India complete stunning recovery to level NatWest series
Controversy reigned as England attempted to wrap up the seven-match campaign without the injured Andrew Flintoff, but the teams will now face a showdown at Lord’s on Saturday with the score 3-3.
Robin Uthappa, in his first appearance of the series, settled an incredible contest by a two-wicket margin when he scored the 10 required off Stuart Broad’s final over in just four balls.
It was the final twist in a tense, error-strewn affair which included England captain Paul Collingwood being controversially run out, an angry spat at the head of India’s pursuit of 317 and Sachin Tendulkar limping off after contributing a magnificent 94.
On a day of some excellent batting it laid the platform to settle the run-fest.
Centurion Owais Shah, debutant Luke Wright — Flintoff’s replacement — and the big-hitting Dimitri Mascarenhas propelled England to an ominous 316 for six.
Their action-packed innings culminated with an extraordinary final over, which saw Mascarenhas hit the last five deliveries from Yuvraj Singh for six.
But Uthappa’s 50th-over antics proved most significant as he failed to be distracted by losing partner Zaheer Khan to a run-out off the second ball.
He calmly wedged a full toss over short fine-leg for four off the third and with only one more boundary required for victory found it at the first attempt with a splendid off-drive.
The 21-year-old was engulfed by his team-mates, who had run down the steps from the dressing room.
Collingwood was upbeat.
“We can keep our heads held high. There was a lot of commitment, desire. I can’t fault their effort out there. It was a shame to lose but congratulations to India, they played a great game.”
India captain Rahul Dravid insisted his side were confident of chasing their target, even though it would once have been deemed an impossible chase.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
