India continued their utter dominance over England in coloured clothes, thumping, mauling and thrashing the hosts in the 4th ODI at Edgbaston to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match one-day international series.
England skipper Alastair Cook and coach Peter Moores had come into the game stressing the importance of the entire team gelling as a unit, and coming to the fore when needed, but yet another disappointing batting performance, and ridiculously dominant Indian batting put paid to those hopes, and how.
India, after asking their opponents to bat first, rolled over England for just 206 in 49.3 overs, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8-3-14-2), Mohammed Shami (7.3-1-28-3) and Ravindra Jadeja (10-0-40-2) making the ball talk, before Ajinkya Rahane (106, 100b, 10x4, 4x6) finally stepped up big with the bat, banishing those "got a start, but did not go all the way" ghosts in emphatic fashion en route to a maiden hundred.
Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan, who also rediscovered the feeling of scoring runs after a long, long wait, put on a stunning 183-run partnership for the first wicket to make mincemeat out of England's target and zoom India to the easiest of nine-wicket victories with a massive 19.3 overs to spare.
The moment England were bowled out for just 206, there was only going to be one winner. The only question was how long India would take, and how many wickets they would lose on their way to making MS Dhoni the winningest Indian captain in ODI cricket with his 91st victory.
Even the visitors, though, would not have envisaged the manner in which they cantered home, with Rahane and Dhawan taking to England bowling like white on rice and annihilating the opposition in outstanding fashion.
Rahane was the main man in the chase, scoring those wonderful straight bat boundaries, while also picking the bowlers off over the infield at will. Dhawan (97 n.o., 81b, 11x4, 4x6) also finally found his groove, bringing out those drives through the offside again, and getting that feeling, he had lost for so long, back of scoring runs.
The duo put on 183 runs together in just 28.4 overs, leaving England utterly deflated and defeated, with Rahane easing to his first ODI hundred, before giving his wicket away as he looked to finish the game off in a hurry.
However, Dhawan, and Virat Kohli (1, 3b), a mere spectator as Dhawan took over the tonking of the England bowlers following Rahane's dismissal, saw India through to ensure easiest of victories.
Earlier, England's hopes of finding their mojo with the bat was left in tatters after just eight overs, with the hosts losing their top three batsmen.
Alex Hales (6, 7b, 1x4), fairly impressive in his first two ODIs, was the first to go, misreading a peach of an in-swinger from the near unplayable Bhuvneshwar to see his timber disturbed.
Captain Cook (9, 19b, 2x4) followed suit three balls later, guiding the ball straight to Suresh Raina at gully to give Bhuvneshwar his second wicket.
With England on 16 for two after just five overs, they needed a decent partnership, but Gary Balance (7, 19b, 1x4), brought in the place of Ian Bell, could not impress falling to Mohammed Shami after finding a leading edge through to Rahane at cover.
England were now in deep trouble at 23 for three, and a decent 80-run partnership between Joe Root (44, 81b, 2x4) and Eoin Morgan (32, 58b, 3x4), gave England hope which was raised further by a brilliant 67 (50b, 4x4, 3x6) by Moeen Ali. But after those early wickets, England were always up against it, despite Ali's best efforts, as India kept chipping away much to the delight of the majority Indian crowd yet again.
