ICC Twenty20 2009: India Lose to England, Out of Championship

The do-or-die moment for India meant a struggle to contain the English batting, followed by a mixed set of batting. While Yuvraj Singh did his part, Jadeja played it slow, and in the end, a close enough finish just wasn't enough. India lost to England in the Super Eights of the ICC Twenty20 Championship, two years after winning the first edition of the tournament, and were packing their bags for the flight home.

India opted to chase after winning the toss, and the first overs went well. Zaheer Khan gave away just three runs, and RP Singh took a wicket in his first over. England pushed the run rate beyond 7.5 upto the 9th over, but began sliding back once the spinners took control. Jadeja's thrilling bowl out of Pietersen just after a lofty six brought out the cheers, while Harbhajan Singh's 3/30, two wickets of which came off the final over, limited England to a mangeable 153/7.

India came out to bat with some aplomb, and Gautam Gambhir's steady batting gave them some hope, despite early losses of Raina and Sharma. Jadeja came up to the crease perhaps a little too early in the batting order, and played a slow game, while Yuvraj Singh built up his pace. before both fell in the 14th over, leaving India needing 67 from 36 balls.

MS Dhoni and Pathan pushed through a good partnership, but the bowlers were up to the challenge, holding them down. India were 115/5 at the end of the 17th over, needing 39 runs more. The 18th over provided 11 runs, quite a relief to the Indians, who knew they would be on the flight home if they lost this game. Nine runs were procured from the 19th over, and India needed 19 from the last six balls.

The field was rearranged, Dhoni and Yusuf Pathan took a gander at the setting, with Pathan at strike. The first ball was a single, the second a double, and then another single. The fourth ball was a smashing six, and just nine runs were needed from the last two balls. Sidebottom came up to bowl the penultimate ball, giving away a single, and then reaffirmed his determination to bowl a clean final over. It crossed the boundary, and India ended at 150-5.

The English team played very good cricket, and the Indians were positively stunned. The final partnership of 63 not out between Dhoni and Pathan just didn't cut it.