Champions Trophy Final: India hold nerve to beat England

India held their nerve to beat England by five runs in a tense finish to a rain-disrupted Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston on Sunday.

In a match reduced to 20 overs a side, a fifth-wicket partnership of 64 between Eoin Morgan and Ravi Bopara put England in sight of a victory target of 130 and their first major 50-over trophy.

But the pair fell to successive deliveries by Ishant Sharma and England's lower order crumbled as the hosts finished on 124 for eight.

Miserly bowling by Bopara and James Tredwell helped England restrict India to 129 for seven after the start of play had been delayed by nearly six hours due to persistent rain.

Virat Kohli top-scored with 43 and Shikhar Dhawan, the tournament's leading run-scorer, made a breezy 31 but India were never able to dominate a disciplined England attack.

Rohit Sharma was bowled by Stuart Broad for nine and Dhawan mis-timed a drive in Bopara's first over and was caught by Tredwell at mid-off.

Dinesh Karthik skied a catch off Tredwell and Bopara struck twice in his third over, getting Suresh Raina caught by Alastair Cook at mid-on and dangerman MS Dhoni well taken by Tredwell on the third man boundary.

Bopara completed excellent figures of three for 20 but Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja took 30 runs off the next three overs and Kohli, badly dropped by Jonathan Trott, launched Broad for a massive six over square leg.

Kohli skied James Anderson to long off but Jadeja finished unbeaten on 33 after clouting Tim Bresnan for another six in the final over of the innings.

England lost wickets steadily at the start of their reply.

Cook fell for two, edging a catch to first slip off Umesh Yadav, Trott made a fluent 20 off 17 balls before being stumped by Dhoni off Ravichandran Ashwin and Joe Root pulled the same bowler straight to long leg.

Ian Bell's laborious innings of 13 ended when he was controversially given out by the third umpire, stumped by Dhoni off Jadeja.

England were in deep trouble at 46 for four, bamboozled by the prodigious turn of Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina.

Morgan and Bopara brought up their 50 partnership off 47 balls and at 110 for four with three overs left the hosts were scenting victory.

But Morgan, on 33, spooned Sharma to mid-wicket and Bopara pulled his next ball straight to backward square leg.

Jos Buttler was bowled by Jadeja's first ball and Bresnan was run out in a mix-up with Broad.

England needed 15 for victory from the final over and six off the last ball.

Tredwell missed with a wild heave at Ashwin and the Indian players were left to celebrate a famous victory.

ENGLAND INNINGS

India won a rain-curtailed Champions Trophy final against England by five runs at Edgbaston on Sunday.

In a match reduced to a Twenty20 affair, India defended a modest total of 129 with some splendid spin bowling and fielding.

However, it was Ishant who swung the game for India by breaking a 64-run stand for the fifth wicket between Morgan (33) and Bopara (30) by removing them in consecutive balls in the 18th over.

"I was quite nervous, things were not going my way but I hold my nerve," said Ishant.

It was a sweet triumph for World Cup winning captain MS Dhoni who added the missing feather to his cap.

India have now won the World T20, the World Cup and the Champions Trophy under Dhoni.

Dhoni pulled off a couple of brilliant stumpings behind the wickets to dismiss Bell and Trott to put England on the back foot.

"When we were batting I just said get close to 130. The shower helped us because the ball was gripping later on," said Dhoni.

Ashwin claimed two for 15 bowling a maiden while Jadeja also snared two for 24. Ishant finished with two for 36.

Broad hits a boundary off Ashwin who bowls a good final over to choke England.

England are 115-8 in 19 overs needing 15 for victory in the final over bowled by Ashwin.

Bresnan is run out attempting a single after surviving a leg before appeal. Eng 113-8.

T Bresnan run out 2 (4b 0x4 0x6)

Jadeja strikes knocking back the middle stump of Buttler who plays across the line and misses. Eng 112-7.

J Buttler b Jadeja 0 (1b 0x4 0x6)

England are 111-6 in 18 overs needing 19 off the last two batting Powerplay overs.

Double strike by Ishant as Bopara is caught by Ashwin. Eng 110-6.

R Bopara c Ashwin b I Sharma 30 (25b 0x4 2x6) S

England lose Morgan as he slams a slower ball from Ishant to Ashwin to end a 64-run stand. Eng 110-5.

E Morgan c Ashwin b I Sharma 33 (30b 3x4 1x6)

Morgan hammers a six off Ishant over square leg.

