Indian openers Virender Sehwag (126 104b, 21x4, 1x6) and captain Sourav Ganguly (117 not out 12x4.3x6) put on a record 192 runs for the first wicket to help India reach the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy with a crushing eight-wicket win over England at the floodlit R.Premadasa stadium in Colombo on Sunday.

Virender Sehwag tore apart the English bowling attack, if one can call it that, as all the English bowlers looked clueless against the flamboyant Indian opener as he raced to 77-ball century. It wasn't exactly bad bowling but absolutely amazing batting by the 24-year old youngster from Delhi, in particular, as the senior pro Ganguly watched from the other end as he entertained a relaxed Sunday crowd setting the ground alight with some breathtaking strokeplay.

When he was finally dismissed caught and bowled by the England hero of the day, Ian Blackwell, India had to just get 78 more for a place in the last four with more than 21 overs to go. V.V.S.Laxman, the next man in did not survive too long as a misunderstanding between Ganguly and him cost him his wicket.

From then on it was the Ganguly show, as he hit his second six to reach yet another ODI hundred and along with Sachin Tendulkar (9 not out) guided India to a morale-boosting victory half-way through the fortieth over.

Earlier, young all-rounder Blackwell (82 68b, 6x4, 3x6), in only his second international game for England played a blinder of a knock to prop up his team total to 269 for 7 in 50 after they were 5 for 2 at one stage.

India could not have asked for a better start when consistent opener Marcus Trescothick (0) and English skipper Nasser Hussain (1) were quickly back in the pavilion after Hussain had won another crucial toss.

Trescothick looked very edgy as he was beaten in five of the first seven deliveries he faced before edging Ashish Nehra to V.V.S.Laxman who replaces Dinesh Mongia for this crucial tie. Skipper Hussain playing an atrocious pull-shot off Nehra, only managed to top-edge safely into the Indian wicket-keeper, Rahul Dravid's gloves after the vice-captain had just let off a regulation catch in Hussain's second ball.

A third wicket partnership of 73 between Ronnie Irani (37) and Nick Knight (50) resurrected the England innings. The former especially, playing an adventurous knock before being adjudged lbw off Anil Kumble (2 for 58).

Owais Shah, another young England player trying to cement his place in the national side, played well for 34 before he was Kumble's second victim caught by a Dravid who was quite scratchy with the wicket-keeping gloves.

Alec Stewart, England oldest campaigner contributed a valuable 35, but it was the lad from Somerset, Blackwell who stole the thunder as he exposed the Indian bowling, particularly in the latter end of the innings as he and Stewart put on 104 for the sixth-wicket.

From the eight bowlers used by the Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, Kumble and Nehra bagged a couple of wickets each even as Zaheer Khan (0 for 40) and offie Harbhajan Singh (0 for 42) finished their respective quota of ten overs each without any luck.

Sehwag's display of fireworks with the bat deservedly fetched him the Man-of-the-Match award.

With this win, the semi-final line-up is complete. India take on South Africa on Wednesday while the other semi-final has the hosts clashing against the Aussies two days later, both of which will be day/night encounters.

Statistical Highlights:
---By Daniel Puran Singh

• Marcus Trescothick was out for a duck. This was his fifth such dismissal and his first against the Indians in ODIs.
• England opener Nick Knight, playing his 85th ODI chalked up his 21st fifty.
• During his innings of 35, Alec Stewart, when on 11 became the highest run-maker for England in ODIs. He went past former captain Graham Gooch who has 4290 runs.
• Ian Blackwell (82), registered his maiden half-century in just his second ODI.
• The sixth-wicket partnership of 104 between Blackwell and Alec Stewart was the best against India. They bettered the previous best of between Vic Marks and Paul Downton made in the 1984/85 season.
• The above partnership was also only the second ever century stand for the sixth-wicket for England in all ODIs. The only other hundred stand being, 112 between Neil Fairbrother and AdamHollioake against South Africa in 1998.
• The Indian first-wicket stand of 192 between Ganguly and Sehwag in this match is now the best against England. They put to shade the 188-run association between K.Srikkanth and Ravi Shastri at Cuttack in the 1983/84 season.
• The 192 stand is now also the best made by any country for the first wicket against England in all ODIs.
• In the last 9 meetings between these two sides including this tie, India have registered five opening stands of hundred or more and have ended up victorious on each occasion.
• Sehwag (126) made his second century in ODIs, Interestingly enough both his hundreds have come in Colombo and have been made in less than eighty balls.
• This blistering 77-ball knock by Sehwag knock also betters the 78-ball hundred by Sanath Jayasuriya earlier this year in England.
• Sehwag in his innings hit 21 fours, that is he just fell short of Pakistan's Saeed Anwar who slammed a world record 22 fours during his 194 against India at Chennai in 1997.
• Sourav Ganguly (117*) equaled Saeed Anwar's tally of 19 ODI centuries. It was also his maiden ton against England. Now the Indian skipper has emulated teammate Sachin Tendulkar's record of scoring a ton against nine different oppositions.
• This was India's 235th victory in all ODIs and the 22nd against England.
• Vireder Sehwag won his fourth Man-of-the-Match award and his second such award against the Englishmen.