Bell helps England to comfortable victory

England made the most of the serene environment and the tranquility of the surrounding areas as they defeated India by 7 wickets with 16 balls to spare in the fifth and final ODI at Dharamsala. Ian Bell starred with the bat with a splendid unbeaten ton and was well supported by Joe Root and Eoin Morgan. Tim Bresnan was the pick of the bowlers picking up 4 wickets for the visitors. Earlier, Suresh Raina had hit a fighting 83 to take India to a respectable 226.The backgroundThe scenic mountain range of the mighty Himalayas surrounding the HPCA stadium took center stage as India and England faced each other in the fifth and final ODI in Dharamsala. The expectancy was high as the venue was hosting its first ever international cricket match. The atmosphere was electrifying, the ambiance serene and the backdrop, breathtakingly beautiful and stunning - and a touch overwhelming! Alastair Cook won the toss and opted to put India in. It was an early start and the England skipper wanted to make use of the prevailing weather conditions which would assist swing and seam bowling, especially at this time of the year in this northern hill station of the country. The high altitude of the stadium would further offer more assistance to the English seamers. India retained the winning eleven while England replaced Jade Dernbach with Chris Woakes.Bresnan and Finn rattled the Indian battingSteven Finn and Tim Bresnan started proceedings for the hosts. They were bowling with zest and making the ball talk. Bresnan provided England with an early breakthrough when he got Rohit Sharma to edge one to James Tredwell at 2nd slip. India had lost their first wicket in the 4th over. Sharma departed for 4. Bresnan produced a similar delivery the very next ball, pitching it on a good length just outside the off stump, luring the new batsman, Virat Kohli into a flashy drive on the up - the flamboyant Indian No.3 got the edge and Tredwell, after a couple of juggles, held onto the catch. India were on the backfoot. Gautam Gambhir relieved a bit of the pressure when he hit a couple of boundaries off Bresnan in the 6th over of the innings. But the England bowlers were relentless. Steven Finn added to India's early woes getting rid of Yuvraj Singh for a duck - the southpaw getting a leading edge to Morgan at point. At 24/3, India were now in serious trouble. A period of LullSuresh Raina and Gautam Gambhir began the resurrection process. The former was lucky to get an early let-off when Tredwell dropped a difficult chance at 2nd slip - the ball seemed to be following the England off-spinner! Suresh Raina broke the shackles when he hit Chris Woakes for 3 boundaries in the 12th over. James Tredwell was introduced into the attack in the 13th over and picked up a wicket off his 2nd delivery getting Gambhir caught at point. It was an ordinary shot off an ordinary delivery. The home team were in dire straits at 49/4 in the 13th over. MS Dhoni joined Raina in the middle. James Tredwell continued to impress and maintained a tight leash on the Indian batsmen giving nothing away. The run-rate dipped. Raina eased the pressure a wee bit when he came down the track and thumped Tredwell for a six straight over the sightscreen in the 19th over. Steven Finn returned into the attack and caught MS Dhoni plumb lbw right in front of the wickets. India were now staring down the barrel at 79/5.The partnership and the Suresh Raina showRavindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina now needed to bat out the overs and spend some time at the crease. They batted with reasonable caution and were happy to rotate the strike, pick up the singles and the twos and get the odd boundary. The running between the wickets was excellent. Periods of low-scoring overs were broken by an odd six by Raina and Jadeja. The pair brought up the Indian hundred in the 27th over. Raina, who had completed 4000 ODI runs during the course of this innings, reached yet another fifty in ODI cricket - his fourth half century on the trot, when he hit an inside out cover drive off Root to the boundary. The Indian duo had clearly devised a strategy to attack the fifth English bowler - a combination of Joe Root and Samit Patel. They were particularly severe on the latter. The southpaw was dropped twice in the 37th over of the innings. James Tredwell picked up his 2nd wicket and ended a splendid 78 run stand between Raina and Jadeja when he sent the latter packing for fine 39. India had lost their 6th wicket in the 39th over with the score at 157. Raina had added a few more to his score when Chris Woakes struck at a crucial moment in the match, dismissing the left-hander for a magnificent 83. Raina had also completed 