Bopara whacks a six off Jadeja over midwicket as England reach 102-4 in 17 overs.

Morgan hits a boundary off Raina with a reverse sweep. Eng 90-4 in 16 overs.

Bopara hits the first six of the England innings clubbing Ishant over midwicket. Eng 82-4 in 15 overs.

England are choking against the spin of Raina. Eng 71-4 in 14 overs.

Morgan gets into his stride cracking Raina through the covers. Eng 63-4 in 12 overs.

Morgan breaks the shackles by cracking a boundary to point off Ishant. Eng 55-4 in 11 overs.

Bell is adjudged stumped off Jadeja though replays were inconclusive. Eng 46-4.

I Bell st Dhoni b Jadeja 13 (16b 1x4 0x6)

Bell gets a boundary with a reverse sweep off Jadeja.

Ashwin strikes as Root holes out to Ishant at fine leg. Eng 40-3.

J Root c I Sharma b Ashwin 7 (9b 0x4 0x6)

Eight runs comes off Ishant's first over. Eng 38-2 in 7 overs.

Ashwin strikes thanks to a brilliant leg side stumping to dismiss the dangerous Trott. Eng 28-2.

J Trott st Dhoni b Ashwin 20 (17b 2x4 0x6)

Jadeja into the attack in the fifth over. Eng 27-1 in 5 overs.

England off to a sound start reaching 24-1 at the end of the four Powerplay overs.

The in-form Trott hits a couple of boundaries off Kumar to get into his stride quickly. Eng 17-1 in 3 overs.

Trott hits the first boundary of the England innings with a superbly timed drive to through midwicket.

Yadav strikes as a struggling Cook edges to Ashwin at slip. Eng 3-1.

A Cook c Ashwin b Yadav 2 (9b 0x4 0x6)

India were restricted to 129-7 after being put into bat in a rain-affected match.

Dhawan (31) gave them a solid start hitting two boundaries and a six off 24 balls after losing Broad cheaply.

England hit back to grab four wickets for the additon of just 16 runs.

Kohli smashed a 43 off 34 balls with four boundaries and a six.

It was Jadeja who boosted their final tally with a quick fire unbeaten 33 off 25 balls with two sixes and two boundaries.

Bopara had the best return of three for 20.

INDIA INNINGS

England restricted India to 129 for seven from their 20 overs in the rain-disrupted Champions Trophy final at Edgbaston on Sunday.

Miserly bowling by Ravi Bopara and James Tredwell put England in a strong position to lift their first major 50-over title after the start of play had been delayed by nearly six hours due to persistent rain and the match reduced to 20 overs a side.

Virat Kohli top-scored with 43 and Shikhar Dhawan, the tournament's leading run-scorer, made a breezy 31 but India were never able to dominate a disciplined England attack.

Rohit Sharma was bowled by Stuart Broad for nine and Dhawan mis-timed a drive in Bopara's first over and was caught by Tredwell at mid-off.

Dinesh Karthik skied Tredwell to Eoin Morgan and Bopara struck twice in his third over, getting Suresh Raina caught by Alastair Cook at mid-on and dangerman MS Dhoni well taken by Tredwell on the third man boundary.

Bopara completed excellent figures of three for 20 but Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja took 30 runs off the next three overs and Kohli, badly dropped by Jonathan Trott, launched Broad for a massive six over square leg.

Kohli skied James Anderson to Bopara at long off but Jadeja finished unbeaten on 33 after clouting Tim Bresnan for another six in the final over of the innings.

Jadeja smashes another six off the final over from Bresnan as India reach 129-7 in 20 overs.

Ashwin is run out going for a second run. Ind 118-6.

Jadeja cracks a boundary off Anderson. Ind 117-6 in 19 overs.

Anderson strikes as Bopara takes a skier from Kohli. Ind 113-6.

V Kohli c Bopara b Anderson 43 (34b 4x4 1x6)

Jadeja whacks a six off Anderson over long-off.

Kohli dances down the track and swats Broad for his second six. Ind 106-5 in 18 overs.

Trott fails to hang on to a catch from Kohli (36) off Broad.

Another good over for India as they get 11 runs with Kohli hitting a boundary off Bresnan. Ind 97-5 in 17 overs.

Jadeja gets his first boundary off Tredwell smashing him through mid-on. Ind 86-5 in 16 overs.

A big over for India with 12 runs coming off as Kohli counter attacks smashing consecutive boundaries off Bopara through the covers and midwicket. Ind 79-5 in 15 overs.

