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25 Overs England 106 for 4 (Root 21*, Kieswetter 14*) need another 180 to beat India 285 for 6 (Dhoni 72, Jadeja 61*, Finn 2-51)
MS Dhoni fired India to a good total © BCCI
India took a firm hold of the second ODI as England lost four wickets in pursuit of 286 in Kochi. It was a daunting task and it became an improbable one from the moment that Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in the space of three balls in an outstanding new-ball spell.
There is nothing like a humid evening in Kochi to perk up a swing bowler and Kumar, a 22-year-old from Uttar Pradesh playing in only his fifth ODI, also summoned impressive stamina as Dhoni ran his 10-over spell through without interruption and was rewarded with his best international figures of 3 for 29.
It was Shami Ahmed who began India's good work, an outswinger which would have been called a wide had Ian Bell not chased it and feathered it to the wicketkeeper, MS Dhoni. England then stabilised in a stand of 54 in nine overs between Alastair Cook and Pietersen before Kumar was fortunate to win an lbw appeal against Cook, the ball clearly pitching outside leg stump.
It was the second faulty decision of the match - perhaps even the third - that would have been overturned had DRS been in use, Yuvraj Singh having been wrongly given out lbw when India batted and MS Dhoni escaping a potential catch at the wicket when he had made only nine of his 72.
Cook should have been run out on 17 when Ravindra Jadeja failed to pick up cleanly at midwicket to take advantage of complete confusion between Pietersen and Cook over a leg-side single. Dhoni's annoyance was clear, but Kumar's eighth over had an impact on the course of the match and the captain's mood.
First Pietersen (42 from 44 balls) was bowled by one that jagged back as he sought to run into the off side and two balls later Kumar found movement away from the left-handed Morgan from a good length and Dhoni dived to claim one his finest catches against England this winter in what has been a somewhat troubled wicketkeeping sequence. England, four down for 74 by the 17th over, had much rebuilding to do.
MS Dhoni fired India to a good total © BCCI
India took a firm hold of the second ODI as England lost four wickets in pursuit of 286 in Kochi. It was a daunting task and it became an improbable one from the moment that Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan in the space of three balls in an outstanding new-ball spell.
There is nothing like a humid evening in Kochi to perk up a swing bowler and Kumar, a 22-year-old from Uttar Pradesh playing in only his fifth ODI, also summoned impressive stamina as Dhoni ran his 10-over spell through without interruption and was rewarded with his best international figures of 3 for 29.
It was Shami Ahmed who began India's good work, an outswinger which would have been called a wide had Ian Bell not chased it and feathered it to the wicketkeeper, MS Dhoni. England then stabilised in a stand of 54 in nine overs between Alastair Cook and Pietersen before Kumar was fortunate to win an lbw appeal against Cook, the ball clearly pitching outside leg stump.
It was the second faulty decision of the match - perhaps even the third - that would have been overturned had DRS been in use, Yuvraj Singh having been wrongly given out lbw when India batted and MS Dhoni escaping a potential catch at the wicket when he had made only nine of his 72.
Cook should have been run out on 17 when Ravindra Jadeja failed to pick up cleanly at midwicket to take advantage of complete confusion between Pietersen and Cook over a leg-side single. Dhoni's annoyance was clear, but Kumar's eighth over had an impact on the course of the match and the captain's mood.
First Pietersen (42 from 44 balls) was bowled by one that jagged back as he sought to run into the off side and two balls later Kumar found movement away from the left-handed Morgan from a good length and Dhoni dived to claim one his finest catches against England this winter in what has been a somewhat troubled wicketkeeping sequence. England, four down for 74 by the 17th over, had much rebuilding to do.