India win fourth ODI, take unbeatable lead

30 November -0001

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Kochi, Captain Rahul Dravid led from the front as India defeated England by four wickets to take a winning 4-0 lead in the seven-match series here Thursday.

Dravid scored a fine 72-ball 65 (9x4s) and Yuvraj Singh made 48 (55 balls, 6x4s) to guide India to 238 for six wickets in 47.2 overs, chasing England's 237 all out in 48.4 overs at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

India had won the earlier matches in Delhi, Faridabad and Goa. The fifth match will be played in Guwahati Sunday. England had rallied to draw 1-1 the three-match Test series that preceded the ODI matches.

England captain Andrew Flintoff won the toss and elected to bat.

Dravid opened the innings with Virender Sehwag (26, 33 balls, 4x4s) and the two put on 54 to give their team a flying start in hot and humid conditions.

Then, after Sehwag's exit, Dravid and left-handed Irfan Pathan (46, 56 balls, 6x4s, 1x6) continued the good work as they added 76 for the second wicket.

Mohammed Kaif failed again, but his Uttar Pradesh mate Suresh Raina, fresh after scoring two successive half-centuries, and Yuvraj were involved in another fruitful partnership that took India closer to victory.

Raina scored a brisk 21 as they raised 71 for the fifth wicket to keep India on the path to victory.

Earlier, Kevin Pieterson scored his career's seventh half-century, a fine 77 (82 balls, 6x4s, 2x6s) and his crucial 90-run partnership for the third wicket with Paul Collingwood (36, 48 balls, 4x4s) helped England to 237.

After new ball bowlers Pathan and local boy Sreesanth gave India a rollicking start by reducing England to 27 for two wickets, Pieterson and experienced Collingwood steadied the English innings.

Pieterson, playing his 28th one-dayer, took his series aggregate to 194 in three matches, while Collingwood, in his 89th match, now has 142 runs from four matches.

Wicketkeeper Geraint Jones was the second highest scorer with 49 (65 balls, 3x4s), falling one run short of his fourth ODI half-century.

Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj took two wickets apiece.

SCOREBOARD

Fourth one-day international, India vs. England, Nehru Stadium, Kochi, April 6

England:

Andrew Strauss lbw b Pathan 7
Matt Prior c Dhoni b Sreesanth 14
Kevin Pietersen c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 77
Paul Collingwood c & b Yuvraj 36
Andrew Flintoff c Dravid b Yuvraj 12
Vikram Solanki b Powar 12
Geraint Jones run out (Agarkar) 49
Ian Blackwell c and b Sehwag 6
Gareth Batty lbw b Sehwag 2
Matthew Hoggard run out (Agarkar) 7
JM Anderson not out 1 2 0 0
Extras: (leg byes 11, wides 1, no balls 2) 14
Total: (all out in 48.4 overs) 237

Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Strauss, 2.5 overs), 2-26 (Prior, 5.2), 3-117 (Collingwood, 21.2), 4-153 (Pietersen, 28.3), 5-155 (Flintoff, 29.4), 6-172 (Solanki, 33.6), (Blackwell, 40.1), 8-203 (Batty, 42.2), 9-231 (Hoggard, 47.3)