Close India 315 for 7 (Sehwag 98, Ganguly 68, Kaif 52) beat Leicestershire 261 for 7 (Ward 95, Sutcliffe 50, Yuvraj Singh 3-48) by 54 runs India completed their preparations for the NatWest series with a comfortable 54-run win over Leicestershire at Grace Road.

Sourav Ganguly (68) and Virender Sehwag (98) got the tourists off to a blistering start, putting on 132 for the first wicket against a Leicestershire attack weakened by the absence of the veteran ex-England pair Devon Malcolm and Phil DeFreitas. Ganguly, who won the toss, was particularly severe on Leicestershire's medium-pacers facing just 43 balls including two sixes and 12 fours before getting himself out against Carl Crowe.

Sehwag looked in equally good touch facing 85 balls with three sixes and nine fours before he needlessly ran himself out. When the openers were in full cry a total in excess of 400 looked on the cards. But after VVS Laxman and Yuvraj Singh had both gone cheaply it needed Mohammad Kaif's well-constructed 52 from 65 balls to take India to their 50-over total of 315 for 7. It was a particularly satisfying score given that India rested Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

But India's main worry remains their seam attack, and again it gave them cause for concern. Neither Ashish Nehra nor Tinu Yohannan took a wicket and their combined 13 overs cost 65 runs.

Trevor Ward and Ian Sutcliffe put on an untroubled 136 for the first wicket, setting their side up for what would have been a memorable win. But India regained control when Sutcliffe (50) was run out by wicketkeeper Ajay Ratra's direct hit on the stumps at the bowler's end as Sutcliffe tried to steal a quick single.

Thereafter India took a stranglehold on the game as Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh strangled the life out of the Leicestershire middle order. Wickets fell at regular intervals, Yuvraj finishing with 3 for 48 and Harbhajan's more expensive 1 for 50 tempered by the fact that he caught and bowled Darren Maddy for 30.

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