Editing English cricket team in India in 2005–06

{{short description|International cricket tour}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox cricket tour
|  series_name              = English cricket team in India in 2005-06
|  team1_image              = Flag of India.svg
|  team1_name               = India
|  team2_image              = Flag of England.svg
|  team2_name               = England
|  from_date                = 18 February
|  to_date                  = 15 April 2006
|  team1_captain            = [[Rahul Dravid]]
|  team2_captain            = [[Andrew Flintoff]]
|  no_of_tests              = 3
|  team1_tests_won          = 1
|  team2_tests_won          = 1
|  team1_tests_most_runs    =  [[Rahul Dravid]] (309)
|  team2_tests_most_runs    =  [[Paul Collingwood]] (272)
|  team1_tests_most_wickets =  [[Anil Kumble]] (16)
|  team2_tests_most_wickets =  [[Matthew Hoggard]] (13)
|  player_of_test_series    =  [[Andrew Flintoff]]
|  no_of_ODIs               = 7
|  team1_ODIs_won           =  5
|  team2_ODIs_won           =  1
|  team1_ODIs_most_runs     =  [[Suresh Raina]] (242)
|  team2_ODIs_most_runs     =  [[Kevin Pietersen]] (291)
|  team1_ODIs_most_wickets  =  [[Harbhajan Singh]] (12)
|  team2_ODIs_most_wickets  =  [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]] (9)
|  player_of_ODI_series    =   [[Yuvraj Singh]] 
}}
The '''English cricket team''' toured '''India during February, March and April 2006'''. The [[English cricket team]] was aspiring to maintain the form that took them to second place in the [[ICC Test Championship]] before their disastrous spell against [[Pakistan cricket team|Pakistan]], and which helped win [[the 2005 Ashes]] series at home to [[Australian cricket team|Australia]]. This goal was substantially hindered by the usual stomach complaints which nearly always dog the English team in the opening weeks of Indian tours, and a recurrence of an injury to the captain [[Michael Vaughan]]; the swing bowler [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] and the absence of [[Ashley Giles]] who missed the tour for an operation. As well as this, stand-in captain [[Marcus Trescothick]] flew home for "personal reasons", not wishing to divulge further, leaving [[Andrew Flintoff]], who missed the birth of his son, to take on the title of skipper for the first time having to captain two maiden international cricketers on the English side: [[Alastair Cook]] and [[Monty Panesar]]. [[Shanthakumaran Sreesanth]], [[Piyush Chawla]] and [[Munaf Patel]] made their debuts for the home team.


Three [[Test cricket|Test matches]] and seven [[One Day International]]s were planned. One ODI (in [[Guwahati]]) was washed out because of rain. The Test series was drawn 1-1 while India won the ODI series 5-1.

==Schedule==

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Date
! Match
! Venue
|- 
! colspan="3" | February
|-
|| 18-20 || vs Cricket Club of India || [[Mumbai]]
|-
|| 23-25 || vs President's XI || [[Baroda]]
|- 
! colspan="3" | March
|-
|| 1-5 || 1st Test || [[Nagpur]]
|-
|| 9-13 || 2nd Test || [[Mohali]]
|-
|| 18-22 || 3rd Test || [[Mumbai]]
|-
|| 25 || vs RCA President's XI || [[Jaipur]]
|-
|| 28 || 1st ODI || [[Delhi]]
|-
|| 31 || 2nd ODI || [[Faridabad]]
|- 
! colspan="3" | April
|-
|| 3 || 3rd ODI || [[Goa]]
|-
|| 6 || 4th ODI || [[Kochi (India)|Kochi]]
|-
|| 9 || 5th ODI || [[Guwahati]]
|-
|| 12 || 6th ODI || [[Jamshedpur]]
|-
|| 15 || 7th ODI || [[Indore]]
|}

