England ends India's ICC WT20 campaign
Defending champion India is out of the ICC World Twenty20 2009 after it lost a thrilling Super 8 match to England by three runs at Lord's on Sunday.
Graeme Swann took 2-28 and man-of-the-match Ryan Sidebottom 2-31 as India fell just short of its victory target, ending on 150-5 in response to England's 153-7.
"We have a message for our supporters," India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said. "We are more disappointed than them. India is an emotional country but we gave out best.
"I think 153 was a brilliant effort from our bowlers, but our performance was not really up to the mark. I think they (England) bowled bouncers and used the short ball really well."
England captain Paul Collingwood also singled out his bowlers for praise, as well as wicketkeeper James Foster, who removed India's most dangerous batsman Yuvraj Singh with a lightning-quick stumping.
"I think tonight was a magnificent effort," Collingwood said. "Ideally we would have had more than 150 runs, but I think our bowlers went about their work perfectly tonight and little things like James Foster's stumping can turn a game."
Kevin Pietersen was England's top scorer with 46 - hitting five fours and a six for off 27 balls - while opener Ravi Bopara made 37, with three fours and a six.
Harbhajan Singh bowled superbly to stifle England, taking 3-30 - including two wickets from two balls - and Ravindra Jadeja took 2-26 on his tournament debut.
England's modest total left the host nation with no room for error, but India lost wickets at crucial times and the run rate rose inexorably until, by the final over, it required 19 to win to have any hope of qualifying for the semifinals.
"Slowly the momentum shifted in their favor and the wickets came at crucial times," Dhoni said. "We didn't really perform well and that's the reason we are out."
Having won the toss, Dhoni opted to field and his bowlers made an early breakthrough as R.P. Singh had Luke Wright caught for one by Yusuf Pathan off a top edge in the second over.
Pietersen joined Bopara and, mindful of the team's collapse on Thursday in its loss to South Africa, the pair made initially cautious progress, reaching 71-1 at the halfway mark.
Both men then fell victim to Jadeja in consecutive overs.
Bopara was bowled in the 11th and Pietersen was out lbw in the 13th, having clattered the previous ball for six over extra cover.
Owais Shah and Dimitri Mascarenhas were also cautious initially, but picked up the run rate in the 15th over, scoring 13. Mascarenhas then survived a television referral for a stumping off the first ball of the next over, but Shah was out in the 18th, caught by Jadeja trying to slog Harbhajan.
Collingwood was out lbw to Zaheer Khan in the penultimate over trying an improvised reverse scoop shot that went horribly wrong.
Harbhajan then caught and bowled Foster in the last over and bowled Swann with the next delivery.
With a relatively small total to defend, England could afford few mistakes.
Sidebottom made the early breakthrough, bowling Rohit Sharma in the second over and in the next he had Suresh Raina caught by Wright attempting to hook.
India was 36-2 at the end of the powerplay and 59-2 after 10 overs.
Gambhir was out trying a reverse sweep, caught by Stuart Broad off Mascarenhas in the 11th over, bringing the explosive Yuvraj Singh to the crease.
Ominously for England, he hit an effortless six off his first ball but ultimately didn't see enough of the strike. Jadeja was caught on the boundary by Broad off Swann in the 13th over and Yuvraj was given out by the television umpire, superbly stumped by Foster off Swann three balls later.
With every single the run rate crept up and Dhoni and Pathan needed 19 off the final over, bowled by Sidebottom.
Pathan got a single off the first and Dhoni two off the second, then a single off the third.
An astonishing comeback looked possible when Pathan smashed the fourth for six back over Sidebottom's head, but, needing nine from two balls, Sidebottom restricted them to a single from the penultimate delivery to confirm England's victory.
England must beat West Indies at The Oval tomorrow to be sure of a place in the last four.
Collingwood's side was abused by supporters during the warm-up. "We came off the Nursery End and got booed," he said. "It was a bit strange getting booed on our home ground, the home of cricket and we were a little bit about down about it, but I certainly didn't need to give a motivational speech."