India wins Champions Trophy

24 June 2013 02:22 am Views - 5134

India has added the Champions Trophy title to the World Cup they won two years ago, seeing off England by five runs in the Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston.

Tournament hosts England, still to win a major one-day title, held India to 7-129 in a match reduced by rain to 20 overs per side.

But, chasing 130, they collapsed to 4-46, before a partnership of 64 between Eoin Morgan (33) and Ravi Bopara (30), who'd earlier taken 3-20 with his medium-pacers, swung the match back their way.

However, Indian seamer Ishant Sharma turned the match on its head by removing Morgan and Bopara off successive deliveries to leave England 6-110 in the 18th over and needing 19 off 12 balls.

That eventually became six off one ball and proved too much for tailender James Tredwell as he failed to make contact against fellow offspinner Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ravindra Jadeja was named man of the match after making 33 not out and then taking 2-24 with his left-arm spin.

England are still searching for their first major ODI trophy after defeats in three World Cup finals (1979, 1987 and 1992) and a 2004 Champions Trophy final loss to the West Indies.

India's youthful side contained just captain MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina from the team that beat Sri Lanka in Mumbai to win the 2011 World Cup final.

England's reply suffered an early setback when captain Alastair Cook was caught in the slips for two by Ashwin off Umesh Yada.
They were 2-28 when Jonathan Trott was stumped by Dhoni off Ashwin for 20, Joe Root holed out cheaply off Ashwin before opener Ian Bell was stumped off Jadeja.

It was a close call but Australian third umpire Bruce Oxenford ruled in India's favour, although Bell was convinced there was enough doubt for the decision to go his way.

England needed 59 off the final 36 balls but that target was reduced to 48 off 30 after Bopara launched Ishant Sharma over mid-wicket for six.

Morgan then weighed in with a reverse-sweep four off part-time spinner Raina.
Bopara swept Jadeja for six to raise a 50 stand with Morgan.

But Morgan then holed out and Bopara, from what might have been a wide had he left it alone, was caught off a hook.

The organisers, keen to provide some meaningful cricket in what was meant to be a 50 overs per side contest, took the unusual decision to extend play by two hours to ensure a result in front of a packed crowd, with no reserve day.

England dismantled the Indian top-order after winning the toss in overcast conditions.

India, who shared the 2002 Champions Trophy after a rain-ruined final against Sri Lanka in Colombo, were reduced to 5-66 before Kohli (43 off 34) and Jadeja (33 off 25) added 47 for the sixth wicket.(AAP)