This one-day series may have already been decided but Suresh Raina had not finished with England, his fourth fifty in as many innings leading India to a total that seemed some way off when they had slipped to 79 for 5 in the 22nd over. A spiky partnership of 78 with Ravindra Jadeja, who has also toyed regularly with England over the last month, led the recovery and Bhuvneshwar Kumar demonstrated the power concealed in his slight frame to lift India towards respectability in Dharamsala.
For England, too, there was something to play for, even if it was only a third ODI victory in 23 attempts away to India over the last decade. Wickets for Tim Bresnan, Steven Finn and James Tredwell gave them the early ascendency after Alastair Cook had inserted India, although lapses in the field prevented them curtailing the innings even sooner. In all four catches were dropped - the most difficult two by Tredwell - to allow India to wriggle away from complete disaster.
The bowlers stuck at their task and Bresnan, preferred to Stuart Meaker despite an impending break to investigate the condition of his troublesome elbow, finished off the innings after the last three wickets had added a further 49 runs in eight overs.
Before the match, Raina had expressed a desire to usurp one of his colleagues up the order and he made good use of a longer spell at the crease after coming in during the seventh over, with India 24 for 3. A harsher judgement, however, may have concluded that he failed to construct the truly big innings that the situation provided an opportunity for.
England have been quiescent opponents in the past for Raina, who improved his average against them to 47.47 with his 11th fifty, but he was allowed let-offs on 5 and 61 before pulling idly to midwicket with a hundred in sight. The first was a difficult, diving chance that would have completed a hat-trick of slip catches for Tredwell but the latter opportunity, grassed by Cook at backward square leg, was much more straightforward.
Perhaps Raina was deserving of some benevolence after the fiery start England's bowlers made in chilly, if bright, conditions. The Dalai Lama is based in exile at nearby McLeodganj but the early exchanges were far from peaceable on a hard, fast surface with enough juice in it to make a Tibetan monk sit up and blink.
At 1,317 metres above sea level and with the Himalayas for a backdrop, the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium is among the loftiest international grounds in the world. In the thin air, Yuvraj Singh, Raina and MS Dhoni must have been relishing the prospect of bombarding the stands with even greater regularity than is usual but, for the most part, the crowd were able to take in the scenery without fear of flying objects. Only during the spells of England's part-time bowlers, Joe Root and Samit Patel, did India's batsmen display any sense of comfort, their combined 11 overs costing 80 runs.
In the fourth over, Bresnan provided the early incursions England sought. There was initial seam movement on offer for Finn and Bresnan also started with a good, probing line against ersatz opener Rohit Sharma.
Having timed one exquisite square drive for four, Rohit attempted a reprise to a slightly wider delivery that drifted further away from his crease-bound push, the ball slicing off the outside edge to the right of Tredwell at second slip, where he took a tumbling catch. The very next ball produced a facsimile of a loose drive from Virat Kohli, though Tredwell went in for a bit of variety on this occasion, juggling the ball three times in front of the kneeling Cook before grasping it for good with a giddy grin.
When Yuvraj got a thick edge to point trying to turn Finn through square leg, the match was beginning to resemble an early season encounter in England - at least in temperature and bowling conditions, if not the mountain setting. It could have been even better for England had Raina's edge off Chris Woakes - replacing Jade Dernbach - stuck but he battled pugnaciously after being hit on the shoulder by his first ball, from Finn.
Gambhir had prospered initially against the quick bowlers but just as he and Raina appeared to be dragging the match back towards a more subcontinental equilibrium England struck again. Tredwell has spent the one-day series doing a passable impression of Graeme Swann, particularly to left-handers, and he partially atoned for his drop of Raina in having Gambhir caught by the sprawling Ian Bell at point, the batsman failing to get on top of a cut shot. The wicket came from Tredwell's second ball, an immediate, Swann-esque intervention that left India suffering from a touch of altitude sickness at 49 for 4.
Dhoni had opted not to give Cheteshwar Pujara an ODI debut and it appeared India could have done with a monkish presence at the crease. When Finn won an lbw decision against Dhoni, England's delight was palpable but Raina, and then Jadeja and Buvneshwar, provided India with one last spin of the prayer wheel in their attempts to secure a 4-1 scoreline.
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