India wins fourth one-dayer to clinch series

India won the fourth limited-overs international against England by 19 runs Sunday in a rain-reduced game to take an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-match series.

India scored 166-4 off 22 overs after two rain interruptions.

Chasing a daunting victory target of 198 off 22 overs set under the Duckworth-Lewis system, England could only manage 178-8 despite a valiant 72 from Owais Shah.

Shah and Andrew Flintoff (41) put on 82 runs off 48 deliveries for the fourth wicket, but England’s challenge faded after they fell in successive overs. Paces Zaheer Khan (2-20) and Munaf Patel (2-22) bowled economical, controlled spells to rein in England’s batsmen.

Earlier, heavy showers led to the loss of more than five hours playing time, but the ground staff worked hard to salvage a game which England needed to win to stay alive in the series. Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised his bowlers for delivering the victory despite having problems gripping the wet ball.

“Because of the wet outfield, the ball became soggy and it was not easy to grip the ball,” Dhoni said.

“We have one specialist spinner in Harbhajan Singh and some part-time spin bowlers, who all found it tough to grip the ball. But Zaheer bowled very well,” he said.

England captain Kevin Pietersen said his team was beaten “by an Indian side which is playing fantastic cricket.”

“Owais batted really well today and Freddie helped him out with a good contribution,” said Pietersen, who added that England would try to stay competitive in the remaining three games despite the series being lost.

“We want to make sure this series stays as competitive as possible,” he said.

BANGALORE, India (AP)