4000 runs in ODI cricket during the course of his innings. India had been reduced to 177/7 in the 42nd over. The tail waggedBhuvneshwar Kumar and R Ashwin struck a few lusty blows to propel India over the 200 run mark. They took on Samit Patel and hammered him for 15 runs off the 47th over of the innings - making it the most profitable over of the Indian innings. Tim Bresnan ended the Indian innings at 226 picking up the wickets of Kumar and Shami Ahmed in his 10th over to finish with figures of 45/4 from 9.4 overs. James Tredwell and Steven Finn were very impressive and chipped in with a couple of wickets each, not conceding many from their quota of 10 overs. Joe Root and Samit Patel were taken for plenty, conceding 80 in their combined 11 overs.England openers began wellAlastair Cook and Ian Bell gave England a positive start. They did not try anything fancy but at the same time kept the scoreboard ticking, picking up a few boundaries. The Indian new ball attack of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed was guilty of bowling a touch short enabling the English openers to execute a number of drives of the backfoot. The pair had taken England past the 50 mark and looked well set for a longer vigil at the crease.Ishant's splendid spellIshant Sharma had conceded a boundary in his first over but then came back with aplomb and bowled three maidens on the trot. He castled Cook in his 3rd over ending a 53 run opening wicket stand. He bowled a touch fuller getting a lot of movement and nip from the wicket. He bowled with heart, pace and enthusiasm and purpose. He maintained a stranglehold on the English batsmen in what was one of his finest spells of fast bowling. The run rate required soared. Sharma had figures of 5 overs, 3 maidens, 9 runs and a wicket from his opening spell. Kevin Pietersen fell to Shami Ahmed trying to go for a pull but only managing to mistime the ball to deep midwicket. At 64/2 in the 19th over, England were in slight trouble.The Bell-Root standIan Bell and Joe Root batted with caution and brought the England chase back on track. They did not take any undue risks - just played the balling on its merit and kept milking the bowlers. The gap between the runs required and the balls remaining was becoming narrower but the English pair did not panic. They left the good deliveries alone but at the same time were very severe on anything short and dispatched it to the boundary. England reached triple figures in the 26th over. Ian Bell soon completed his half century - an innings of patience and determination - attributes not generally associated with Ian Bell. 109 runs were required of the last 20 overs. Bell gave an example of his lazy elegance when he charged down the track and chipped Ashwin back over his head for a sublime six. Joe Root was finally cleaned up by Jadeja for 31, ending a fine 79 run stand between him and Bell for the 4th wicket.Quick gun Morgan sends Alarm Bell ringingEoin Morgan, who had had a rather indifferent series was desperate to make amends before leaving the Indian shores. 76 were needed off the last 13 overs. Ashwin gave away just 3 off the 41st over - 57 were now required off the final 9 overs. Ian Bell drove a full toss from Ishant Sharma on the on side to register his 3rd ODI ton. It was the first century by any batsman in the series. Eoin Morgan then decided to change gear and launch into the Indian bowling. He thumped Ashwin depositing the first delivery of the 45th into the long-on stands. He then smashed Shami Ahmed for a blistering six over long-off before pulling him for a maximum over deep backward square. A few more hits to the fence and England had wrapped up the match by 7 wickets with 16 balls to spare. Ian Bell remained unbeaten on a fantastic 113 off 143 deliveries and during the course of his innings also reached the landmark of 4000 ODI runs. Eoin Morgan finished with a run a ball 40. The pair had added an unbeaten 84 runs in just 11.4 overs. Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja were the most impressive bowlers for the hosts.ConclusionIan Bell was declared the man of the match while Suresh Raina was adjudged the player of the series for his amazing consistency over the ODI series. England ended their split tour of India with a consolation win. Joe Root was the find of the series whereas James Tredwell was the stand out bowler for the visitors. India would be happy that they had found a bowling all-rounder in Ravindra Jadeja. The quality of batting and the maturity shown by Suresh Raina would hold the ODI unit in good stead for the future. The fast bowling department had also received a boost with the two new finds, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shami Ahmed.