==Squads==

{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! England<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/ENG_IN_IND/SQUADS/ENG_IN_IND_FEB-APR2006_ENG-SQUAD.html England in India, February–April 2006, England Squad], from Cricinfo, retrieved 26 March 2006</ref>
! India<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/ENG_IN_IND/SQUADS/ENG_IN_IND_FEB-APR2006_IND-SQUAD.html England in India, February–April 2006, India Squad], from Cricinfo, retrieved 26 March 2006</ref>
|- valign="top"
||
* [[Andrew Flintoff]] (c)
* [[Geraint Jones]] (wk)
* [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]]
* [[Ian Bell]]
* [[Ian Blackwell]]
* [[Paul Collingwood]]
* [[Alastair Cook]]
* [[Steve Harmison]]
* [[Matthew Hoggard]]
* [[Kevin Pietersen]]
* [[Liam Plunkett]]
* [[Matt Prior]]
* [[Owais Shah]]
* [[Andrew Strauss]]
* [[Shaun Udal]]
* [[Monty Panesar]]
* [[Vikram Solanki]] (Tour ODI c) (ODI only)
* [[Kabir Ali]] (ODI only)
* [[Sajid Mahmood]] (ODI only)
* [[Gareth Batty]] (ODI only)
* [[Marcus Trescothick]] (Home 24 February)
* [[Michael Vaughan]] (Home 27 February)
* [[Simon Jones (cricketer)|Simon Jones]] (Home 27 February)
||
* [[Rahul Dravid]] (c)
* [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]] (wk)
* [[Virender Sehwag]]
* [[Wasim Jaffer]]
* [[Sachin Tendulkar]]
* [[VVS Laxman]]
* [[Mohammad Kaif]]
* [[Suresh Raina]]
* [[Anil Kumble]]
* [[Harbhajan Singh]]
* [[Piyush Chawla]]
* [[Irfan Pathan]]
* [[Shanthakumaran Sreesanth]]
* [[R. P. Singh]]
* [[Yuvraj Singh]]
* [[Munaf Patel]]
* [[Piyush Chawla]]
* [[Gautam Gambhir]](ODI only 1-3)
* [[Suresh Raina]] (ODI only)
* [[Yalaka Venugopal Rao|Venugopal Rao]] (ODI only)
* [[Ajit Agarkar]] (ODI only)
* [[Ramesh Powar]] (ODI only)
* [[Robin Uthappa]] (ODI only 4-)
* [[V. R. V. Singh]] (ODI only 6-)
* [[Dinesh Karthik]] (ODI 7)
|}

==Test Matches==

===Tour match v Cricket Club of India (18–20 February)===

'''England beat Cricket Club of India by 238 runs'''<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/ENG_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/ENG_CCI-XI_18-20FEB2006.html 1st Tour Match: England XI v Cricket Club of India President's XI ,18-20 February 2006], scorecard from Cricinfo, retrieved 12 April 2006</ref>

England 1st Innings
299 all out (89.3 overs)

Cricket Club of India 1st Innings
251 all out (79.3 overs)

England 2nd Innings
265 all out (61.5 overs)
	
Cricket Club of India 2nd Innings
75 all out (26.2 overs)

===Tour match v President's XI (23–25 February)===

'''President's XI beat England by 8 wickets'''<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/ENG_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/ENG_IND-BPRES-XI_23-25FEB2006.html 2nd Tour Match: England XI v Indian Board President's XI, 23-25 February 2006], scorecard from Cricinfo, retrieved 12 April 2006</ref>

England 1st Innings
238 for 9 (62.2 overs)

President's XI 1st Innings
348 for 8 (103.4 overs)

England 2nd Innings
158 for 9 (65.0 overs)

President's XI 2nd Innings
58 for 2 (17.0 overs)

Note: [[Munaf Patel]] took two five-wicket hauls at a combined total of 10-91 for the President's XI and subsequently gained a Test match debut in the Second Test against [[English cricket team|England]].

