CHELMSFORD ,  England Lions proved that India's impotent bowling attack has neither the zing nor the sting as the three-day warm up cricket match between them petered out into a drab draw here on Sunday.

Chasing an improbable 258 runs in the last hour, India reached 91 for one in their second innings. At draw of stumps on the final day, Wasim Jaffer was not out on 22 while Yuvraj Singh was batting on six.

Dinesh Kaarthick (51) was the lone Indian wicket to fall after he had scored a scintillating half-century off just 45 balls stroking eight boundaries. He fell to leg spinner Adil Rashid as he charged down to play a shot but hit it straight to Ravi Bopara at short covers.

The hosts had declared their first innings at 413 for eight and it took a magnificent 171-run knock by stop-gap skipper Sachin Tendulkar, which propped up the visitors' response as India posted 383.

Overall, this was a lamentable performance by the Indian bowling attack, which could not bowl out the hosts even once in the match.

Delhi pacer Ishant Sharma cut a sorry figure. Apart from going wicketless in the match, the lanky bowler bowled a staggering 27 no balls in the match, including 15 in the first innings.

Rahul Dravid's men take on England in the first Test starting at Lord's on Thursday.

England Lions declared their second innings at 227 for two, half an hour after tea, setting an improbable 258-run victory target for India on the final day at the Essex Country Cricket ground here today.

Owais Shah 77 (156 balls) and Jonathan Trot 31 (82 balls) were at the crease when the declaration came. The pair added 87 runs for their unbeaten third wicket partnership.

Zaheer Khan and Ramesh Powar took one wicket each. Earlier in the day, India were all out for 383 runs in their first innings in reply to England Lions score of 413 for eight to concede a lead of 30 runs.

Resuming at their overnight score of 336 for seven, India were all out 40 minutes into the days play conceding a lead of 30 runs.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who resumed on 44, duly completed his half-century before using the long handle. He brought up his 50 with a brace off Graham Onions. It took him 73 balls and he hit five fours.

Dhoni then opened up his shoulders and hit Onions for a six over long leg. He then subjected Stuart Broad to similar treatment, hitting him over mid-wicket before straight driving him for a blazing four. The bowler had his revenge when he clean bowled him off the very next ball. Dhoni made 76 off 84 balls and hit seven fours and two sixes.

Broad, who has been selected in the England side for the first Test at Lord's, picked up five for 76 while Graham Onions took three for 90.

When Lions batted a second time, captain Andrew Strauss, who was dismissed cheaply in the first innings, got some useful batting practice in the afternoon session as he scored 80 before dragging a Ramesh Powar delivery onto his stumps. He faced 103 balls and hit 14 boundaries.

Strauss put on 60 runs for the first wicket along with Jonathan Denly. However Denly fell to Zaheer Khan for just 18.

Owais Shah then joined Strauss and got off the blocks with a beautiful cover drive off Zaheer. With Shah deciding to stay firm, Strauss played some delectable strokes and reached his half-century off 63 balls with 9 fours.

The second wicket pair put on 80 before Strauss, who looked set for a hundred, got out to an adventurous sweep.

Soon after, threatening clouds gathered and the umpires accepted the offer for bad light and called an early tea.

After resumption, Shah completed his half century (114b) and continued to occupy the crease even as the India preferred not to use their frontline bowlers.

Scoreboard

England Lions 1st innings: 413 for 8 declared

Indians 1st innings: 383 all out

England Lions 2nd innings:

Andrew Strauss b Powar: 80
Joe Denly c Jaffer b Zaheer: 18
Owais Shah not out: 77
Jonathan Trott not out: 31

Extras (b-5, lb-1, w-1, nb-14): 21

Total (declared for 2 wickets in 59 overs): 227

Fall of wicket: 1-60, 2-140

Bowling: Zaheer 8-1-36-1; Sreesanth 9-0-37-0; Ishant 9-0-44-0; Powar 13-2-49-1; Ganguly 8-1-20-0; Yuvraj 8-2-16-0; Kaarthick 4-0-19-0.

India 2nd innings:

Dinesh Kaarthick c Bopara b Rashid: 51
Wasim Jaffer not out: 22
Yuvraj Singh not out: 6

Extras (b-4, lb-6, w-1, nb-1): 12

Total (For 1 wicket in 20 overs): 91

Fall of wicket: 1-72

Bowling: Onions 4-0-28-0; Bresnan 6-0-21-0; Rashid 6-0-24-1; Bopara 4-0-8-0.