ENGLAND captain Andrew Strauss said it had been a "privilege" to play in a dramatic World Cup tie with India yesterday.
India racked up a big 338 with Sachin Tendulkar hitting 120, but England came out firing. Strauss led the way with a composed 158 and Ian Bell hit 69.
With victory in sight, England slumped from 281-2 to 289-6, with Zaheer Khan taking three of the wickets, and the match appeared to be heading India’s way until a late flourish from England’s tail-enders tied the scores.
Strauss said he had mixed emotions after the nail-biting end to the game in Bangalore. "We were in a great position to win the game after 41, 42 overs. We had a shocking power play and from that stage onwards India were favourites to win the game. Ultimately it’s just been a great game of cricket, there’s no doubt.… Great advert for the 50-over format. In some ways we’re happy, in some ways we’re distraught."
But he said he felt "privileged to have played in a game like that".
Strauss brushed off fears that England would be tired amid their exhausting schedule, which included an Ashes contest in Australia.
"In this format there’s a lot of time to recover between games. We’re not tired at this stage. We’re excited about what’s to come."
Handed the man-of-the-match award for his knock of 158, he said: "It’s the best innings I’ve played and hopefully there’s more to come."
Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni praised Khan for bringing India back into the contest by removing Bell, Strauss and Paul Collingwood in quick succession.
"The way they were going, I think they got off to a very good start, I think Andrew (Strauss) batted really well. There was a time where it seemed like they were going to chase the score in 48, 49 overs," he said.
"I think the partnership were just two wickets down and the way both the batsmen were batting, it was getting pretty difficult for the bowlers.
"Zaheer came in to bowl a really good spell and brought us back into the game."
He said he believed a score of 338 would be enough to win the game. "I think so because if 338 is not enough then every game you will have to look to score maybe 350 or 360 runs."
Said Khan: "I felt the wicket got better later on and Strauss obviously batted damn well to put pressure on us and it was a cliffhanger until the end. A win would have helped here but a tie is a also a good thing for the team. We’ve got some points out of this game."
