England and India share thrilling tie.

England shared a tie with India in a quite thrilling World Cup Group B encounter in Bangalore as Andrew Strauss inspired his side to level their opponent's 338 in a pulsating clash.

A dramatic finale saw England take 12 runs off the final over to tie the match after an imperious 158 from Strauss gave his side the opportunity of clinching a stunning run-chase.

It would have been an incredible effort from England after Sachin Tendulkar's 120 looked to have given India a dominant position as they posted their opponents a target of 339 to win.

India appeared to have set a daunting winning target in the Group B match but England kept cool and were coasting towards victory as they eased to 281-2, thanks largely to Strauss.

However, when England opted to play their powerplay from the 42nd over, Zaheer Khan produced a superb bowling spell to take three wickets in six balls to revive the home team's fortunes.

Needing 14 to win off pace bowler Munaf Patel's last over, Ajmal Shahzad brought England right back into contention after blasting a huge six that had Strauss leaping off his seat in the pavilion.

The electrifying match went down to the last ball with England two runs short of their victory target.

Graeme Swann nudged the ball to mid-off to secure the tie - a result that was loudly cheered by all those lucky enough to witness one of the best ever ODIs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

"In some ways we're happy and in some ways we're distraught. A great game of cricket," man-of-the-match Strauss said during the presentation ceremony.

"You back yourself to play better than that (in the powerplay). We lost (Ian) Bell and myself which is the last thing you want and that put pressure on the batsmen coming in.

"In some ways we're disappointed but in some ways we're privileged to play in a game like that.

"Some good performances, some less so."

His India counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni added: "At the end of the day, I'm happy with a tie.

"With just two wickets down (after 42 overs) ... it was getting pretty difficult for the bowlers and Zak (Khan) came in and bowled a really good spell and brought us back into the game. Otherwise it would have been done by 48 overs."

Earlier India's total revolved largely around Tendulkar's 47th one-day international century and a record fifth in World Cups.

In reply, England's run-chase was set well on its way helped by Strauss's sweetly-timed knock, the first century by an English captain in a World Cup.

Ultimately, though, it was one point each for the Group B front-runners via the fourth tie in the history of the competition after Swann could scramble only a single from Patel's final ball with eight wickets down under lights.

England relishing India challenge.

England are hoping their big-game temperament can help spoil the “party” India have planned at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore tomorrow.

Captain Andrew Strauss is well aware of his team’s ominously poor record against the World Cup favourites - they have not beaten India in any form of cricket for almost four years - but is confident the big stage will bring out England’s best.

India, he senses, may by contrast fall prey to the huge weight of expectation from the one billion-strong population of their cricket-obsessed country.

Strauss cites England’s world-beating exploits at last year’s ICC World Twenty20 in the Caribbean - where they won their first global trophy, under Paul Collingwood - as evidence that they can rise to the occasion again not just in this second Group B match but throughout their sub-continental campaign.

“In some ways, perhaps there’s more pressure on India than us in this game,” he said.

“We’ve played a lot of good cricket in big games in the last 24 months or so. That’s something we’re very proud of, that in high-pressure games we’ve performed well. This is one of those games, and we’re very confident of doing well again.

“I think there’s a real vibe and excitement and enthusiasm about our guys. If you can get a couple of breakthroughs early and put the Indian batting order under pressure they’re obviously carrying a lot of expectation on their shoulders.

“Playing against India is always a big challenge. But we’re up for it and think we can do well. It’s not something we’re overawed about; it’s something we’re very excited about.”

A victory for England, against opponents they may end up playing 19 times this year, would identify them as big-hitters in this tournament.

Strauss, however, is careful not to get ahead of himself on that score - in the knowledge England are up against the might of Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, among a sheet full of other superstar names in India’s ranks.

“It would be potentially a huge lift for us and would send out a pretty strong marker to other sides,” he added.


“We’ve got to do it first ... but we’d love to spoil an India party here in Bangalore.

“There’s a huge sense of anticipation. This is a huge occasion. It’s going to be a great atmosphere, and I think it’s one of those games that everyone dreams of playing - against India, in the World Cup on their home turf.”

If England are to prevail, a return to his best for Kevin Pietersen would clearly not go amiss.

He has not made a one-day international hundred since he did so against India in the final match of a curtailed series which England lost 5-0 on their last tour of this country in 2008.

But Strauss, optimistic after Pietersen’s surprise move up the order to open, said: “I think this is the sort of match that brings out the best in him.

“In the big matches and big tournaments, generally we see the best of Kevin Pietersen. I don’t think it’s time to take the pressure off (him). It’s a World Cup - we all need to stand up and perform. He knows that as well as anyone else.

“We know what he can bring to our side when he does perform, because he’s a match-winning player and one other sides will fear.”

Pietersen and his fellow batsmen will face a trial by spin at some point tomorrow - if they stay in long enough - with Harbhajan Singh their chief adversary.