==Test series==

===1st Test===
{{Test match
| date = 1–5 March
| team1 = {{cr-rt|ENG}}
| team2 = {{cr|IND}}

| score-team1-inns1 = 393 (127.5 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 = [[Paul Collingwood]] 134* (252)
| wickets-team1-inns1 = [[Sreesanth|S Sreesanth]] 4/95 (28.5 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 = 323 (126.5 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 = [[Mohammad Kaif]] 91 (263)
| wickets-team2-inns1 = [[Matthew Hoggard]] 6/57 (30.5 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 = 297/3d (87 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 = [[Alastair Cook]] 104* (243)
| wickets-team1-inns2 = [[Irfan Pathan]] 2/48 (14 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 = 260/6 (78.2 overs)
| runs-team2-inns2 = [[Wasim Jaffer]] 100 (198)
| wickets-team2-inns2 = [[Steve Harmison]] 2/48 (17.2 overs)

| result = Match drawn
| venue = [[Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground]], [[Nagpur]]
| umpires = [[Aleem Dar]] (Pak) and [[Ian Howell]] (South Africa)
| motm = [[Matthew Hoggard]] (Eng)
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/239025.html Scorecard]
| toss = England won the toss and elected to bat.
| rain = 
| notes = Series level 0-0
* [[Ian Blackwell]] (Eng), [[Alastair Cook]] (Eng), [[Monty Panesar]] (Eng) and [[Sreesanth|S Sreesanth]] (Ind) all made their Test debuts.
}}

The first test at Nagpur, despite being a draw, proved to be an intense game of cricket with positive performances from both sides. This was encouraging as the perception of the tour was that England would struggle, especially given the number of injuries they had suffered just before the series began.

Both [[Alastair Cook|Alistair Cook]] and [[Monty Panesar]] made international debuts in this Test for [[English cricket team|England]], as well as a Test debut for ODI veteran [[Ian Blackwell]]. On the Indian team [[Shanthakumaran Sreesanth]] was the only debutant.

England won the toss and batted first, and scored at a decent enough rate on the first day, but also lost regular wickets in the process to end the day on 246/7. [[Alastair Cook]] made a promising debut scoring 60, and [[Paul Collingwood]] was 53 not out by the close of play. On day 2, England’s lower order batsman assisted Collingwood to reach his maiden test century and frustrate India who would have hoped to bowl England out promptly. England eventually reached a score of 393, with Collingwood unbeaten on 134 not out.

India lost [[Virender Sehwag]] early in their reply, but then [[Wasim Jaffer]] and [[Rahul Dravid]] batted out the day without further loss to take the hosts to 136/1 by the end of day 2. The match was very nicely balanced.

On day 3, England’s seam bowlers, in particular [[Matthew Hoggard]], produced an inspired performance to engineer a middle order collapse. India slumped from 140/1 to 190/7 just after the lunch break. Hoggard took 5 wickets, and [[Monty Panesar]] dismissed [[Sachin Tendulkar]] to claim his maiden test wicket amid dramatic scenes. 
However, [[Mohammad Kaif]] and [[Anil Kumble]] fought back for India, putting on 128 for the eighth wicket. The day ended with Kaif being clean bowled by Panesar with a spectacular delivery that span out of the rough and just clipped the off stump.

England wrapped up India’s first innings very early on day 4 for 323, and began their second innings in a positive way. [[Alastair Cook]] scored a century on debut, and [[Kevin Pietersen]] scored an aggressive 87, despite a caught and bowled appeal being turned down by the third umpire early in his innings. This incident distracted the Indians who dropped 3 further catches during the day. England closed the day with a lead of 367 runs, and Cook was unbeaten on 104.

[[Andrew Flintoff]] declared overnight to set India a target of 368 to win. India again lost Sehwag early, but Dravid and Jaffer again formed a solid partnership that England were unable to break for two sessions. Scoring was very slow, and it looked like the match was heading for an uneventful draw.

Jaffer reached 100 shortly after tea but was dismissed soon after making the milestone. India then injected some life into the game by making a sudden charge at the target, despite the fact they still needed 170 runs to win. [[Irfan Pathan]] and [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]] were promoted up the order to accelerate the scoring, and England had to quickly adopt to a one-day scenario to protect boundaries and try and vary the bowling.

