England usurp India from No.1 Test spot

Birmingham, Aug 13 (IBNS) England usurp India from the top of Test rankings with a crushing innings and 242 runs win in the third Test with a day to spare at the delirious Edgbaston here Saturday. England also took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the four-match series to end India's 21 months stay at the top.

England´s pace spearhead James Anderson set the hosts on course to a comprehensive victory by removing Gautam Gambhir, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman inside the first hour in a brilliant spell of swing bowling.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Praveen Kumar provided a brief entertainment with a partnership of 75 but Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan mopped up the tail as India were bundled out for 244 in the second innings.

India made 224 in the first innings and England declared their first iinings at 710 for seven after Alastair Cook was dismissed for 294.

India started the day in a hopeless position, still 486 runs adrift, and having lost Virender Sehwag on a king pair Friday evening.

The condition worsened after Anderson´s first ball of the day was angled across Gambhir, caught his outside edge and was snaffled by Graeme Swann stooping low to his left at second slip.

Dravid poked at a full length delivery that moved away off the seam and was caught behind, although replays showed the bat hit his foot and not the ball.

Laxman was also dismissed to an identical delivery, before taking the outside of the blade.

Suresh Raina spanked Swann for two fours in a row, but the off-spinner responded by firing down a flatter delivery that trapped the left-hander on his crease.

Sachin Tendulkar (40) timed the ball to perfection with eight boundaries and raising the prospect of a defiant century but disaster struck as he was run out backing up a Dhoni drive.

Swann got his hand to the ball and deflected it on to the stumps and replays confirmed that Tendulkar was not able to get the bat behind the crease when the bails were off.

India entertained the packed Edgbaston, with Kumar smashing Swann into the stands three times. He smashed 40 off 18 balls before one slog too many picked out Ravi Bopara at cover to leave India eight down.

SCORECARD:

India first innings 224 all out.
England first innings 710-7 declared (A. Cook 294, A. Strauss 87, K. Pietersen 63, E. Morgan 104, T. Bresnan 53 not out)

India second innings (overnight 35-1)
G. Gambhir c Swann b Anderson 14
V. Sehwag c Strauss b Anderson 0
R. Dravid c Prior b Anderson 18
S. Tendulkar run out 40
VVS Laxman c Prior b Anderson 2
S. Raina lbw b Swann 10
MS Dhoni not out 74
A. Mishra c Broad b Swann 22
P. Kumar c Bopara b Broad 40
I. Sharma lbw b Broad 0
S. Sreesanth c Pietersen b Bresnan 5
Extras: (lb-6, w-7, b-6) 19
Total: (all out, 55.3 overs) 244

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-35, 3-40, 4-56, 5-87, 6-89, 7-130, 8-205, 9-221, 10-244

Bowling: Anderson 18-3-85-4, Broad 12-4-28-2 (2w), Bresnan 10.3-3-19-1, Swann 13-1-88-2 (1w), Pietersen 2-0-12-0

England won by an innings and 242 runs