Broad halts India progress

The Leicestershire fast bowler grabbed four for 51 as India were dismissed for 212 despite winning the toss and seeing both Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh score determined half-centuries.

At a ground where the average first innings score in one-day internationals is just 216, it was a significant achievement to prevent India exceeding that after the tourists once again lost wickets to the new ball.

Strengthened by the return of Andrew Flintoff after he missed Monday's victory at Edgbaston with a knee injury, it was James Anderson and Broad who once again inflicted early damage against an India line-up including only five specialist batsmen.

Lancashire seamer Anderson made the crucial breakthrough when he tempted Sourav Ganguly, returning to the ground where he endured an unhappy spell as overseas player in 2000, into spooning a short delivery high to Ian Bell running back from square leg.

Broad built on that early success by continuing Dinesh Karthik's miserable series by inducing him into an untimely swish outside off-stump which wicketkeeper Matt Prior collected.

But it was the removal of India captain Rahul Dravid just six balls into Flintoff's first comeback over which really swayed the momentum in England's direction. Flintoff bristled with aggression and hostility and drew Dravid into a push outside off-stump which he edged behind for one to leave India reeling on 32 for three.

Tendulkar and Yuvraj forged a crucial 71-run stand but Kevin Pietersen's part-time off-spin accounted for Tendulkar who was caught on the boundary by Flintoff for 55.

Monty Panesar removed the dangerous Mahendra Dhoni with a sharply-turning delivery which should encourage India's spinners and Broad cut short the return of Ajit Agarker, who was preferred to seamer Munaf Patel, when he edged behind.

Broad then took two wickets in three balls, firstly to end Yuvraj's brilliant innings of 71 from 104 balls and then Ramesh Powar mistimed an attempted pull high in the air and was caught at gully by Bell and although India's lower order added a crucial 32 in the final five overs, they were unable to reach a more challenging total.