Double strike by Bopara as Dhoni upper cuts straight to Tredwell at third man. Ind 66-5.

MS Dhoni c Tredwell b Bopara 0 (4b 0x4 0x6)

Bopara also takes his second wicket as Bopara hits it straight to Cook at mid-on. Ind 66-4.

S Raina c Cook b Bopara 1 (6b 0x4 0x6)

Tredwell claims his second wicket as Karthik hits straight up in the air. Ind 64-3.

D Karthik c Morgan b Tredwell 6 (11b 0x4 0x6)

Kohli hits his first boundary chipping Tredwell to midwicket. Ind 59-2 in 10 overs.

Bopara strikes with his second delivery as Dhawan scoops a slower ball to Tredwell at extra cover. Ind 50-2.

S Dhawan c Tredwell b Bopara 31 (24b 2x4 1x6)

Dhawan smashes a couple of boundaries off Tredwell with an orthodox sweep and another with a reverse hit. Ind 49-1 in 8 overs.

Play resumes after another frustrating delay because of rain. Ind 40-1 in 7 overs.

Play will restart at 17.40 British Standard Times provided there is no further rain, according to the ICC.

The news is gloomy with the restart being delayed after an inspection because of a wet outfield.

The umpires and plays run back to the pavilion after another shower. Ind 38-1 in 6.2 overs.

Dhawan hits the first six of the match upper cutting Anderson over the third man boundary. Ind 35-1 in 6 overs.

The ICC technical committee has decided they can play until 8.30pm local time to accommodate for stoppages due to rain.

Play has been suspended after a slight drizzle.

Dhawan survives getting an inside behind the stumps off Bresnan. Ind 25-1 in 5 overs.

Broad strikes knocking back the stumps of Rohit. Ind 19-1.

R Sharma b Broad 9 (14b 1x4 0x6)

Rohit hits the first boundary edging Anderson just wide of slip. Ind 16-0 in 3 overs.

India get four bonus runs via an overthrow.

Broad bowls the second over. Ind 6-0.

Anderson bowls the first over. Ind 2-0.

England get into a huddle while Dhawan and Rohit walk out to bat.

The umpires are walking out to the middle while Cooks leads the England team out.

It's raining heavily now and chances of any play are looking remote.

The covers are on again and it is raining again.

There is some good news from Edgbaston.

It will be a 24-over match with the match expected to start at 6.45pm UAE time.

The sun has come out at Edgbaston and mopping up operation is in progress.

The latest news is that if there is no further rain there will be an inspection by the match officials at 4pm UAE time.

The covers are back on after being taken off when the rains eased.

India's mighty batting line-up will be tested against England's seamers spearheaded by James Anderson once play starts.

Looks like it will be a stop-start match like the semifinal between India and Sri Lanka at Cardiff.

It seems like a good toss for England to win.

The national anthems are being played but the covers are back on as rain delays the start of play.

"The players are out on the field as the drizzle has eased up #EngvsInd" (‏@CricketNDTV)

India may have been the favourites going into the final but rain and the toss has changed the equation with Sanjay Manjrekar tweeting that it is even Stevens now.

"Eng bowling first on a slightly spongy surface makes this contest interesting. It's 50/50 now." (@sanjaymanjrekar)

The covers are back on as it is drizzling again, according to NDTV.

"It has started drizzling again and the covers come back on at Edgbaston." (‏@CricketNDTV)

England have made one change with Tim Bresnan replacing Steven Finn.

Australia legend Richie Benaud and Tom Moody have tweeted expresing surprise at England's decision to play Bresnan at the expense of Finn.

"Morning viewers. Welcome to the #CT13 final. News from the ground is that Bresnan is in, therefore England are playing with only 10 men" ‏(@RichieBenaud)

"Don't get the Bresnan preference over Finn, I know who's more likely to take wickets against India or anyone for that matter #ct13" (‏@TomMoodyCricket)

Unbeaten India are fielding an unchanged side.

PLAYING XI

England - A Cook, I Bell, J Trott, J Root, E Morgan, R Bopara, J Buttler, T Bresnan, S Broad, J Tredwell, J Anderson

India - S Dhawan, R Sharma, V Kohli, D Karthik, S Raina, MS Dhoni, R Jadeja, R Ashwin, B Kumar, I Sharma, U Yadav

India would have bowled first if they had won the toss, says Dhoni.

