EOIN MORGAN, the England captain, hailed his side's controlled bowling at the death during the hosts' dramatic three-run win over India at Edgbaston.

Chris Woakes, Harry Gurney and Steven Finn kept it tight to restrict India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as the visitors finished three runs short of England's 180 for seven. "Throughout the whole game guys have held their nerve very well," Morgan said. "We got a very good score but we felt with the calibre of batsmen India had if they did get going they would be hard to stop. Right at the end Woakes, Finn and Gurney held it together really well. They were exceptional.

"There's very little margin for error when MSD [Dhoni] is at the crease. There were some nerve-racking times but they were great."

Morgan revealed England's bowlers learnt from India's mistakes on the Edgbaston pitch.

"We found when we batted the fuller ball whether it was a yorker or a full toss was easy to hit," he said. "We went back to what we thought they should have bowled.

"It did play pretty well. We all expected it to turn square but it didn't. It actually played quite nicely and India bowled reasonably well but to get up to 180 was really good."

Morgan crunched 71 from 31 balls - including a record-equalling seven sixes - to catapult England to 180 for six after India's spinners had put the clamps on the middle order.

The captain's fireworks helped England take 81 from the final five overs, which proved too much even for the finishing capabilities of Dhoni. Needing 17 from the final over, he thrashed the first ball for six, but Chris Woakes held his nerve to ensure England ended the summer on a winning note.

After Morgan won the toss and opted to bat in his 50th Twenty20 international, England stuttered to 99 for four after 15 overs - despite Alex Hales' 40 at the top of the order.

India spinners curdled the rate as they reeled off 11 straight overs before Morgan cut loose, smacking nine of his last 16 balls for boundaries - six of them maximums.

With Ravi Bopara adding a valuable unbeaten 21 from nine balls England had set a tough chase that India looked on course to run-down for the majority on the back of Virat Kohli's first 50 of an otherwise barren tour for India's star man.

When he did fall for 66, failing to control a Steven Finn bouncer, Dhoni appeared set to take over and further reinforce his reputation as the best finisher in world cricket.

He had struggled with the shorter ball only to then flick a full Woakes delivery over square leg at the start of the final over. With little faith in Ambati Rayudu at the other end, he twice turned down singles in the final ovee, before Woakes finally dug in a yorker from the last ball that he could only squirt away to sew up the win. Moeen Ali had struck in the second over of India's reply, firing a quicker ball behind Ajinkya Rahane's legs the ball after being swept for six.

The tourists had a solid foundation at 53 for one after the powerplay and when England turned to spin with the field restrictions lifted, India were able to milk the scoring to stay on course. Morgan turned back to pace and was rewarded when Woakes bowled Dhawan with the first ball of his second spell to end a second-wicket stand of 79 from 54 balls.

Kohli then failed to control a Finn bouncer. The ball ballooned to deep square leg where Hales held on, although India appeared in control with 46 needed from 30 balls.

But England's death bowling then came to the fore. A James Tredwell over of singles was followed by four more from Gurney, who then slipped a yorker into Suresh Raina's stumps to ramp up the pressure. Ravindra Jadeja succumbed to it as he was run out attempting a second that did not exist, and when Dhoni backed himself to take 17 from the final over Woakes dug deep to deny him.

Earlier, England smashed 17 runs off the first over with 24-year-old debutant Jason Roy and Hales starting aggressively. But South Africa-born Roy was first to go for eight, chipping to Rahane at cover off Shami. Two balls later Moeen Ali fell for a duck - caught again by Rahane off Mohit Sharma - then Hales and Joe Root steadied the ship, putting on 48 before Hales fell.

Root, a century-maker in the final one-day international between the sides, was well caught by Ambati Rayudu for 26 as Morgan led the final onslaught.