an innings or two - after all there were 14 overs left.

  • Comment posted by Robin, at 15:53 15 Jan 2013

    Guys. We have a cricket expert called Maksi. He's posted below. Really top notch chap..knows he's stuff.
    " I'd rather have Matt Prior than Dhoni in my team"
    Absolute classic..love it. (lolololololololol).

  • Comment posted by User0239738912, at 16:05 15 Jan 2013

    Interesting comments on Dernbach - the sky commentators go on and on about how great his variations are.
    When I played cricket I also had many variations when bowling: long hops, full tosses, wides down the leg, wides outside off, slow balls, slower balls, and very occassionally one pitched where it was meant to.
    Should I expect a late (51) call up?

  • Comment posted by User0990584382, at 15:54 15 Jan 2013

    Good figures from some of the bowlers, Tredders done well again.
    The batsmen want to up their game, they're the weak part of the team for the mo.

  • Comment posted by User0823112667, at 16:12 15 Jan 2013

    Just saw this headline hidden halfway down the BBC Sport site and had a major chill run down my spine:

    "Morgan retires from England duty".

    And breath....

  • Comment posted by BearMcRowdy, at 15:59 15 Jan 2013

    @35 You lack the ability to constructively comment on this page. Indeed, I have seen previous efforts on the test series to which you suddenly went very quiet. India were great today, no doubt about that. But when England next dominate India, perhaps you could show the same humility as a lot of people on here have and give credit where it is due.

  • Comment posted by Mattzo, at 15:11 15 Jan 2013

    Kieswetter and Dernbach need dropping, DRS needs implementing. Cook's lbw decision was poor and Kieswetter/Dernbach haven't performed for a long time.

    Not overly concerned - we showed glimpses of what we can do.

  • Comment posted by gjwoody84, at 16:38 15 Jan 2013

    I think trott is a cert, quality player. top 5 cook,bell,trott,kp,morgan. where England are lacking is the keeper and 5th bowler allrounder role. Patels batting is brilliant coming in at 6 or 7, but is his bowling? bowling avg of 44.5!!

  • Comment posted by U14821909, at 16:44 15 Jan 2013

    Robin, maybe being the current nr1 ODI side in the world makes us a top one day team? You are going to tell me that demolishing pakistan 0:4 in the Sub C was four more oneoffs?
    A lucky test series win? Have you been drinking? If so, good on you

    Fair enough brummie, if that's how you see it *thumbs up. Hope Woakes makes you proud in an ENGLAND shirt. Bressie has made me proud dozens of times.

  • Comment posted by Griddlestick, at 15:16 15 Jan 2013

    Vishaal you are a complete rooster with your juvenile comments....

  • Comment posted by User0053361785, at 23:14 15 Jan 2013

    2) Would England, world number ones before the game, have been "thrashed"?
    In India DRS-world; Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni would have been out cheaply caught behind, and the England bowlers would have been into the tail very early in the game with the ball still bouncy. What would India's innings total have been then?

  • Comment posted by bobbynoble, at 22:39 15 Jan 2013

    What's all the fuss about?

    It was just another standard issue one-day game, one of a million which will be played this year.

    Go to bed, and dream about Test cricket.

  • Comment posted by badfella0807, at 15:11 15 Jan 2013

    vishal is having a glorious day, andy Murray win his first match but still manages to say something negative about him and that the fact that his Scottish and now England lose what a day for vishal, his loving it lol

  • Comment posted by Griddlestick, at 16:30 15 Jan 2013

    Lets not forget that this is in India and we shouldn't expect to win every game (even against a mediocre Indian side). It happens in ODI's - games soon get away from you and on paper can look embarrassing. There were a few positives to take - Tredwell excellent once again and Root certainly looks a good prospect.
    They should maybe play the next game here in England and see how India get on!! :-)

  • Comment posted by User0456055706, at 15:39 15 Jan 2013

    Anderson will be a huge miss for England. Along with Steyn, Anderson is the best bowler currently. Malinga is too hot-and-cold otherwise he too could be considered in the same breath as these two world-beaters.

  • Comment posted by gjwoody84, at 17:17 15 Jan 2013

    83. I see where your coming from, but england will win more games than lose if we are 175-2 or 3 off 35 overs. the way game is played now 120 is minimum off last 15 overs with the powerplay so theres 295. we cant expect cook and bell to perform every game, trott is reassuring coming in at 3, especially with 2 new balls at beginning of inns.

  • Comment posted by User0415659677, at 16:03 15 Jan 2013

    20. Bresnan is a better cricketer! More than Woakes can ever hope to be? I think you are having a laugh Maksi! Woakes better career FC averages than both Bresnan AND Broad!
    Woakes bat 2678 @ 38.25 six centuries; bowl 254@27.61 12 5w inns 3 10w matches
    Bresnan bat 3562 @ 27.61 three centuries; bowl 337@31.47 six 5w inns zero 10w matches
    Now who is the better cricketer???

  • Comment posted by User0823112667, at 16:23 15 Jan 2013

    Vishall just go away, you'd used the "Grandmother swatting a fly" metaphor once already today (about Murray's comprehensive win). Get a life.

    Just a thought: would it be a bad thing NOT taking wickets to keep Dhoni away a little longer (since no-one else comes close to his strike-rate)? We know he takes a bit of time to get started, so why not keep him waiting by dropping a few?

    Just kidding...

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