Cook has decided to bowl first in the Champions Trophy final against India.

England have won the toss as Dhoni calls it wrong.

The toss is happening as scheduled.

Dhoni's Class of 2013 'better', says VaughanFormer England captain Michael Vaughan feels the present Indian one-day team is "better" than the one which won the World Cup two years ago.

"India have been the team of the tournament so far. They are a fearless, aggressive bunch and I have not seen that from India before. This team are better than the World Cup-winning side in 2011," Vaughan wrote in his column in the 'Daily Telegraph'.

"The young players play with freedom. They know this is their chance to create a legacy now the great names have retired. They field brilliantly, creating chances for the bowlers through agility," he wrote.

However, he is not writing off the chances of England who have not won a major 50-over tournament.

"This is a great chance for England to create history and win a global 50-over tournament. We reached the final of the Champions Trophy in 2004 but could not quite get over the line. But this team can go one better," he said.

"They (England) are a stronger one-day side than we were but that is cancelled out by the fact they are playing an India side better than the West Indies team who beat us nine years ago (2004)."

MATCH PREVIEW

Reigning World Cup holders India clash with hosts England in a dream Champions Trophy one-day final on Sunday at The Oval that promises to be a thriller.

The sold-out game at Edgbaston will please organisers and fans alike as a finale to what has been billed as the last edition of the eight-nation tournament before it is replaced by a Test championship in 2017.

The final, worth $2 million to the winners and $1 million to the runners-up, will be contested by teams who have justified their status as the top-ranked one-day sides in the world.

India, winners of the World Cup at home in 2011, proved worthy of their number one ranking by cruising to the final with four straight wins - the last three by emphatic eight-wicket margins.

Second-ranked England, looking for their first major one-day title, made it to the final with three wins out of four, including a seven-wicket defeat of South Africa in the semi-final at the Oval in London.

Few would hazard to predict the outcome of the dream final between a young and ruthless Indian side and a typically gritty England in front of boisterous supporters from both sides.

If the weather holds - light rain has been forecast for Sunday - a classic contest in in store between India's batting firepower and the crafty seam and spin attack of the hosts.

Left-handed opener Shikhar Dhawan has taken the tournament by storm with 332 runs in four matches at an average of 110.66, making him the competition's leading scorer.

Dhawan's scores of 114, 102 not out, 48 and 68, which leave him a strong contender for the player of the tournament award, and valuable opening stands with Rohit Sharma have boosted India at the top of the order.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja has been the pick of the bowlers with 10 wickets - joint-second in the tournament with England spearhead James Anderson behind New Zealander Mitchell McClenaghan's 11 scalps.

Jadeja and fellow-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been backed admirably by the three-pronged seam attack of Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav in containing opposition batsmen.

“We have played with the consistency and passion we wanted to at the start of the tournament,” delighted India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said.

“But the final will always be a huge challenge.”

England, who begin an eagerly-anticipated Ashes series against Australia next month, will be desperate to bag a major one-day international (ODI) title after suffering defeats in three World Cup finals in 1979, 1987 and 1992, as well as losing the 2004 Champions Trophy final to the West Indies at the Oval.

Captain Alastair Cook believes his side has what it takes to get over the line this time.

“Yeah, it's something which is obviously on our radar. One of our major goals this summer was to try and win the Champions Trophy. Not only will it break that duck of 38 years but also prepare well for the World Cup, as well, if you're looking long-term. It's a big day tomorrow, and we're going to hopefully gain a lot from it if we can play well.

“All I can say is the lads in the last two games under pressure delivered two excellent performances. I can't say no reason why we can't do it tomorrow. I'm looking around in the guys' eyes and I know they're ready; they’re ready to play.”

Their batting revolves around skipper Cook, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, who has answered critics of his perceived slow scoring in the ODI game by emerging as England's highest run-getter in the tournament with 209 runs.

But the hosts' hopes will rest on how well the brilliant Anderson and his new-ball partners, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn, are able to contain the Indian batting.

Off-spinner James Tredwell, whose three for 19 in seven overs wrecked South Africa in the semi-final and won him the man-of-the-match award, has ensured England do not miss the injured Graeme Swann.

England have lost eight of their last 10 one-day internationals against Dhoni's men, but all of them were on Indian soil.

When India last played in England in 2011, they were not only blanked 4-0 in the Test series, but lost the one-dayers 3-0. A World Cup game in Bangalore in 2011 between the two sides ended in a sensational tie.

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