Bresnan stars as England thrash India

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 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.

India set a record victory target of 478, 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 earlier made 90 batting at number eight in England's second innings 544, did the bulk of the damage with a maiden Test five wicket haul of five wickets for 48 runs in 12 overs -- including two in two balls before tea.

Only three India batsmen made double figure scores on Monday's fourth day, with Tendulkar the lone member of their powerful top order to achieve the feat.

No team has made more in the fourth innings to win a Test than the 418 for seven posted by the West Indies against Australia at St John's, Antigua, in 2002/03.

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 falling to Bresnan's fifth ball, a bouncer he gloved to first slip Strauss.

And Bresnan succeeded with the short ball again when Suresh Raina hit a hook 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, only playing in this match after fast bowler Chris Tremlett was injured, took two wickets in two balls.

First Yuvraj Singh gloved a rising delivery to Alastair Cook at backward silly point and was out for eight.

Next ball India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, inexplicably playing no shot, was lbw for a golden duck to leave the tourists 55 for six and Bresnan on a hat-trick at the start of his next over, which Harbhajan Singh survived.
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India's Sehwag 'fit' for World Cup

Key Indian opener Virender Sehwag is fully fit and raring to go, local media reported on Friday, boosting the country's chances of glory at the World Cup.


Sehwag, 32, was ruled out of India's recent one-day series against South Africa due to a shoulder injury, raising doubts over his fitness ahead of the tournament, which starts on February 19.

"I was feeling some pain in my shoulder," Sehwag said. "So (I thought it was) better to quit the South Africa One-dayers. I didn't want to get injured during the South Africa tour and miss the World Cup. So I came back and went to Germany to see a couple of doctors. I got a couple of injections and now I'm fine."
"I am going to the National Cricket Academy (in Bangalore) and will spend a couple of days there to check everything - if I can bowl and throw also but if I can't, then I'll let them know. But at the moment I'm fully fit."
Sehwag, with 7,380 runs from 228 one-day internationals, is seen as key to India's batting fortunes at the showpiece event, being co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

The aggressive right-hander said the team were upbeat about their opening tie against Bangladesh in Dhaka. India lost to the minnows in the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean, a defeat that eventually led to their early exit from the tournament.

"Because we're playing the opening game against them in Bangladesh, Bangladeshi people are expecting them to beat us again," Sehwag said. "But this time we have prepared well.

"You can say it is a revenge game for us and we won't take the game lightly. We will give our best shot and we will come hard on Bangladesh."

India, World Cup champions in 1983 in England, have been placed in Pool B alongside South Africa, England, Bangladesh, West Indies, Netherlands and Ireland.
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