Flintoff 1 India 0

Today, England defied the odds to bowl India out for a paltry 100 to level the series 1-1. A draw it might be, but it felt like a series-win. Needing nine wickets at the start of the day, they were helped to victory with a mosh pit of stupidity from India's batsmen who, to a man, batted as though they had delhi belly and no loo roll. India were shocked into defeat, and their captain Rahul Dravid was out-captained by Andrew Flintoff.

Deservedly named the Man-of-the-Series for his runs (I forget how many, but he hit four fifties I think) and wickets, it was his leadership which today stood out the most. When he was named captain, much head scratching was done by fans and the media. On the one hand, who else -  apart from Andrew Strauss, who was in bad form with the bat - do you choose? On the other, he's the team's talisman and a natural leader. There was a sense that he'd lead the side with the same bullishness which he applies to his batting and bowling. However, beneath the bravado lies an astute cricket brain.

I suppose, arguably, it's no surprise that he should have captained his country with such intelligence and competence. After all, he's now England's best batsmen and has reigned in the delicious, but at times suicidal temptation to hit the cover off every ball. In much the same way, he swapped his bowlers around and made crucial fielding changes with great skill; he hasn't looked as inexperienced as he is. Richie Benaud says that captaincy is 90% luck and 10% skill...but without that 10%, you're a loser. (I'm not quoting him here)

So, England beat India for the first time since 1985. A brilliant victory - as good as any in the summer. To put this into perspective, think back a few weeks (and also see my "tales of woe" post) when we were all either in tears or laughing at the pathetic injury list. India, too, must have had a quiet chuckle - especially after going 1-0 up in the series. Their near-total lack of gameplan today - also underestimating the threat that Shaun Udal posed on a fifth-day pitch - was as surprising as England's potency, which isn't to do them a disservice. They were excellent, and should rightly celebrate.

John Stern sums it up rather succinctly:

Such is Flintoff's selfless nature, he deflected any praise from himself on to his team. "To see the looks of enjoyment and satisfaction on the faces of the lads, knowing that we've scrapped and fought so hard for this over three weeks, is the real highlight for me." He has done all the right things and said all the right things. And now he pops home briefly before the one-dayers to see his new baby son for the first time. He returns with his reputation enhanced yet further.

The man is fast approaching legendary status; he is every bit the player England hoped he would come. He's probably better. He's certainly the best we've had since Botham, and somehow has improved since the heady days of September 2005. Quite simply, he's a joy to watch and the envy of the cricketing world.

I'll leave the final words to Dileep Premachandran who aptly summaries the efforts of India:

There was a touch of romance too at the end. Even if Udal never plays for England again, he'll never forget the afternoon when he did for Tendulkar to set in motion the Indian pack-of-cards trick. He's certainly no mystery spinner in the Jack Iverson mould, but his attitude and perseverance epitomised the real strength of this England side. They came into the Test series in disarray, and left it with a draw that felt almost as good as a victory.

Will Luke writes for Cricinfo.com and edits The Corridor of Uncertainty