Epic encounter ends in thrilling tie

 India 338 (Tendulkar 120, Bresnan 5-48) attached with England 338 for 8 (Strauss 158, Bell 69, Zaheer 3-64)

On an evening that essentially beggared conviction, England attached with India in a mind boggling finale in Bangalore. Andrew Strauss was England's motivation, delivering an exceptional 158 from 145 balls, the most elevated score by an English batsman in World Cup history, as England compromised the unfathomable, and set off in full quest for India's apparently absurd all out of 338 - a score that had been made conceivable by a splendid 120 from Sachin Tendulkar.

Such was the clearness of Strauss' strokeplay and the resignation of India's assault, at 280 for 2 in the 43rd over, England were cruising towards a remarkable victory. Anyway a late intercession, ignited by an opposite swinging Zaheer Khan, left them tearing for breath as a quieted Chinnaswamy arena rediscovered its thunder, and when the necessity shot up past two runs a ball, there appeared to be no chance once more into the challenge. Notwithstanding, a brave volley of sixes from England's lower request pulled them back from the edge, and with two runs required from the last conveyance of the match, Graeme Swann bored Munaf Patel to cover to rescue a portion of the crown jewels.

The winded finale was completely with regards to a challenge that wandered aimlessly like a restless person in a mosquito-pit. From the first over of the match, wherein Virender Sehwag could have been excused multiple times in five balls, through the rich strokeplay of first Tendulkar and later Strauss, and on through a couple of batting breakdowns - one each for the lower request of the two groups - there was hardly a second in which ordinary assistance was allowed. Tim Bresnan, with 5 for 48 of every ten persistently made overs, was the unrecognized star of a day that should be recognized as the best World Cup challenge since that semi-last in 1999.

For the initial 39 overs of the match, and again for the last seven, the Bangalore swarm was just about as rowdy as a rainstorm wedding, as Tendulkar lighted India's first home apparatus of the World Cup with his 47th ODI century, before Zaheer Khan pulled them back from the edge of lowness with 3 for 11 in his last three-over spell. However, in the middle of whiles, the game had a place with England, as India sent their last seven wickets in 25 balls to allow their adversaries to recapture a toe-hold in the challenge, prior to surrendering the stage to Strauss and his perfect work of art.

A positive beginning was a pre-essential as England left on their second overwhelming pursue in as many matches, and similarly as Strauss had mitigated his group's tensions with 88 from 83 balls after their tease with embarrassment against the Dutch, he was indeed in the main part of things right from the beginning of the innings. Zaheer, who was as poor with the new ball as he was decimating with the old, bowled the two sides of the wicket to gift two limits in six balls, and Strauss was ready for action. He scarcely plunged under a run a ball at any resulting phase of his innings.