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India takes winning lead in series after overcoming England

Captain Rahul Dravid led from the front as India crushed England by four wickets yesterday to take an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-match one-day series.

Dravid fashioned England's dismissal for 237 with astute bowling changes and then hit 65 off 73 balls to help the hosts surpass the modest target with 16 deliveries to spare at the Nehru stadium.

England, needing a win to stay afloat in the series, were bowled out in 48.4 overs despite a fine 77 off 82 balls from Kevin Pietersen and 49 from wicket-keeper Geraint Jones.

Some 75,000 home fans braved stifling heat and humidity in the southwestern port city to cheer India's eighth one-day win in a row and the 16th in their last 20 matches.

India's 14th consecutive victory while chasing a target surpassed a 21-year-old record set by the West Indies in 1984-1985.

Dravid put on 54 for the first wicket with Virender Sehwag (26) and 76 for the second with Irfan Pathan, who contributed 46 off 56 balls.

The Indian captain hit nine boundaries in his 69th one-day half-century before he drove his English counterpart Andrew Flintoff to Matthew Hoggard at mid-off.

There was a minor hiccup when Pathan and Mohammad Kaif were dismissed on the same total of 152, but Yuvraj Singh (48) and Suresh Raina (21) put on a match-winning 72 for the fifth wicket.

Both batsmen fell off successive deliveries from James Anderson with 14 needed for victory, but it came too late for England to salvage a win.
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