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England wrap up India to level series
England's bowler Monty Panesar took 11 wickets in the secont Test win.
England raced to a famous 10-wicket win over India in the second Test this morning, after Monty Panesar finished with a career-best match haul of 11 for 210.
The tourists’ series-levelling victory was achieved principally on the back of Kevin Pietersen and captain Alastair Cook’s wonderful first-innings centuries yesterday.
Today, they merely had to complete an apparently straightforward task - and duly did so with the minimum of fuss at the Wankhede Stadium.
Panesar recorded innings figures of six for 81 as he and Graeme Swann accounted for 19 of the 20 home wickets to fall and India mustered just 142 all out on this spinners’ pitch.
Beginning 31 runs in front and with just three wickets remaining on day four, India had to believe opener Gautam Gambhir (65) could somehow inspire enough resistance to set England an awkward total.
It was an unlikely scenario, and one which proved beyond him.
Harbhajan Singh made his intentions clear from the first ball of the morning, clubbing Panesar for four high over mid-off in an over which cost 10 runs.
But Swann (four for 43) made short work of the tailender at the other end, finding extra bounce with an off-break to take the glove for a neat catch by Jonathan Trott away to his left at slip after Harbhajan shaped to cut.
Zaheer Khan also tried to slog India into more credit, but managed only a single before his sweep at Panesar resulted in a gentle skier safely held by wicketkeeper Matt Prior.
Number 11 Pragyan Ojha then appeared to have made contact with his bat, for a catch at short-leg, off Panesar.
But umpire Aleem Dar’s agreement about that was required to close the India innings, and it was not forthcoming.
It was not a decision which looked likely to be significant, and so it proved as India could add only another six runs before Gambhir fell to another dubious call - this time from Tony Hill - when there was a suspicion of inside-edge about his lbw dismissal.
There were no complaints from England, of course, and fewer still after Cook and Nick Compton passed their target of just 57 well before lunch in under 10 overs.
The tourists therefore surpassed India’s nine-wicket margin of victory from the first Test, and will head for the third in Kolkata with renewed confidence that they can after all become the first Englishmen to win a series here since 1984/85.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 5 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
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Temperature: 7 C to 19 C
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