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Joe Root leads England to consolation win over India

Joe Root scores a century on his home ground to lead England to a consolation victory over India at Headingley, as the one-day international series finishes 3-1.

Joe Root scored his second one-day international century to help England beat India by 41 runs in the final match of the series at Headingley on Friday.

The middle-order batsman made 113 on his home ground as the hosts posted their first competitive total of a series which they end up losing 3-1.

England's Joe Root gestures to the crowd as he walks off having lost his wicket for 113 during the fifth one-day international (ODI) cricket match between England and India at Headingley in Leeds, northern England, on September 5, 2014© Getty Images

India, who had won the three previous matches by emphatic margins, inserted England hoping to restrict them to a low score once again, and had them 39-2 when Alex Hales and Moeen Ali went for single figures.

Root came together with Alastair Cook to put on 52 for the third wicket before England's captain was caught behind off Suresh Raina for 45, and MS Dhoni claimed another victim when he stumped Eoin Morgan for 14.

It was Root's stand with Jos Buttler which defined the game, as the two youngsters added 108 in a partnership which initially stabilised the England innings and then gave it some much-needed impetus.

Buttler hit seven boundaries, including two sixes, in a 40-ball knock of 49 before he was run out by Dhoni, trying to steal a single behind the wicket, and Root accelerated at the other end to bring up his hundred.

The Yorkshireman eventually went for a crucial 113, which came at better than a run a ball, and Ben Stokes picked up where they left off to bludgeon a quickfire 33 which took England to 294-7.

India's reply began poorly when Ajinkya Rahane, a centurion at Edgbaston earlier this week, softly chipped up to Morgan third ball to become James Anderson's first victim of the series.

The seamer soon had Virat Kohli caught behind in a familiar scene from this summer's Tests, and Moeen again contributed an important wicket when he bowled Shikhar Dhawan for 31 to leave India on 49-3.

Steven Finn had new batsmen Ambati Rayudu and Raina both dropped early on, but the latter would not be given a second life when he feathered a Moeen delivery into the gloves of Buttler for 18.

Rayudu chanced his arm for 53, but the Indians continued to lose wickets at regular intervals and a fledgling partnership between Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja was thrown away when the visiting skipper slashed a Finn long hop to Stokes at cover.

The tourists needed over 10 an over with Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin at the crease, and Stokes soon made their task even more mountainous when he took two wickets on his way to figures of 3-47.

Jadeja swung from the hip with his side nine down and scored all 48 runs that were added by India's final pair, but played on to Finn for 87 while seeking three figures as India were bowled out for 253.

The two sides meet in a one-off Twenty20 international at Edgbaston on Sunday.

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England's Joe Root walks off at the end of day two of the fifth Test with India on August 16, 2014
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