On this day – India whitewash England in the five-match ODI series
Getting the better of a team in five consecutive games isn’t a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination. It becomes more prominent and difficult when the opposition is an established side at the international level. On this day (October 25), 10 years back, the Indian team dished out a dominating show to clinch the ODI fixture against England in Mohali by a massive 95 runs on the Diwali eve and pushed the visitors for a 5-0 clean sweep.
It was more of a redemption series for the Indian squad. After becoming the world champions in 2011, they had toured England for a four-match Test series followed by a five-match ODI series and a single T20 fixture in the month of July. However, they were comprehensively humbled in all the three formats of the game by the England team.
A disciplined show in all the departments was the highlight of India’s 5-0 triumph and Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men showed near-perfection in all the facets of the game right from batting to bowling and fielding in what was billed as the ‘payback series’
The final ODI
The fifth One Day International against England in 2011 at Eden Gardens commenced with England winning the toss and sending India to bat first. The Indian team had a good start with the opening batsmen Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane collecting 80 runs within 17 overs. However, the pacer Steven Finn bowled two brilliant deliveries to dismiss Gambhir and Virat Kohli in the same over. England made a comeback in the game by taking 4 wickets in the next 10 overs. But a masterclass of not out 75 off 69 by the captain MS Dhoni ensured that hosts posted a total of 271 on the board in 50 overs.
The England side looked confident and were deemed as the favourites to clinch the match as they piled up 129 runs in 20 overs. But the young pacer Varun Aaron gave the first breakthrough to his team by claiming the wicket of opposition opener Alastair Cook who was batting at 60. Then, the spinner Ravindra Jadeja bowled the spell of his life and tormented the visitors batting line-up by taking 4 important wickets while giving just 33 runs in his 8 overs. The Indian bowling unit showed tremendous character and scripted a victory for their team.
Series at a glance
In the first ODI fixture, India had registered a massive victory over the hosts by 126 runs owing to the 70-ball 87 by the captain Dhoni while in the second match, the young and dynamic Virat Kohli had stepped up and smashed 112 not out of 98 deliveries to take his team to the finishing line. The third ODI saw a nail-biting thriller with India clinching the match at the last second. This was followed by a 6-wicket win over the visitors owing to the batting brilliance by Kohli and Suresh Raina as they scored 86 off 99 and 80 off 62 respectively. In all the five ODIs played, the Indian side put up a comprehensive and complete performance which led to the surrender of the visitors on the Indian soil.
