No result India 285 for 4 (Tendulkar 105*, Dravid 82), England 53 for 1
scorecard

Before this match, all eyes had been on the gauges atop the temporary floodlights at the Riverside Ground. If the wind speeds had exceeded 25 mph, then the authorities would have had no option but to haul the lights down and turn to Messrs Duckworth and Lewis to fashion a result. In the event - and to the undoubted relief of the ECB - it was not wind, but good old-fashioned rain that brought an end to another interesting contest.

England, in reply to India's hefty total of 285 for 4, had reached 53 for 1 in 12 overs when the heavens opened. Marcus Trescothick had provided a typically turbocharged start by smacking a hasty 23, and after a quiet opening, Nick Knight was beginning to show some glimpses of his best attacking strokeplay. The day, however, belonged to Sachin Tendulkar.

He'd been quiet so far this series, but Tendulkar threw in a timely reminder of his abilities – as if one was needed - with 105 from 108 balls, his 32nd one-day century but his first against England in 22 matches. He starred in a record fourth-wicket partnership of 169 with Rahul Dravid, which lifted India from a precarious 52 for 3 in the 11th over, to a potent 221 for 4 in the 45th. Yuvraj Singh then provided a thrilling denouement, pasting 40 runs in 19 balls, including 16 off the final over, bowled by Darren Gough.

Gough's final figures of 2 for 52 in 10 overs did not flatter him. In his second match back from injury, he made an immediate impact, pinning Sourav Ganguly lbw with the very first ball of the match, and he added Dinesh Mongia soon afterwards, via a loose flick to Andrew Flintoff at midwicket. James Kirtley had already bagged a subdued Virender Sehwag for 16, caught at mid-on by Trescothick, and England were a couple of good deliveries away from a fine afternoon's work.

Dravid and Tendulkar, however, were only too well aware of this, and played well within themselves throughout a probing spell of bowling from Ronnie Irani, who returned superb figures of 10-1-23-0. Tendulkar was particularly quiet, and dealt for the most part in singles, with just one powerfully-timed sweep off Ashley Giles to remind everyone of what he is capable. The bulk of the attacking strokes came from Dravid, who timed Paul Collingwood to the midwicket boundary, before sweeping Giles past a fumbling Irani at fine leg.

But Giles continued to prove a weak link in England's attack, and in the 28th over the shackles were finally broken, when Tendulkar lofted him high over long-on for six, before driving elegantly to the cover boundary for four. Thirty-nine runs leaked from four overs, but when Nasser Hussain re-introduced Collingwood, Dravid quickly hoisted an off-stump delivery for Flintoff's second catch at midwicket (221 for 4). Dravid had made an important 82, from 117 balls, and his departure brought the in-form Yuvraj to the crease for the final five overs.

Yuvraj has been in sizzling touch so far this tournament, and he quickly stamped his authority on the match. Collingwood, the first Durham player to play in an international at Chester-le-Street, had no time to celebrate his wicket, and was belted for 16 runs in his next over, as Yuvraj took a particular liking to the midwicket fence. Tendulkar joined in in his next over, chipping through midwicket for four, before scampering two runs to long-off to bring up his hundred in the penultimate over.

Yuvraj sealed India's total by smacking the first ball of Gough's final over high into the stands for six, and flicked the third to leg for his fourth four in 19 balls. Once again, England had let their authority slip in the final third of a one-day innings, and after 12 overs of their reply, they were threatening to slip out of contention. Rain, though, had the final say.

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