Indian entertainers exploit flawed English experiment

England 271-7 India 272-4 India win by six wickets

A breathtaking unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 131 between Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh highlighted what glittering talent there is in this Indian side as they snatched a sensational six-wicket victory over England in Saturday's NatWest series group match at Lord's.

In front of a vibrant crowd of over 30,000, India, primarily through the destructive hands of Virender Sehwag – who scored a typically swashbuckling 71 off 65 balls – Dravid and the 20-year-old Singh, showed just why they are the most entertaining one-day side in the world.

Coming together after the shock of losing both Sachin Tendulkar and their captain Sourav Ganguly – who was sensationally caught by James Kirtley at long on with one of the best catches this ground will have ever seen – the pair firstly consolidated the visitors' precarious position of 141 for 4 and then set about systematically dismantling England's bowling.

Dravid, the former Kent overseas player, is an elegant and accomplished batsman but has recently only been able to guarantee his place in India's one-day side through taking on the added responsibility of keeping wicket. For most of their time together, the experienced right-hander appeared happy to give the strike to Singh, his free-spirited ally. Only at the end, when an older, steadier head was required to get India over the finishing line, did Dravid take charge.

Singh whose CV includes being India's former under-14 speed skating champion, would have been a relatively unknown quantity having failed to play against England during the winter series. Showing no sign of nerves on his first appearance at Lord's, the powerfully built left-hander from Punjab played an innings to suggest it will not be long before he is talked about in a similar vein to his more illustrious team-mates.

Like other classy left-handers, there is an easy, almost lazy, style about him but when he hits the ball he gives it a real thump with a clean, confident swing of the bat. Unlike his wristier colleagues, Singh looks to hit the ball down the ground and one fiercely hit straight drive off Matthew Hoggard nearly cleaned the bowler out on his follow-through.

While England's performance failed to reach the heights of Thursday, Hussain's side played good cricket for large parts of the day. However, the two or three errors they made proved costly, none more so than when Alec Stewart dropped Dravid on 23 with India still needing 105 runs to win. Hoggard was the unfortunate bowler and following another indifferent performance with the ball, his place could be under threat for tomorrow's game at Headingley – especially if Darren Gough has done enough to convince the selectors he is fit.

Hussain's main frustration will be that England's lower order failed to make the most of the wonderful start given them by their openers. A score of 271 is respectable enough, but it was 20 to 30 runs light of what England would have been hoping for at the 30-over stage.

After naming an unchanged side to the one that played so impressively against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge, England won the toss and elected to bat. Soon Marcus Trescothick and Nick Knight had given their innings a flying start.

On the same pitch used for the previous Saturday's Benson & Hedges Cup final, Trescothick and Knight showed greater composure than in previous assaults on the opposition bowling. But in an opening partnership of 86 they still managed to rattle along at six runs an over on a flat, dry track which offered very little assistance to the bowlers.

Having got off to such a good start, and wishing to steamroller the Indians, Andrew Flintoff, hero of Thursday's win with a 28-ball 50, was sent in at No 4 with more than 22 overs still to be bowled. The tactic was understandable but greedy. There have been calls from many observers, including Ian Botham, for Flintoff to go in at No 3 and give it a whack during the first 15 overs while the fielding restrictions are in place.

However, this is a tactic England seem reluctant to try, mainly because they want Flintoff to be at the crease during the last 15 overs, and also because three appears to be the captain's chosen batting position.

Through sending Flintoff in so high up, England changed their game plan on Saturday and ran the risk at the death of not having their most powerful striker of the ball at the crease when strength of stroke is vital against a soft, old ball.

It was a tactic worth trying out. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But on this occasion it backfired and was the main reason England failed to post a score that would have won the game. Having lost, Hussain's side know tomorrow's encounter with Sri Lanka is a must-win situation. For England, now is not the time to experiment.