India seal series success

Owais Shah leads England's response with a brave 72 before he fell hitting out

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Despite the best efforts of Owais Shah and Andrew Flintoff, England were unable to reach their Duckworth-Lewis adjusted target in the fourth one-day international against India in Bangalore, giving the hosts an unassailable 4-0 lead in the series.

England finished short by 20 runs, as they reached 178 for eight, thereby dashing their hopes of winning the seven-match series. India's victory ensures they will be lifting the trophy after the one-day leg of England's tour.

Shah, promoted back to number three in the order, top-scored for the visitors with 72 from 48 balls, while Flintoff contributed 41 from 30.

It was the Middlesex batsman's eighth half-century in ODIs and came off 35 balls, being brought up with a swipe for four off Ishant Sharma. His innings included nine fours and three sixes.

After two rain delays during the India innings, an allocation of 22 overs per side was decided upon, giving the home team five more to set a competitive total.

They ended their innings on 166 for four, with the mathematical calculations meaning England were left with a tough target of 198 for victory.

India opener Virender Sehwag had started as he meant to go on when he smacked his first ball for four through point off James Anderson, setting the tone for their innings.

In contrast, the first ball of England's innings beat the outside edge of Ravi Bopara's bat, with Zaheer Khan's opening over going for just one run.

An impressive catch by Sharma got rid of Bopara, the batsman hitting Munaf Patel into the air as Sharma took the catch on the run with his arms fully extended to the right.

It became 45 for two when Ian Bell missed his sweep shot and was bowled by Harbhajan Singh for 12, after surviving two run-out chances.

Man-of-the-match Virender Sehwag gets India off to the perfect start with a quickfire 69 off 57 balls

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A run out could have earlier accounted for Sehwag, with Bell aiming a direct hit at the stumps, and the batsman in the air when the bails were knocked off - but no-one appealed.

That proved costly as he made 69 off 57 balls before going in search of quick runs and falling victim to Graeme Swann's opening delivery.

He launched the spinner back over his head and into the safe hands of Anderson at long-on, who did not have to move.

The same combination accounted for Gautam Gambhir who made a quickfire 40 off 37 balls and looked in fine touch throughout.

The returning Sachin Tendulkar, who came into the side for Rohit Sharma, was the first India batsman to get out, falling to Stuart Broad early on.

Tendulkar's first ball in ODIs for nearly eight months had been flicked off his legs with impeccable timing, allowing him to run two, but he managed just nine more before he was dismissed.

Broad received treatment on his ankle when play was suspended for several minutes to repair the pitch, which had deteriorated in the area of the bowlers' delivery stride.

But he did not seem hindered, immediately bowling Tendulkar with a ball that nipped back and crashed into his off-stump.

Sehwag brought up his 6,000th run in ODIs with a boundary off Anderson and then pulled him for six the following ball as he stamped his authority on the game.

Sachin Tendulkar is bowled by a beauty from Stuart Broad which just nipped back onto his off-stump

With the light closing in and rain in the air, England turned to the spin of Samit Patel, but at the end of his over the umpires deemed the rain was too heavy to continue and took the players off the pitch.

Sehwag did not let the break affect his concentration, however, bringing up his half-century and then hitting Broad for a successive four and six not long after the restart.

But three overs later the rain, and the covers, returned.

The groundsmen did an excellent job to enable any more action, with England needing a positive result to have any chance of saving the series.

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and dangerman Yuvraj Singh, who ended unbeaten on 25 off 11 balls, had other ideas, however, as they smashed the bowling to all parts of the ground.

Dhoni was bowled by Patel for nine off five balls with the penultimate delivery of the innings, the last of which was hit for six by new batsman Yusuf Pathan.

When the tourists resumed, captain Kevin Pietersen also faced five balls for his five runs before he was bowled by Sharma, leaving Shah and Flintoff to rebuild the innings.

The duo put on a partnership of 82 before Shah hit Zaheer high into the air for Tendulkar to take a steepling catch.

Zaheer was back in the action when he caught Flintoff off the bowling of Sharma, and then had Patel caught by Gambhir at mid-off, with 37 runs still needed off two overs.

It ultimately proved too many, with Swann run-out and Paul Collingwood caught by Tendulkar for 22, in a losing cause, in the final over.