Delhi 295 for 4 (Dhawan 110, Milind 78*, Tredwell 2-49) beat England XI 294 for 5 (Bell 108, Morgan 52, Sood 3-45) by six wickets

Scorecard

Shikhar Dhawan plays one through the off side K Sivaraman

England suffered their second successive defeat in a tour game as their bowlers failed to defend 295 against Delhi at the Kotla in seemingly bowling-friendly conditions. The ineffectiveness of the bowlers against a side possessing only a couple of known players is a worrying sign for Ashley Giles, the coach, ahead of the first ODI that begins in three days' time on a likely flat track in Rajkot.

Choosing to bat first, the England batting clicked after they had collapsed to 175 all out in the previous warm-up match. Ian Bell followed up his 91 against India A with a century that helped other players to attack around him and post a daunting 294. However, they were not prepared for a backlash from Shikhar Dhawan, the Delhi opener, whose aggressive hundred set the tone for the other batsmen as Delhi overhauled the target comfortably in the penultimate over.

While Bell's innings had been scratchy, Dhawan's was dominating right through. Whether it was Jade Dernbach, Stuart Meaker, Steven Finn or Chris Woakes, Dhawan played freely against them all. He drove majestically and was quick to pull anything short, the extra pace offered by the England bowlers suiting his strokeplay. When Meaker pitched short to him, he pulled one deep into the stands at midwicket for one of his three sixes.

Dhawan, who has been on the fringes of India selection for sometime, also staked his claim for the opener's role in the national XI. Virender Sehwag, India's regular opener, has already been dropped and Gautam Gambhir's position at the top isn't any firmer.

His 100 came off 98 balls with a slog-swept six off Tredwell. Dhawan also found solid support from 21-year-old batsman Milind Kumar, who remained unbeaten on 78.