There is one more match to go for which we will move to Headingley. India have the series in the bag and would want to sweep this one; England have a face-saving task up in Leeds. Thanks for your comments and feedback. Do catch up on all the postmatch stuff on the site. On behalf of the comms team - Gnasher and the scorers - this is Devashish Fuloria splashing off.. Ciao ciao.
"Considering the first game, our performance only got better," says Dhoni. "There is a tendency to lax after win, but we only got better and today was a perfect game. The seamers bowled in the right areas and it was crucial becaise i thought it wouldn't turn much. The fast bowlers set it up, because they took wickets and when the spinners came the batting was under pressure. The openers, if they can face 10 to 12 overs, it gives us a platform. It was good to see Dhawan back in form. Rahane was always someone who was third in line for the opening slot and he has made the most out of it. He is a good timer which makes it slightly easy for him. It's a spot that suits him. Rohit is a very talented guy and we are not making any decisions (on opening) as yet. I feel a lot of credit goes to the seniors I played under and the youngsters."
Ajinkya Rahane is the Man of the Match. He says, " Feels really great when you get a 100 and the team wins. Credit goes to the bowlers as well for setting up the match. I was batting well after the first few games and I was focussing to stay there. Really happy for Dhawan, the way he batted was special. We just wanted to enjoy the game. It's a great challenge to open, you have to prepare your mind."
"A very tough day. The sport turns change so quickly. It is frustrating not to play to your potential. says Alastair cook. "We were going to bat first anyway. India certainly batted better, fielder better, and bowled better. It is always tough to lose three games in a row and in a manner that we lost. There is a World Cup a few months away and you have to show you are hungry. We just need to look at ourselves and improve. There is potential but we need to improve. Moeen batted very well. He was the only guy to have a good day today. We are pretty clear on the personnel we need, but if people do not sore runs, or take wickets.. they certainly have the potential.. They need to turn up."
"It is great feeling to win a match like this," says Dhawan. "We had a hard time during the Test series. We didn't know that we broke record for the opening wicket. Rahane was in a good flow, that relieved pressure for me. I really enjoyed his batting. When I came here, I wanted to look at the technique. Ravi (Shastri) bhai gave me some tips which really helped me."
"We knew he was just one innings away from good form," continues Rahane. "I enjoyed his batting from the other end. It was really hurting that I got out cheaply. Today I was very determined. I was planning to hit a six when I was on 44. It's still long way to go (for WC). It was really tough for us in the Tests, so it was a good win. The bowlers bowled well and everyone played their part."
A terribly one-sided finish set up by two superb innings from Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan.. with a million balls to spare. Dhawan finally gets to twirl his tashes. India 3-0 up and eyeing a whitewash in the ODI series. England have just not turned up in the ODIs. The win also makes Dhoni the most successful captain for India.
India started the chase watchfully, then came that over from Anderson in which Rahane picked up four exquisite boundaries and there was no turning back. If England want a positive from this match, it's probably Moeen Ali's batting but that cannot take away from the ignominy of being absent in the second innings. Rahane was superb, dancing his way to his maiden ODI century with a posse of delightful strokes.. He hit a few sixes, but never looked like hitting the ball. Dhawan grew in confidence and this 97 would go a long way in calming his nerves towards his immediate future.
The Indian bowlers were brilliant too. They set up the win by restricting England to a below-par total. It wasn't spin though that did the damage - it was some tight bowling up front from India's seamers.
John Smith: "Disappointed by Bopara's and Bairstow's contribution, although on reflection maybe it was not their fault!"
TejaMainHoon: "Once again, Kohli successfully finishes the game for India.. :P Hope that helps his confidence and he is back in form.."
Alshaar: "Talking of water, England would hate watching Titanic tonight. "
END OF OVER:30 | 17 Runs | IND: 200/1 (7 runs required from 20 overs, RR: 6.66, RRR: 0.35)
- Shikhar Dhawan85 (78b)
- Virat Kohli1 (3b)
- Chris Woakes4-0-40-0
- Harry Gurney6-0-39-1
Woakes again.
END OF OVER:29 | 6 Runs 1 Wkt | IND: 183/1 (24 runs required from 21 overs, RR: 6.31, RRR: 1.14)
- Virat Kohli0 (2b)
- Shikhar Dhawan69 (73b)
- Harry Gurney6-0-39-1
- Chris Woakes3-0-23-0
Virat Kohli is in.. He needs to take this under control..
Sekhar Rayaprol: "Here comes our Olympic gold medalist swimmer who is struggling to qualify for Common wealth games!!"