Both these batsmen fell after cameos, and [[Sachin Tendulkar]], who had also played some shots, was then trusted with seeing out the remaining overs. Although India scored 129 in 22 overs, they were still 108 runs short of the target, and eventually an offer for bad light was made with the score on 260/6.

[[Matthew Hoggard]] was awarded man of the match for his first innings effort of 6/57. England overall were pleased to hold a strong Indian team to a draw despite several of their key players missing, and went into the second test with renewed confidence.

===2nd Test===
{{Test match
| date = 9–13 March
| team1 = {{cr-rt|England}}
| team2 = {{cr|India}}

| score-team1-inns1 = 300 (103.4 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 = [[Andrew Flintoff]] 70 (123)
| wickets-team1-inns1 = [[Anil Kumble]] 5/76 (29.4 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 = 338 (96.2 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 = [[Rahul Dravid]] 95 (208)
| wickets-team2-inns1 = [[Andrew Flintoff]] 4/96 (22 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 = 181 (76.1 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 = [[Ian Bell]] 57 (137)
| wickets-team1-inns2 = [[Munaf Patel]] 4/25 (13 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 = 144/1 (33 overs)
| runs-team2-inns2 = [[Virender Sehwag]] 76* (89)
| wickets-team2-inns2 = [[Matthew Hoggard]] 1/24 (8 overs)

| result = India won by 9 wickets
| venue = [[Punjab Cricket Association Stadium]], [[Mohali]]
| umpires = [[Darrell Hair]] (Aus) and [[Simon Taufel]] (Aus)
| motm = [[Anil Kumble]] (Ind)
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/current/match/238186.html Scorecard]
| toss = England won the toss and elected to bat.
| rain = 
| notes = India leads the series 1-0.
* [[Piyush Chawla]] (Ind) and [[Munaf Patel]] (Ind) make their Test debuts.
}}

===3rd Test===
{{Test match
| date = 18–22 March
| team1 = {{cr-rt|England}}
| team2 = {{cr|India}}

| score-team1-inns1 = 400 (133.4 overs)
| runs-team1-inns1 = [[Andrew Strauss]] 128 (240)
| wickets-team1-inns1 = [[Sreesanth|S Sreesanth]] 4/70 (22 overs)

| score-team2-inns1 = 279 (104.1 overs)
| runs-team2-inns1 = [[MS Dhoni]] 64 (118)
| wickets-team2-inns1 = [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]] 4/40 (19.1 overs)

| score-team1-inns2 = 191 (92.4 overs)
| runs-team1-inns2 = [[Andrew Flintoff]] 50 (146)
| wickets-team1-inns2 = [[Anil Kumble]] 4/49 (30.4 overs)

| score-team2-inns2 = 100 (48.2 overs)
| runs-team2-inns2 = [[Sachin Tendulkar]] 34 (57)
| wickets-team2-inns2 = [[Shaun Udal]] 4/14 (9.2 overs)

| result = England won by 212 runs
| venue = [[Wankhede Stadium]], [[Mumbai]]
| umpires = [[Darrell Hair]] (Aus) and [[Simon Taufel]] (Aus)
| motm = [[Andrew Flintoff]] (Eng)
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238187.html Scorecard]
| toss = India won the toss and elected to field.
| rain = 
| notes = England levels the series 1-1.
* [[Owais Shah]] (Eng) made his Test debut.
}}

Following their second test defeat, England suffered a further injury blow when [[Alastair Cook]] developed an upset stomach on the morning of the match. [[Owais Shah]] made his debut for the tourists, and [[Shaun Udal]] was also called into the side to replace [[Liam Plunkett]].

England’s chances of success in this match were perceived to be low, but they were immediately boosted by Rahul Dravid’s curious decision to ask England to bat on winning the toss. It was believed that this decision was based on the perceived weakness of England’s spin attack, who would not be able to exploit conditions on the final day of the match.

