Rain delays England chase after India pile on the runs

The hosts were set a revised Duckworth-Lewis target, after centurion Virat Kohli and Rahul Dravid powered India to 304 for six and rain then swept over the SWALEC Stadium between innings.

After 9.1 overs in powerplay, when another shower sent the players off again, they were 53 for one – Kieswetter gone lbw trying to clip Vinay Kumar to leg, having contributed initial momentum against the new ball.

Kohli’s sixth hundred at this level and Dravid’s 69 – in his 344th and final one-day international – provided India’s earlier impetus, and then Mahendra Singh Dhoni crashed an unbeaten 50 from only 26 balls to complete the punishment.

Another home victory, in this day-night match, would give England a 3-0 success in this series – to add to their 4-0 Test and one-off Twenty20 verdicts.

But they would need to prove even more than previously their apparent aptitude for chasing, after India’s past and future had combined to such wonderful effect in a third-wicket stand of 170.

Opener Ajinkya Rahane ought to have fallen to Steven Finn for only eight but was reprieved by Samit Patel, at third man, after Alastair Cook won his fifth successive toss. The tall seamer donated two wides in his first over but was otherwise accurate as well as aggressive, and it seemed he was about to get just reward when Rahane miscued to Patel.

The fielder advanced to apparently judge the catch well but set himself to take the swirling ball a little low, and spilled it.

Finn nonetheless made sure England’s, and especially his frustration did not last when – also at third man – he made good ground to lunge in and take a fine catch after Rahane somehow managed to flick an attempted swipe to leg off Jade Dernbach in his direction.

Rahane’s departure brought Dravid to the crease – and a large contingent of India support duly voiced their loud appreciation for one of their country’s finest batsmen.

Patel was unable to keep him company for long, holing out to mid-on in Graeme Swann’s first over of off-spin. But that meant Kohli (107) was in the match, and he and Dravid found a fluency that was previously lacking.

England’s fielders lost their footing several times in the deep on a slippery surface as ones and twos became twos and threes. Kohli and Dravid’s placement helped them find handy boundaries too – and with ten overs left, India had the platform for a total in excess of 300.

Dravid’s only moment of fortune came when Jake Dernbach was unable to hold a sharp return catch away to his left, on 51, and Kohli needed no luck until he was already past his hundred from only 87 balls.

Dravid fell to the very next delivery, after his 22-year-old partner had gone to three figures, losing his off bail advancing and trying to heave Swann to leg after a 79-ball innings which contained just four fours.

Kohli had nine fours – and a straight six off Patel – when he went shortly afterwards, again just dislodging a bail as his foot slipped in the crease, to go hit wicket off Swann (three for 34).

The double breakthrough gave England some respite. But Dhoni then clubbed five fours and two sixes – the second to bring up the 300, and make sure India’s innings ended with a flourish.