“If it is a challenge on a turning wicket then we are fully up for it,” said Strauss. “If it’s going to turn then it will challenge all batsmen. We’ve got to be good enough to counteract that, and I think we will be.”

Irrespective of how they play Harbhajan, though, one thing England must improve drastically from their scrambled opening win over the Netherlands is their fielding.

“What they have had is a pretty stark wake-up call, that we can’t be that bad again,” the captain said of his players.

“I think we all know that. They don’t need me to ram it down their necks. But it has happened very infrequently to us, and I don’t expect it to happen again in a hurry.

“We take a lot of pride in our fielding. In this game, I think our fielding could be an advantage. The most important thing is we’re switched on, and all 11 of us recognise our responsibilities to put in a flawless fielding performance.”

Should pace bowler Stuart Broad overcome a stomach upset in time as expected, after having to miss nets today, the only selection question facing Strauss and team director Andy Flower is whether to bring in Michael Yardy as an extra spinner.

Warm-up: India spin out Kiwis for big win

Chennai: Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni led a solid batting display by Indians with an explosive unbeaten century to set up a crushing 117-run victory over a hapless New Zealand in a lop-sided warm-up game ahead of the World Cup here on Wednesday.

Dhoni smashed a 64-ball 108 not out and Gautam Gambhir contributed a classy 89 as India first scored an imposing 360 for five after electing to bat and then shot out New Zealand for 243 in 43.1 overs to notch up their second World Cup warm-up victory on the trot.

Chasing an imposing 361 to win, New Zealand batsmen wilted under pressure as Indian spinners took centrestage on a helpful pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to maintain a clean slate ahead of their World Cup opener against Bangladesh in Dhaka on Sunday.

Needing to score at a stiff rate of 7.20 runs an over, it was always a tough task for the team playing second and expectedly Indian slow bowlers extracted turn and bounce from the pitch as the Kiwis surrendered without much fight.

Harbhajan Singh, Piyush Chawla and Yuvraj Singh broke the back of the Kiwi batting, taking two wickets apiece while Ravichandran Ashwin also had a satisfying outing with 1/31, having provided the initial breakthrough by dismissing opener Martin Guptill.

Ashish Nehra, who went without wicket in his initial spell, took the last two wickets.

Barring the openers - Brendon McCullum (58 off 54 balls) and and Guptill (38 off 45 balls) - who negotiated the Indian new ball bowlers well, all other batsmen, including Ross Taylor, who captained the Kiwis on Wednesday, Jessy Rider and Scott Styris failed to rise to the occasion.

Except for the opening stand of 94 from 15 overs, the Kiwis could not put up any more substantial partnerships as Dhoni rotated Harbhajan, Ashwin, Yuvraj and Chawla.

Both Chawla and Ashwin bowled a tight line and length and Dhoni continued with them for long spells, perhaps to assess the right one for the second spinner's slot for the tournament proper.

Harbhajan, who bowled four overs on the trot, was in his usual penetrative bowling.

Earlier, an explosive unbeaten knock of 108 by Dhoni and a classy 89 by Gambhir powered India to an imposing 360 for five after electing to bat.

After sharing 68 runs in 9.3 overs for the fourth wicket with Gambhir, Dhoni set the nearly-packed Chepauk stadium on fire as he tore into the Kiwi bowling in the company of Suresh Raina, who made his exit just 12 balls before the hosts ended their innings.

Raina made a quickfire 50 off just 26 balls with three huge sixes and four boundaries and added 124 runs in 9.2 overs along with Dhoni.

For the hapless New Zealand, Jacob Oram and Tim Southee were the most successful bowlers sharing two wickets each, while Kyle Mills accounted for one wicket.

Openers Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar started cautiously as the Kiwi pacers extracted bounce and also kept up a steady line in length to stifle the Indian openers.

Tendulkar (17) was the first to go with the scoreboard reading 35 and soon Sehwag (23) followed suit as India were reduced to 42 for two.

However, Gambhir hit form at the right time and resurrected the Indian batting along with Virat Kohli (59), adding 106 crucial runs for the third wicket to save India from the embarrassment of another batting collapse like in Bangalore against Australia.

After Kohli's departure, Gambhir involved in a 68-run stand for the fourth wicket with Dhoni. The hosts made good use of the opportunities and also showed better on-field intensity as both Gambhir and Dhoni rotated their strike and looked for big runs.

During their stay, the pair scored at 7.15 runs an over together for 9.3 overs at the pitch.

Dhoni, who took the role of aggressor after Gambhir's exit, was in his elements as he stepped on the gas and went on a run hunt, hitting the bowlers, particularly Jacob Oram, all around the park.

After completing his half century in just 40 balls, Dhoni raced to 61 with five successive boundaries, including a four at the square leg region and one over the bowler Oram, who was taken off from duty at the end of 43rd over.