[[Andrew Strauss]] scored 128 to end a run of low scores on the sub continent, and the debutant [[Owais Shah]] compiled a good half century before retiring hurt at the tea interval with cramps. England closed day 1 on 272/3 – a promising position.

On day 2, England continued to accumulate runs, but the Indian attack found more consistency than they were able to the previous day. [[Sri Sreesanth]] took 4 wickets and triggered a mini collapse, and [[Munaf Patel]] also bowled well. [[Owais Shah]] returned to continue his innings and reached 88 before being dismissed by [[Harbhajan Singh]]. He showed promise as a test player, and was confident enough to engage in dialogue with the Indian bowlers while compiling his innings. The most notable point was Shah visibly laughing having just lofted Harbhajan for a big six. England were eventually all out for 400.

India’s reply started badly, with [[Virender Sehwag]], [[Wasim Jaffer]] and [[Sachin Tendulkar]] all being dismissed cheaply to leave the hosts on 28/3. Tendulkar in particular was a concern for the Indians, looking nervous and tentative at the crease, taking a long time to score a solitary run and eventually being dismissed after facing 21 deliveries for that single. [[Rahul Dravid]] and [[Yuvraj Singh]] engineered a recovery to finish the day on 89/3.

On day 3, England’s bowlers continued their good work despite finding the hot and humid conditions difficult. They eventually bowled India out for 279, with [[Geraint Jones]] taking 5 catches as wicketkeeper. [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]] took 4 wickets in the innings, including the vital ones of Tendulkar and Dravid. The India total could have been much less were it not for a late order partnership between [[Anil Kumble]] and Sreesanth.

England lost two wickets early in their second innings to close day 3 on 31/2. It was clear that the pitch was deteriorating fast, making Dravid’s initial decision to field first even more unusual.

Day 4 proved to be a day of traditional style Test cricket, with immensely slow scoring rates achieved throughout. Barely 2 runs per over were managed, and England lost regular wickets as most batsmen struggled to adapt to the conditions. [[Andrew Flintoff]] scored a very patient 50, and [[Paul Collingwood]] and [[Owais Shah]] scored 32 and 38 respectively, which would prove to be important contributions.

[[Andrew Flintoff]] had stressed to his batsmen before the match the importance of going on and making a big innings once a half century had been reached. It was to some amusement that he scored exactly 50 in both innings of this match.

England were bowled out for 191 late in the day, and some commentators believed the opportunity for them to force a win had perhaps been lost. For the Indian bowlers, the spinners were the main performers, with Kumble and Harbhajan taking 6 wickets between them. India started their second innings needing 313 to win, a large target given the conditions of the pitch.

The final day started off with India on 18/1 (having lost [[Irfan Pathan]] late in the previous day) and the first session was seen out relatively safely, with only 2 wickets falling, one of those being that of the nightwatchman Kumble. Scoring was very slow, and Dravid had faced over 50 deliveries for 9 runs by the lunch interval. Tendulkar had scored more freely, but overall the score at lunch was 75/3.

The next session was nothing short of remarkable, as the Indian batting order collapsed in a dramatic fashion. Dravid edged a ball from Flintoff to the wicketkeeper off the third delivery after the lunch break, and Tendulkar was caught at short leg off the bowling of [[Shaun Udal]] next over. The Indian batsmen struggled immensely with Udal’s bowling, who obtained significant help from the pitch, and he would go on to take 4 wickets in the second innings at a cost of just 14 runs.

Sehwag had been suffering from a back injury and was forced to bat at no 7. He was unable to cope with conditions and was dismissed for a duck by [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]]. The next dismissal, that of [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]], was nothing short of bizarre. Dhoni skied a ball off Udal, only for [[Monty Panesar]] to miss the chance as it landed around 10 feet from where he was, despite having ample time to position himself to take it. Unbelievably, Dhoni attempted a similar shot two balls later, and Panesar this time successfully held the chance. Some television commentators were actually confused by events believing the second shot by Dhoni to have been a replay of the original incident. Dhoni left the field to a chorus of boos by the crowd, stunned by England’s strikes. At this point, the score was 92/7.

