Dhoni-led India trounce England; Advance

India made three Cha(wla)nges to their playing eleven – Virender Sehwag, Ravichandran Ashwin and Zaheer Khan made way for Harbhajan Singh (the player of the match), Piyush and Ashok Dinda.

England made three changes to the (Pat)eleven that last played the Indians – Kevin Pietersen, Samit and Ravi Bopara made way for Luke Wright, Eoin Morgan and Stuart Broad (who was leading the team, and inserted the Indians on winning the toss).

The Powerplay of India’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 52, and lost a wicket.

Irfan Pathan, whose run-a-ball (F)innings included a boundary, scored eight. Sixteen balls into the match, Steven broke the 24-run stand.

India scored 50 off 5.4 overs (34 balls). England had conceded five extras at that point.

The second-wicket pair put on 50 off 39 balls. While Gautam Gambhir’s contribution to the partnership was 13, Virat Kohli’s contribution to it was 36. Extras’ contribution to it was a run.

Kohli, whose 32-ball innings included half-a-dozen boundaries, eventually scored 40. Forty-seven balls after Pathan’s dismissal, he was caught by Jonny Bairstow. Graeme Swann broke the 47-run stand.

India scored 100 off 13.1 overs (79 balls). England had conceded eight extras at that point.

Gambhir, whose 38-ball innings included five boundaries, eventually scored 45. Thirty-two balls later, he was caught by Craig Kieswetter. Finn broke the 38-run stand.

India scored 150 off 18.4 overs (112 balls). England had conceded eight extras at that point.

Rohit Sharma’s half-century – which included five boundaries and a six – came off 31 balls. He faced 33 balls, eventually scoring 55. He was unbeaten.

Mahendra Singh, India’s skipper, scoreD(ho)nine. His eight-ball innings included a boundary. Twenty-three balls after Gambhir’s dismissal, he was caught by Alex Hales. Jade Dernbach broke the 47-run stand.

Suresh Raina, who faced a ball, scored a run. He was unbeaten.

England eventually conceded a dozen extras. India scored 170 for the loss of four wickets off 20 overs.

Each of the five bowlers bowled four overs apiece. Broad and Tim Bresnan were wicketless. While the former conceded 36, the latter conceded 35. Dernbach and Swann picked up a wicket apiece. While the former conceded 35, the latter conceded 17. Finn, who bowled four overs, conceded 33. He picked up a couple of scalps.

The Powerplay of England’s innings – which was the mandatory Powerplay – was between the first and the sixth over. They scored 39, and lost three wickets.

Hales, who faced a couple of balls, didn’t get off the mark. An over into the chase, Pathan broke the two-run stand.

Wright, who faced four balls, scored half-a-dozen. His runs came by way of a six. Ten balls later, he was trapped leg before wicket by Pathan, who broke the 16-run stand.

Morgan, who faced half-a-dozen balls, scored just a couple. Sixteen balls later, Harbhajan broke the 21-run stand.

Bairstow, who faced eight balls, scored a run. Ten balls later, Chawla broke the three-run stand.

England scored 50 off eight overs (48 balls). India had conceded an extra at that point. That was, incidentally, the number of extras they eventually conceded.

Kieswetter, whose 25-ball innings included four boundaries and a couple of sixes, scored 35. Seven balls after Bairstow’s dismissal, he was caught by Kohli. Chawla broke the nine-run stand.

Bresnan, who faced eight balls, scored just a run. Eleven balls later, he was caught by Gambhir. Harbhajan broke the three-run stand.

Jos Buttler, whose 12-ball innings included a boundary, scored 11. Harbhajan had a reason to be in seventh heaven – he broke the six-run stand.

The eighth-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. Swann, who faced three balls, didn’t open his account. Three balls later, he was stumped by Dhoni off the bowling of Harbhajan.

The ninth-wicket pair didn’t get off the mark. Broad, who faced three balls, scored as many. Three balls later, he was caught by Gambhir off the bowling of Dinda.

Finn, whose innings included a boundary, scored eight. He was unbea‘ten’.

The last-wicket pair put on 20. Although his innings included a couple of boundaries, Dernbach, who scored a dozen, had no reason to be in seventh heaven – 15 ball later, Lakshmipathy Balaji ran him out.

England, who were dismissed for 80 off 14.4 overs, lost by 90 runs. Yuvraj Singh, who bowled four balls, conceded a couple. He was wicketless, as was Balaji, who faced an over, conceding 10.

Dinda, who bowled a couple of overs, conceded 26. He picked up a wicket. Pathan, who bowled three overs, conceded 17. He picked up a couple of wickets, as did Chawla, who bowled four overs, including a maiden. He conceded 13. Harbhajan bowled four overs, including a couple of maidens. He conceded a dozen, picking up four scalps.     

India advanced to the Super Eights.