KOLKATA : Skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni smashed an unbeaten 75 off 69
balls to power India to 271-8 in the fifth and final one-dayer at the
Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Tuesday.England, hoping to avoid a
5-0 series whitewash after losing the first four games, grabbed wickets
at regular intervals after skipper Alastair Cook asked India to bat in
the day-night match.India were reduced to 123-4 before Dhoni
hit his way out of trouble, pounding four sixes and three boundaries,
to help the world champions put up a challenging total on a sluggish
wicket.The late flourish led by the captain saw India plunder 84 runs in the last eight overs, including 39 off the final 12 balls.Left-arm seamer Samit Patel claimed three for 57, while Steven Finn took 2-47.Indian
openers Gautam Gambhir and Ajinkya Rahane put on 80 runs in 17 overs
when England hit back with three wickets without a run being added.Finn,
England's most impressive fast bowler in the series, bowled Gambhir
(38) and the in-form Virat Kohli with the first and last deliveries of
his sixth over.In the next over, Tim Bresnan forced Rahane
(42) to edge a ball to wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter, who dived to his
right to pick up a superb catch.Kolkata local Manoj Tiwary,
making his first appearance in the series in place of opener Parthiv
Patel, scored 24 with the help of four boundaries when he was caught
behind off Stuart Meaker.Suresh Raina helped Dhoni lift the
total to 162-4 in the 37th over, before he was run out for 38 by a
direct throw from Ravi Bopara.Patel dismissed Ravindra
Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin in successive overs, but Dhoni stepped in
to steer India to a competitive total.England gave seasoned batsman Ian Bell his first game in the series in place of Kevin Pietersen, who has a fractured thumb