Harbhajan Singh was dismissed next, attempting to slog sweep Udal for six, and Yuvraj Singh edged Flintoff into the slips. With the score on 99/9, the last man Munaf Patel managed a single to bring up the India 100, but he too then fell attempting to slog Udal out of the park. India were bowled out for 100, and had lost 7 wickets in 16 overs, for the addition of 25 runs. England won the match by 212 runs, and had levelled the series.

England regarded the victory to be as great as reclaiming the Ashes, with winning in India always perceived to be a difficult task. It was considered even more incredible, given the loss of key players due to injuries prior to and during the series. India, on the other hand, came under extreme criticism for the loss and questions were asked of Dravid’s decision to field first, as well as the batsmen’s technique and application during the second innings when they collapsed from 75/3 to 100 all out.

Overall, the test series had been competitive and demonstrated many opportunities of emerging talent on both sides which would hopefully benefit these two sides, as well as world cricket in general in the coming years.

==ODI series==
[[Image:Yuvraj Singh.jpg|120px|thumb|Yuvraj Singh, Man of the Series]]

===Tour match vs. Rajasthan President's XI (25 March)===
'''Rajastan President's XI win by five runs'''<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/ENG_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/ENG_RCA-PRES-XI_25MAR2006.html One-Day Tour Match: England XI Vs Rajasthan President's XI in Jaipur, 25 March 2006], scorecard from Cricinfo, retrieved 12 April 2006</ref>

Rajasthan President's XI 260-6 (50 overs)

England 255 (49.5 overs)

Notes: [[English cricket team|England]] captain [[Andrew Flintoff]] was replaced as captain by [[Vikram Solanki]], as he was at home visiting his newly born baby.

===1st ODI===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 28 March
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 203 (46.4 overs)
| score2 = 164 (38.1 overs) 
| team2 = {{cr|ENG}}
| runs1 = [[Harbhajan Singh]] 37 (46)
| wickets1 = [[Kabir Ali]] 4/45 (8.4 overs)
| runs2 = [[Kevin Pietersen]] 46 (49)
| wickets2 = [[Harbhajan Singh]] 5/31 (10 overs)
| result = India won by 39 runs
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238188.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Feroz Shah Kotla Ground]], [[Delhi]]
| umpires = [[Asad Rauf]] (Pak) and [[Arani Jayaprakash|AV Jayaprakash]] (Ind)
| motm = [[Harbhajan Singh]] (Ind)
| toss = England won the toss and chose to field.
| rain =
| notes = India leads the series 1-0.
* US Travelwriter [[Paul Theroux]] was in the stadium and features this match in his book [[Ghost Train to the Eastern Star]].
}}

===2nd ODI===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 31 March
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|ENG}}
| score1 = 226 (49.5 overs)
| score2 = 230/6 (49 overs) 
| team2 = {{cr|IND}}
| runs1 = [[Kevin Pietersen]] 71 (87)
| wickets1 = [[Ramesh Powar]] 3/34 (10 overs)
| runs2 = [[Suresh Raina]] 81* (89)
| wickets2 = [[Ian Blackwell]] 2/39 (9 overs)
| result = India won by 4 wickets
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238189.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Nahar Singh Stadium]], [[Faridabad]]
| umpires = [[Asad Rauf]] (Pak) and [[Arani Jayaprakash|AV Jayaprakash]] (Ind)
| motm = [[Suresh Raina]] (Ind)
| toss = England won the toss and chose to bat.
| rain =
| notes = India leads the series 2-0.
}}

In the first innings [[England cricket team|England]] batsmen [[Kevin Pietersen]] tied [[West Indian cricket team|West Indian]] [[Viv Richards]]' record as the quickest to reach 1,000 runs in ODIs (21 innings). [[Suresh Raina]], with his maiden ODI half-century, and [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]] set a new record for the sixth wicket partnership for India in One-day Internationals.

