Tim Bresnan shone with both bat and ball as England crushed India by 319 runs at Trent Bridge here on Monday to win the second Test with more than a day to spare. England's margin of victory was a record in terms of runs in tests between the two sides.
England's victory, achieved despite Sachin Tendulkar's fifty, gave them a 2-0 lead in this four-match series as they looked to knock India off top spot in the ICC's Test Championship table. Andrew Strauss's side will replace India at the summit if they maintain or better their lead in the remaining two Tests. "We are just going to focus on winning the next Test, the rest of that stuff will look after itself," said Strauss.
"This was an outstanding performance where we had to dig deep a couple of times, get ourselves on top and make it count." Strauss was also full of praise for India captain Mohendra Singh Dhoni for reprieving England batsman Ian Bell after he was run out on Sunday, carelessly leaving his crease to head to the pavilion for tea. Set a record victory target of 478, India were bowled out for 158 with Tendulkar top-scoring with 56 but still left searching for an unprecedented and elusive 100th international hundred. Bresnan, who only came into the side when Chris Tremlett was ruled out with injury, made 90 batting at number eight in England's second innings 544 and then did the bulk of the damage with the ball.
He took a maiden Test five wicket haul of five wickets for 48 runs in 12 overs - including two in two balls before tea. Before lunch England, who won the first Test at Lord's by 196 runs, saw off Rahul Dravid, who made 117 in India's first innings, for just six when he was caught behind off a lifting delivery from man of the match Stuart Broad.
Venkatsai Laxman, another of India's star batsmen, was then clean bowled by a superb James Anderson delivery for four. Opener Abhinav Mukund, dropped on nought, struggled to three off 41 balls before gloving Bresnan's fifth ball, a bouncer, to first slip Strauss.
Bresnan succeeded with the short ball again when Suresh Raina hooked straight to substitute Scott Elstone at long leg. Tendulkar had struck some typically sublime straight drives off Anderson but he could do nothing as Bresnan took two wickets in two balls. Tendulkar completed his first fifty of the series with his eighth four before Harbhajan slogged off-spinner Graeme Swann for six.
Harbhajan exited for 46 when a hook off Bresnan was caught by Elstone, giving the 26-year-old Yorkshire seamer, in his eighth match at this level, a new Test-best, surpassing his four for 50 against Australia in Melbourne in December. Broad ended the match by bowling last man Shanthakumaran Sreesanth for nought. England resumed Monday on 441 for six with Matt Prior 64 not out and Bresnan 47 not out.
Wicketkeeper Prior was out for 73 to end a seventh-wicket stand of 119 at nearly a run-a-ball when he was caught behind off Praveen Kumar, who led India's attack with four for 124. Broad, who had top-scored with 64 in England's first innings 221 and had then taken a hat-trick on his way to Test-best figures of six for 46 in India's 288, followed up with 44. The third Test starts at Edgbaston on August 10.
Scoreboard Scoreboard at tea on the fourth day of the second Test between England and India at Trent Bridge on Monday: England 1st Innings 221 (S Broad 64; P Kumar 3-45, I Sharma 3-66, S Sreesanth 3-77) India 1st Innings 288 (R Dravid 117, Yuvraj Singh 62, V Laxman 54; S Broad 6-46)
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England 2nd Innings (overnight: 441-6)
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A. Strauss c Dhoni b Sreesanth 16
A. Cook c Yuvraj b Sharma 5
I. Bell c Laxman b Yuvraj 159
K. Pietersen c Dhoni b Sreesanth 63
E. Morgan c Dhoni b Kumar 70
M. Prior c Dhoni b Kumar 73
J. Trott c Dravid b Kumar 2
T. Bresnan c Dravid b Kumar 90
S. Broad run out sub (Saha) 44
G. Swann c sub (Saha) b Sharma 3
J. Anderson not out 1
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Extras: (b9, lb5, w2, nb2) 18
Total: (all out, 120.2 overs, 540 mins) 544
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Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-57, 3-219, 4-323, 5-329, 6-339, 7-458, 8-540, 9-540, 10-544
Bowling: Kumar 36-5-124-4 (2w); Sharma 29.2-4-131-2; Sreesanth 27-5-135-2 (2nb); Yuvraj 11-0-51-1; Harbhajan 9-1-47-0; Raina 8-0-42-0;
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India 2nd Innings
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A. Mukund c Strauss b Bresnan 3
R. Dravid c Prior b Broad 6
V. Laxman b Anderson 4
S. Tendulkar not out 35
S. Raina c sub (Elstone) b Bresnan 1
Yuvraj Singh c Cook b Bresnan 8
MS Dhoni lbw b Bresnan 0
Harbhajan Singh not out 10
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Extras: (b1) 1
Total: (6 wkts, 30 overs, 145 mins) 68
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