India defeated England by five wickets in the fourth ODI to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match ODI series at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium here on Wednesday, says a report in the DNA, stating that with the temperature hovering around the 13-degree Celsius mark in foggy Mohali, India reached the 258-run target in 47.3 overs, with Suresh Raina staying unbeaten on 89. Rohit Sharma (83) was the other big contributor for the hosts.
“Earlier, England fought hard to reach a respectable 257 for seven with skipper Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen contributing 76 each. Knowing well that defeat would render the fifth and final game Dharamsala meaningless, the visitors fought till the very end,” says the DNA report, adding that the result could have been different had Steven Finn not knocked off the bails in the process of bowling to Suresh Raina with about 15 overs to go.
“India were still 80 runs away at that stage. Umpire Steve Davis immediately ruled it a dead ball. Raina accepted the lifeline gleefully and guided India home. Kudos to the left-hander, but let’s also laud Sharma for his 83 at the top of the order. The Mumbaikar, picked in place of his Ranji teammate Ajinkya Rahane, displayed nerves of steel, scoring his first fifty in over 10 months and after six fruitless outings. Sharma played plenty of those horizontal-bat strokes in testing conditions to end his run drought on the big stage.”
Meanwhile a report in Deccan Chronicle says that watching Rohit Sharma bat can be an exercise in frustration. “That feeling comes from the ease with which he can score, and the seeming indifference to the times he does not. When he does fire, the timing is exquisite, the pace of scoring languid and the strokeplay effortless, all of which was on display as he laid the base for India's series-winning fourth one-day international against England at the PCA Stadium here on Wednesday,” says the report, adding that in the end, the hosts eased home with five wickets and 15 balls to spare with Raina (89 not out, 79b, 9x4, 1x6) and Ravindra Jadeja (21 not out, 27b, 2x4) completing the job, and with it yet another series defeat here for England. For Raina, it was a 27th career ODI fifty.
“Rohit's 13th ODI half-century earlier came just as India were beginning to look in a bit of a bother. Brought in for the misfiring Ajinkya Rahane, the elegant right-hander produced the goods on the night with a classy 83 (93b, 11x4, 1x6). India started with a bump as Gautam Gambhir (10) -admittedly unlucky to be given out for a non-existent edge off Tim Bresnan -and Yuvraj Singh (3) made heavy weather on a cool evening. Three 50-plus partnerships, for the second, fourth and fifth wickets however, calmed nerves before the 45-run RainaJadeja partnership sealed the deal,” says the report.
According to a report in The Hindu, if Rohit Sharma’s 83 pushed England to the brink of a series defeat, Raina’s 89 knocked the visiting side over.
“In a contest that never rose to any memorable heights, India brought down a fighting England for a hat-trick of victories built largely on an all-round team effort dotted with individual brilliance. After letting England escape from 157 for four in 40 overs to a healthy-looking 257 for seven in its allotted overs, India covered the distance riding on three half-century stands, with five wickets and 15 deliveries to spare,” says the report, adding that the triumph gave India a winning 3-1 lead and reduced the fifth match at Dharamshala on January 27 to academic interest.