The fall of the third wicket provided a talking point: [[Yuvraj Singh]] swept [[Ian Blackwell]]'s delivery behind the stumps only for wicket keeper [[Geraint Jones]] to make a diving stop and throw the ball at the wicket, dislodging the leg stump and bail. With Singh still in his crease he was given not out, but [[Indian cricket team|Indian]] captain [[Rahul Dravid]] decided to take a quick run in the confusion as the ball ricocheted away; [[Paul Collingwood]] acted quickly though, and grabbed the ball and ran it into the remaining two stumps and bail just as Dravid made it to the crease. The TV umpire was called for the decision and after much deliberation Dravid was given out.

===3rd ODI===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 3 April
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 294/6 (50 overs)
| score2 = 245 (48.5 overs) 
| team2 = {{cr|ENG}}
| runs1 = [[Yuvraj Singh]] 103 (76)
| wickets1 = [[Andrew Flintoff]] 3/56 (9 overs)
| runs2 = [[Paul Collingwood]] 93 (84)
| wickets2 = [[Irfan Pathan]] 4/51 (10 overs)
| result = India won by 49 runs
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238190.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Fatorda Stadium]], [[Margao]]
| umpires = [[Asad Rauf]] (Pak) and [[Krishna Hariharan|K Hariharan]] (Ind)
| motm = [[Yuvraj Singh]] (Ind)
| toss = India won the toss and chose to bat.
| rain =
| notes = India leads the series 3-0.
* [[Munaf Patel]] (Ind) made his ODI debut.
}}

===4th ODI===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 6 April
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|ENG}}
| score1 = 237 (48.4 overs)
| score2 = 238/6 (47.2 overs)
| team2 = {{cr|IND}}
| runs1 = [[Kevin Pietersen]] 77 (82)
| wickets1 = [[Virender Sehwag]] 2/31 (6 overs)
| runs2 = [[Rahul Dravid]] 65 (73)
| wickets2 = [[Ian Blackwell]] 2/41 (10 overs)
| result = India won by 4 wickets
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238191.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi|Nehru Stadium]], [[Kochi]]
| umpires = [[Krishna Hariharan|K Hariharan]] (Ind) and [[Rudi Koertzen]] (South Africa)
| motm = [[Yuvraj Singh]] (Ind)
| toss = England won the toss and chose to bat.
| rain =
| notes = India leads the series 4-0.
}}

===5th ODI===

The game was washed out.<ref>[http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2005-06/ENG_IN_IND/SCORECARDS/ENG_IND_ODI5_09APR2006.html 5th: ODI (Abandoned): England v India in Guwahati, 9 April] scorecard from Cricinfo, retrieved 12 April 2006</ref> Heavy rain poured in the day before, and the ground could not be dried sufficient enough for the game to start. Finally the game was called off by the Umpires' decisions without a ball being bowled due to a soggy outfield, an outcome that angered the fans who had been waiting for the game to start for five hours and they eventually started showing their frustration by hurling stones and setting fire to objects in the stands.

{{Limited overs matches
| date = 9 April
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 
| score2 = 
| team2 = {{cr|ENG}}
| runs1 = 
| wickets1 = 
| runs2 = 
| wickets2 = 
| result = Match abandoned
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238192.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Nehru Stadium, Guwahati|Nehru Stadium]], [[Guwahati]]
| umpires = [[Arani Jayaprakash|AV Jayaprakash]] (Ind) and [[Rudi Koertzen]] (SA)
| motm = 
| toss = No toss.
| rain = Match abandoned without a ball bowled.
| notes = 
}}

