Dravid delivers a calculated victory

England crash after fine start.

In an enthralling finale to a fine game, India beat England by six wickets with seven balls to spare. This had just about everything you could ask for in a one-day game. The sun shone, the runs flowed; the game fluctuated deliciously; there was a taut finish in the penultimate over and all the thrills and spills of a run chase: sprawling batsmen scampering their singles and cracking their fours past desperately diving fieldsmen. There was also an astounding catch that even eclipsed Nasser Hussain's effort at Trent Bridge.

India victory owed much to a superbly judged fifth-wicket partnership of 131 between Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh. Dravid batted as if there was a calculator in his pocket. Every risk was weighed; he knew the worth of the pushed single as well as the flicked drive. Yuvraj, the man of the match - he had also conjured three wickets - provided the spice. He swung with a flourish and the power and placement of his drives grew ever more lethal.

The chase was a staccato affair. A blistering start prompted by Virender Sehwag was checked when four wickets fell for 32 runs. Marcus Trescothick held a catch that was merely brilliant at deep square leg, James Kirtley held a staggering one at long on and somehow Sachin Tendulkar missed a straight ball from Ronnie Irani. How are the mighty fallen.

But the vigour of Sehwag's innings at the start allowed the Indians sufficient time to recover. As a kid Sehwag modelled himself on Tendulkar; as an adult he is starting to engender the same unease among opposition bowlers. Sehwag announced himself in England with an innings that Tendulkar himself would have been proud. With mischievous disdain he clouted England all around Lord's during the first 15 overs of India's response.

Briefly Sehwag became the centre of attention when his presence in the Test squad at Mohali threatened the start of England's last tour of India. Sehwag had controversially been banned for a game by match referee Mike Denness after indiscretions in Port Elizabeth. That episode will become an insignificant addendum to his career. For here is an impish genius, who tormented England's honest toilers yesterday and who will torment many other bowlers in the next decade.

His innings reverberated with class and impudence. There were wristy, yet orthodox cover drives. When Matthew Hoggard tried bowling to a 7-2 off-side field he whipped the ball from outside off through midwicket - I seem to remember Tendulkar doing the same last winter. Kirtley was patted back over his head as if he were a gentle medium pacer. When Hussain called up Ashley Giles his first ball was despatched over the long-on boundary.

Saurav Ganguly played some breathtaking shots too but was happily overshadowed. He was the victim of Kirtley's catch, which might have turned the match but for Dravid and Yuvraj. But, in truth, the target set by England was insufficient on such a benign surface.

Usually when a total of 271 has been posted the batting side can feel content with their efforts, but this was not the case yesterday. England could muster only 68 runs from their last 15 overs, 48 from the last 10. Contrast that to Trent Bridge where 87 came from Sri Lanka's last 10 overs.

The problem is that so many players are batting in unfamiliar positions. Even the most gnarled pro - say Alec Stewart - finds it tricky to adjust to the peculiar demands of starting his innings with only 15 overs remaining. Paul Collingwood, who is more adept than most at risky but immediate run stealing and who is in the side primarily for his batting, has so far faced 10 balls at number eight.

While there is plenty of agonising to do about England's optimum batting order, one incontrovertible fact is that Trescothick should open. He was the one Englishman to bat with freedom and flair yesterday.

Sometimes Trescothick can be over-ambitious at the start, sacrificing himself in an effort to give the innings early impetus. He happily takes on the role of the marauder, while the others accumulate. But here his aggression was measured. Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar were driven through the covers; he swept the spinners adeptly; a late cut against Harbajhan was a joy to behold and so was the pulled drive off Yuvraj that landed in the Mound Stand. While he remained England were on course for 300.

Initially Nick Knight was content to bat in Trescothick's wake and together they launched the innings by hitting 85 in 14 overs, whereupon Knight was surprised by his partner's invitation to run a second to Tendulkar on the midwicket boundary.

Hussain survived a confident appeal for lbw first ball as he premeditated a sweep. Thereafter he was more discreet, but his pedestrian progress did not seem to matter, so sublimely was Trescothick playing. However to general surprise Trescothick tried a deflection too many and was caught behind off Ganguly.

Enter Andrew Flintoff to a fervent anticipatory roar. He threatened but could not achieve, thumping 22 from 20 balls before driving the left-arm spin of Yuvraj Singh to extra cover. Yuvraj was to prove an unlikely hindrance as the innings lost its momentum.

Graham Thorpe, who is living on his reputation in one-day cricket at present, had to stretch for a delivery from Yuvraj - it would have been a wide - and could only skew it to backward point. Hussain advanced to another wide ball, missed it and was stumped. His 54 was his 13th half-century in one day cricket and occupied 82 balls. On a tricky surface this would have been a fine innings; on a bland one, like yesterday's, it was no more than workmanlike. Again it posed the question whether Hussain is England's best number three on this type of surface, but it's a question the hacks are becoming increasingly wary of asking, so fierce is the England captain's reaction. I'm not sure why this is the case. There is no indignity attached to batting somewhere other than three.

Stewart and Irani could not change the pace of the innings as Ganguly shuffled his bowlers adroitly. He brought back Anil Kumble and Harbajhan, and England's two batsmen, being wily pros, accorded them due respect. Ganguly and his men could skip off the field in the knowledge that it could have been much, much worse. Soon Sehwag, Dravid and Yuvraj ensured that India's jauntiness was justified.