Dhoni continued his blitzkrieg and sent spinner Nathan McCullum to the ropes twice, much to the amusement of over 35,000 odd crowd that cheered every shot of the host captain.

New Zealand, skippered by Ross Taylor, used as many as seven bowlers on the wicket which offered good bounce with the odd ball keeping low. But spinners McCullum and Luke Woodcock came a cropper against the mighty Indian batting.

Gambhir, Dhoni power India to 360/5 vs NZ

A blistering unbeaten 108 off 64 balls from Indian captain M S Dhoni took his side to a massive 360/5 in 50 overs against New Zealand in their warm-up match at Chepauk Stadium, Chennai. Also contributing heavily to the total was Gautam Gambhir who made 89 off 85 balls. New Zelkand's most expensive bowler was Kyle Mills, taking 1/81 in his 10 overs, while Jacob Oram had figures of 1/70 off 9 overs.

Soon after India crossed their innings' half-way point, Kohli brought up his half-century and celebrated it by striking a four off off-spinner Nathan McCullum. But three overs later, he was caught behind off Jacob Oram for 59 off 68 balls as India slipped to 147/3 in 29.2 overs.


Gambhir teamed up with Dhoni to each knock a four off Kyle Mills in the 35th over. Then in the following over Gambhir smashed two more boundaries off Jacob Oram. But he was not done with bludgeoning the attack. As India took the batting powerplay in the 36th over, he laid into Tim Southee, smashing him for three consecutive fours as India's score ticked over 200.

But Southee finally got his revenge in the 39th over, when he induced Gambhir into a thick top-edge which was gobbled up by the keeper. The batsman was on his way for 89 off 85 balls, but India were still looking strong at 216/4 in 38.4 overs. And Dhoni was intent on upping the scoring rate. In the 40th over, he hit McCullum for a four and then in the 41st, Styris, for a six as India scaled to 234/4.

Then in the 43rd over, Dhoni took Oram to the cleaners, clobbering him for 5 consecutive boundaries as India climbed to 263/4 in 43 overs. Dhoni had even brought up his half-century in the process. There was no stopping this wicket-keeper batsman who took 16 runs of McCullum in the 44th over. Then, Raina got into the act, smashing Oram for 3 sixes in the 45th over as India moved onto 298/4. The batsman brought up India's 300 with a four off Mills.

The batting duo took 13 runs off the 46th over and 178 of the 47th, before Raina notched his half-century of just 25 balls. But in the next ball Mills accounted for his wicket as the score read 340/5 in 48 overs.

In the final over of India's innings, Dhoni scampered a couple of doubles to reach his century off just 62 balls. Then he his third six and ran another two to take India to a mammoth 360/5 in 50 overs.

Winning the toss and opting to bat first, India got off to a steady and brisk start against New Zealand. While Virender Sehwag hit a four off Tim Southee in the second and fourth over, Sachin Tendulkar smacked Kyle Mills for a boundary in the third.

But the Little Master took his time to settle in, playing out a maiden in the 5th over.In the 7th over, Tendulkar glanced Southee to fine leg for four, but in the very next ball was bowled while going for an extravagant stroke. India were 35/1 in 7.3 overs with Gautam Gambhir the new man out in the middle.

But Sehwag kept the momentum going, taking a four off Mills in the next over. However, he didn't last very much longer, getting bowled by Jacob Oram in the 9th over for 23 off 30 balls. India were 42/2 in 9.1 overs with Virat Kohli replacing Segwag. In the 11th over, Gambhir took a single off Oram to bring up India's 50.

In the 12th over, Kohli cut loose, striking James Franklin for 2 fours as India climbed to63/2 in 13 overs. Kohli and Gambhir were content mainly picking the ones and twos as they consolidated. Then in the 22nd over, Kohli smashed spinner Luke Woodcock for a four to bring up India's 100. Two overs later, Gambhit and Kohli teamed up to take two fours off the same bowler. At the end of 25 overs, India were cruising at 12/2.

Rahat Fateh Ali arrested in India

NEW DELHI: Interior Minister A. Rehman Malik on Sunday telephoned High Commissioner of Pakistan to New Delhi Shahid Malik to inquire details about the detention of famous Pakistani singer, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan at Indira Gandhi International Airport.

According to a statement issued here on Sunday, the minister said that he was examining the matter. He has also asked Pakistani High Commissioner to India to monitor the matter thoroughly.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who was arrested at Delhi airport on Sunday for possessing undeclared currency of 100,000 US dollars will be presented before court on Monday.

His manager Chitresh Srivastava has also been arrested.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan arrived here on a flight from Karachi and was intercepted by personnel from Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.

Khan has several hit numbers to his credit and had won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer this year for 'Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji' from the movie 'Ishqiya'.

Rahat, 37, who has crooned several Bollywood chartbusters, had flown from Karachi to New Delhi. He is the nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.