===6th ODI===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 12 April
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|IND}}
| score1 = 223 (48 overs)
| score2 = 227/5 (42.4 overs)
| team2 = {{cr|ENG}}
| runs1 = [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni|MS Dhoni]] 96 (106)
| wickets1 = [[Sajid Mahmood]] 3/37 (8 overs)
| runs2 = [[Andrew Strauss]] (retired hurt) 74* (85)
| wickets2 = [[Harbhajan Singh]] 3/30 (10 overs)
| result = England won by 5 wickets
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238193.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Keenan Stadium]], [[Jamshedpur]]
| umpires = [[Krishna Hariharan|K Hariharan]] (Ind) and [[Rudi Koertzen]] (SA)
| motm = [[Andrew Strauss]] (Eng)
| toss = India won the toss and chose to bat.
| rain =
| notes = India leads the series 4-1
* [[V. R. V. Singh]] (Ind) made his ODI debut.
}}

Twenty-one-year-old [[V. R. V. Singh]] made his debut for [[Indian cricket team|India]], who made a disastrous start to their innings, slipping to 76-5. [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]] (96) and [[Ramesh Powar]] (54) lifted the home team to a more respectable total with a century stand for the sixth wicket. Harbhajan Singh was clean bowled by Kevin Pietersen for 4, although Harbhajan did not walk, waiting for the third umpire to be called in to adjudicate on the dismissal before finally swearing at Pietersen as he left the ground.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cricket365.com/story/0,18305,6673_2978999,00.html |title=Cricket365 Soapbox |access-date=10 January 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071218182032/http://www.cricket365.com/story/0,18305,6673_2978999,00.html |archive-date=18 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3Ms37yt3lg YouTube - Harbhajan Singh v/s Kevin Pietersen]</ref> Acting skipper [[Andrew Strauss]] (the third acting captain on this tour with [[Andrew Flintoff]] resting as 12th man) led England from the front with 74, before retiring hurt with cramp, and they strolled to victory with 43 balls to spare. [[Ian Blackwell]] hit a no-ball from Powar for six to reach the target.

===7th ODI===
{{Limited overs matches
| date = 15 April
| daynight no
| team1 = {{cr-rt|ENG}}
| score1 = 288 (50 overs)
| score2 = 289/3 (49.1 overs)
| team2 = {{cr|IND}}
| runs1 = [[Kevin Pietersen]] 64 (56)
| wickets1 = [[Sreesanth|S Sreesanth]] 6/55 (10 overs)
| runs2 = [[Robin Uthappa]] 86 (96)
| wickets2 = [[Kabir Ali]] 1/47 (8 overs)
| result = India won by 7 wickets
| report = [http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/238194.html Scorecard]
| venue = [[Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground]], [[Indore]]
| umpires = [[Arani Jayaprakash|AV Jayaprakash]] (Ind) and [[Rudi Koertzen]] (SA)
| motm = [[Sreesanth|S Sreesanth]] (Ind)
| toss = India won the toss and chose to field.
| rain =
| notes = India won the series 5-1
* [[Robin Uthappa]] (Ind) made his ODI debut.
}}

Note: [[Indian cricket team|Indian]] wicket keeper [[Mahendra Singh Dhoni]] was replaced by [[Dinesh Karthik]]. [[English cricket team|English]] captain [[Andrew Flintoff]] was again replaced by [[Andrew Strauss]].

Debut of [[Robin Uthappa]] as the [[Indian cricket team|Indian]] opener saw him hit 12 fours and one six before being run out by [[Geraint Jones]] after [[James Anderson (cricketer)|James Anderson]] dived for a ball to stop a boundary and threw it back to the wicket keeper. The batsman, sharing a 166 partnership for the first wicket with skipper [[Rahul Dravid]] had all but won the match until he chanced a lazy second run; his score of 86 is the second highest for any Indian debutant in a limited overs match. With this win, India extended its world record of successive wins while batting second to 16.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*

{{International cricket tours of India}}
{{International cricket in 2005-06}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:English cricket team in India in 2005-06}}
[[Category:2005 in English cricket]]
[[Category:2005 in Indian cricket]]
[[Category:2006 in English cricket]]
[[Category:2006 in Indian cricket]]
[[Category:English cricket tours of India|2005-06]]
[[Category:Indian cricket seasons from 2000–01]]
[[Category:International cricket competitions in 2005–06]]