KOCHI, India — India finally found its winning touch as it relied on a brilliant all-round display to thrash England by an emphatic 127 runs in the second cricket one-dayer here Tuesday. India first posted a competitive 285, riding on captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 72 and Ravindra Jadeja's 61, before the bowlers skittled out the visitors for a paltry 158 in 36 overs to level the five-match series 1-1. It was a convincing and morale-boosting win for the Indians who have struggled of late even in home conditions, losing the ODI series to arch-rivals Pakistan and the Test series against England. The host did well in all departments of the game, though the batting of the top order continued to be a concern with Gautam Gambhir (8) and Ajinkya Rahane (4) failing to deliver, while the form of Virat Kohli remained patchy though he scored 37. It was Dhoni's 66-ball 72 and Jadeja's blistering unbeaten knock of 61 in just 37 balls which provided the late flourish to the Indian innings. Suresh Raina (55) and Yuvraj Singh (32), who was distinctly unlucky to be given lbw, were the other notable contributors. With the Nehru Stadium providing ample assistance to the bowlers in the second half, the Indians exploited the conditions to the hilt to bundle out the visitors with Kevin Pietersen being the top-scorer with a 58-ball 42. Bhuvneshwar Kumar only made his international debut last month, but on his fifth appearance he nipped out Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan with his skiddy medium pace to leave England tottering on 73 for four. It never threatened to recover, with the middle- and lower-order floundering against spin. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3-29), R. Ashwin (3-39) and Jadeja (2-12) were the pick of the Indian bowlers to give the host a resounding victory in front of a capacity crowd. Cook conceded afterwards that it is trying to find some way of containing Dhoni in the last few overs of the innings that will be England's priority before the third game of the series Saturday, when India's captain was always going to be the center of attention in Ranchi, his home city. The new regulations permit only four boundary fielders even in the closing overs. — Agencies
