India's uninspiring batting show continued as they threw away a decent start to be all out for a meagre 200 against England in a virtual semifinal clash of the cricket tri-series, here today.
Ajinkya Rahane (73) was the top-scorer of the innings but no other batsman crossed the 40-run mark as England's pace battery initiated a batting collapse after India were placed comfortably at 83 for one.
Steve Finn (3/36) took three wickets while Chris Woakes (2/47), Stuart Broad (2/56) and spinner Moeen Ali (2/35) claimed two scalps each after inviting India to bat.
Out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan (38) and Rahane got off to a slow start but they batted to a plan, rotating the strike to good effect and slowly the runs started coming, albeit in a tickle as the first 10 overs yielded only 34 runs.
Thereafter Rahane looked in good touch, as the openers brought up their 50-run stand in the 14th over. Even Dhawan play some good shots after spending time at the crease, cutting and driving with much more ease.
But he couldn't go on, and edged one to Jos Buttler behind the stumps off Woakes in the 21st over. The scorecard read 83 for one at that time.
Rahane got to his eighth ODI fifty in the 25th over and though he tried to play some expansive strokes, he realised the need to hold one end up soon enough.
England tightened up their bowling and their good fielding started paying dividends. Virat Kohli (8), who had come in to bat at number three, was the next to depart as he attemped a big shot off Ali only for Root to take a good running catch at long off.
