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With most of the first day lost because of rain in the capital, England knew that the best chance of producing a test match victory would be to compile a huge score and then bowl the Indians out twice. Enter Ian Bell; who hit 235 helped England to a mammoth score of 591-6 dec. Bell was ably supported by Kevin Pietersen, who smashed his way to a score of 175 with a swagger that only Pietersen can produce in the test match arena.
However, it was Bell’s innings that stood out for me because he never presented a chance to the Indians and remained totally unflustered throughout. The fluidity of Bell’s stroke play is quite remarkable and when he is at his best he makes batting look so easy. It is a shame that he will have to drop back down to number five in the batting order when Jonathan Trott returns to the side, but the way he is playing at the moment, Bell would score runs from just about anywhere in the order.
It was then up to England’s bowlers to finish the job, and they did well to bowl India out for 300 in their first innings. The stand out performer was Indian skipper Rahul Dravid, who hit a very gritty, determined 146 in an attempt to prevent his side capitulating again. However, no other Indian batsman could produce an innings to support their captain, and three wickets each for both Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann ensured that Andrew Strauss could enforce the all important follow on.
From then on in it became England vs Sachin Tendulkar. With the little master striving all series to score an elusive hundredth international century, he finally produced a worthwhile innings in what is likely to be his final test match in England. After carefully working his way to 85, a missed stumping and a dropped catch from England wicket keeper Matt Prior suggested that this was to be Tendulkar’s moment, and everyone in the ground was hoping to witness test match history. Everyone that is, apart from Tim Bresnan. With the ball starting to reverse swing, Strauss turned to Bresnan to make something happen. Bowling to Tendulkar, he produced a quick, full inswinger which caught the little master playing across his pad and trapped him LBW.
What followed was something close to carnage. With Tendulkar out, India lost what little backbone they had left and seven wickets fell for just 21 runs. England’s bowlers displayed all the skills which have served them so well over the last two years, with Graeme Swann showing that he is still the best spinner in the world by taking 6 wickets. Stuart Broad dismissed India’s tail with a dynamic display of intelligent fast bowling that showed why he won the Man of the Series award.
England’s victory placed them at the top of the test match world rankings, and the challenge now will be for them to stay there. They have to prove that they can win on flat, placid pitches in Dubai and Abu Dhabi during the winter, and then they will face a tough test when South Africans arrive next year. There is the small matter of an ODI series to complete against India before then, but for now, England celebrates.
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