England 255 (Trescothick 95, Hussain 41, Flintoff 40, Harbhajan 5-43) beat India 250 (Ganguly 80, Flintoff 3-36) by 5 runs, and the series is drawn 3-3
scorecard

Once again, Sourav Ganguly top-scored for India. And once again it wasn't enough, as a courageous England team held on for a thrilling five-run victory to square the six-match series.

Hemang Badani and Anil Kumble had got India within touching distance with some enterprising batting, and went into the final over needing 11. That was whittled down to six runs from three balls, when Andy Flintoff ran Kumble out with a full-length dive from the rugby scrum-half's manual. His next delivery made a mess of Javagal Srinath's stumps, the cue for Flintoff to take off his shirt and start the party - and for a disappointed throng to head for the exits.

It was all so different when Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got India off to the by-now customary flyer - Sehwag square-cutting bullets past point and Tendulkar fine-tuning his pull-shot. It took a beautifully pitched outswinger from Darren Gough to silence the crowd, Tendulkar getting the edge through to James Foster and departing for 12 (36 for 1).

Sehwag and Ganguly continued to mete out the punishment, with Ganguly especially severe on Andy Caddick, lofting him with impunity over cover more than once. Sehwag got to 31 before he went to hoick a Caddick outswinger. Graham Thorpe at mid-on made no mistake (88 for 2).

Ganguly and Dinesh Mongia appeared to have the run-chase well under control as they added 67 for the third wicket. Though both struggled to pierce the infield for singles, they found the boundaries regularly. Ganguly played a couple of glorious lofted on-drives, and Mongia followed suit when Ashley Giles came on to bowl. Part-time offspinner Michael Vaughan was the unlikely saviour for England, having Mongia (35) stumped by yards with a delivery that spun away viciously (155 for 3).

With the pressure mounting, Ganguly spanked Gough and Vaughan over long-on for two big sixes. But Giles came back to rain on the Indian captain's parade. An attempted sweep saw the ball cannon into the stumps behind his pads (191 for 4) and England were back in business.

Mohammad Kaif - who made 20 - attempted to slog Flintoff out of the stadium but only got as far as Nasser Hussain at mid-off (206 for 5) as India faltered. And it was Vaughan who put another spoke in the wheel, when Ajay Ratra slog-swept one straight to Giles at deep midwicket after making just 8 (224 for 6).

Ajit Agarkar went for a Bombay Duck, fending a brute of a delivery from Caddick off the glove to Foster (224 for 7). With tempers fraying and nails being bitten, India lost Harbhajan Singh in the 48th over. He got underneath one from Flintoff and lobbed it up to Paul Collingwood at point (238 for 8). Badani flayed two fours, but it was too little, too late.

The England innings was a tale of two men - Marcus Trescothick who played another scintillating knock and Harbhajan, whose offspinning questions proved far too difficult for England to answer. Only a late flourish from Flintoff allowed England to get to 255, after Harbhajan had decimated the middle order in the space of two overs.

Hussain didn't have to think too long about batting first on an absolute belter after winning the toss on a typically hot and humid afternoon in Mumbai. If Ganguly had reason to be disappointed about batting second again, it didn't show as Srinath gave him the perfect start in the first over. Disappointment at having Trescothick dropped by Badani at point off the first ball of the innings was eased five balls later when Srinath got Nick Knight for a second-ball duck with a peach of a delivery that flew off the edge to Ratra (1 for 1).

After that, the shots cracked like fireworks at Diwali. Hussain set the tone with a couple of cracking pulls to midwicket and a stinging square-cut off Srinath. Trescothick gauged the bowling, discovered it wasn't too hot, and then proceeded to give it a pounding. Agarkar was taken apart - driven through cover, punched down the ground and pulled disdainfully past midwicket. It was exhilarating stuff, and the noise from the crowd dropped a decibel or two.

Hussain struck the first false note. Having motored to 41 in double-quick time, he hoicked a Ganguly long-hop straight down Harbhajan's throat at deep midwicket (88 for 2).

Trescothick was unfazed, and he clearly liked the full offerings from Kumble and Agarkar that allowed him to pepper the boundary boards at long-off. Vaughan had rotated the strike in unobtrusive fashion, reaching 16 in a third-wicket stand of 65, but he was guilty of an appalling stroke as the wheels started to come off the England innings. He charged Ganguly like a man disorientated by sunstroke and barely bothered to look back as Ratra removed the bails (153 for 3). Even as Trescothick closed in on a hundred, Thorpe showed that anything Vaughan could do, he could do worse. Another demented rush down the track (after he had made only 6), this time to Harbhajan, and another simple stumping for Ratra (172 for 4).

After that, the words Harbhajan, hot knife and butter could be used liberally as England were sliced apart. With the first toss of his line, Harbhajan reeled in the biggest fish. Trescothick had played some scintillating strokes on his way to an excellent 95 (off only 79 deliveries), but he got a leading edge to a ball that turned and bounced. Harbhajan dived smartly to his left to complete the caught-and-bowled, and send the crowd scurrying for their crackers and cymbals (173 for 5).

Collingwood made just 2 before a well-flighted delivery was flicked uppishly to midwicket, where Virender Sehwag took an excellent diving catch (174 for 6). Ashley Giles couldn't take the heat and edged a top-spinner to Sehwag at first slip (174 for 7). Four wickets in 12 deliveries for Harbhajan, England face-down on the mat.

Flintoff and James Foster defied India to add 31 before Foster gave Harbhajan another simple return catch (205 for 8). Caddick threw his bat for 7 before skying a full delivery from Tendulkar to Kumble at midwicket (218 for 9). There was still time for some late Flintoff fireworks as India let their grip loosen. He made 40 before lofting Srinath to Agarkar at deep mid-on to end the innings, with five balls still to be bowled.

In the end, that final flourish was enough.

Teams
India 1 Sachin Tendulkar, 2 Virender Sehwag, 3 Sourav Ganguly (capt), 4 Mohammad Kaif, 5 Dinesh Mongia, 6 Hemang Badani, 7 Ajit Agarkar, 8 Ajay Ratra (wk), 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Anil Kumble, 11 Javagal Srinath.

England 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Nick Knight, 3 Nasser Hussain (capt), 4 Michael Vaughan, 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Paul Collingwood, 7 Andrew Flintoff, 8 Ashley Giles, 9 James Foster (wk), 10 Andy Caddick, 11 Darren Gough.

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