India captain MS Dhoni was delighted to see his team get back to winning ways yesterday following comprehensive defeats in the final three Tests.
England descended to a miserable 133-run defeat in Cardiff as Suresh Raina hit a brutal century in India’s 304 for six in the second of five matches after Monday’s washout in Bristol.
England mustered only 161 all out in 38.1 overs, after a rain break between innings left a revised target of 295 in 47.
“It’s a very different format, it gives them the freedom to express themselves on the field,” said Dhoni, who chipped with 52 in the middle order after opener Rohit Sharma steadied the ship with 52 after India lost two wickets at the score of 19.
“What it really does is bring them back into form if they’re out of form a bit. Also, you play according to the demands of the game.”
England captain Alastair Cook said his team were not good enough and paid for a patchy performance with the ball.
Debutant Alex Hales (40 from 63) and Cook (19 from 33) raised hopes in an opening stand of 54. But once first-change Mohammad Shami struck twice in four balls, the hosts had no answer, with Ravindra Jadeja finishing with figures of four for 28 from seven overs.
“We didn’t play very well at all today,” Cook told Sky Sports. “Credit to that partnership from MS [Dhoni] and Suresh Raina. They took the game away from us and we are quite slow to react to that.
“But even when we batted, it wasn’t a 160 wicket. You’ve still got to turn up and play, and to be brutally honest, we didn’t do that in any of our departments.”
Chris Woakes was the pick of the England bowlers, taking four for 52, but Chris Jordan recorded nought for 73 with 12 wides.
“CJ has had a really good start to his international career,” Cook said. “Unfortunately, it’s not always going to be a smooth ride for any of these young players and he’ll learn from it.
“What we have to do is dust ourselves down, come back in the next game and play better. There’s a lot of talent in that dressing room to play better.
“So it’s not all doom and gloom. But if you play like that, you don’t win many games.”
Woakes’s two early victims, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli, were a reward for his and James Anderson’s accuracy as India stumbled to 26 for two after 10 overs.
Rohit and Ajinkya Rahane provided stability, putting on 69 between overs 10 and 20 in a low-risk stand of 91.
But Rahane was stumped in a close decision for the third umpire. Rohit’s innings concluded in an anti-climax when he sliced his attempt to hit Tredwell for a straight six instead to long off.
It turned out that Rohit’s earnest contribution was merely prelude to the Raina show. Omitted for the Tests but formidable in the limited-overs format, Raina proved that at the first attempt.
He had a moment of fortune, though, when Tredwell might easily have had him leg-before sweeping. But umpire Paul Reiffel provided the reprieve on 17, and Raina barely put another foot wrong.
He and Dhoni plundered 62 in powerplay – including one Woakes over which cost 20, with two Raina sixes, and another containing 11 deliveries because of five wides from the errant Jordan.
The last 10 overs cost England another 86 runs.
Much damage was already done, but England’s response with the bat was disappointing, nonetheless.