Mon, 06 Jun 2011 - India vs West Indies, India Tour of West Indies 2011, 1st ODI - Bulletin

Rohit, bowlers script Indian win

Rohit Sharma combined with his skipper Suresh Raina to put on 80 runs for the fifth wicket that helped his side to score a four wicket win against West India in first match of five game ODI series at Port of Spain. A successful chase of 215 on spin friendly pitch at Trinidad was set up by opener Shekhar Dhawan’s decent half-century after bowlers had restricted the home team to a gettable score. Man of the match Rohit remained undefeated on 75-ball 68 including three fours and a glorious six to guide the chase completed in 45th over after it suffered some early hiccups when three wickets were lost inside 16 overs.

In initial stages of his innings, Rohit looked very nervous playing some inexplicable strokes. He looked getting out every ball and had a slice of luck too when a close LBW shout was turned down by umpire Ian Gould. From TV replays, it appeared, Bishoo’s slider was going to crash the middle stump. All the nervous energy dissipated on the arrival of Raina to the crease. Rohit turned into a calm and composed batsman and soon unveiled his wide range of strokes. There was none better than one he played off Darren Sammy when elegantly deposited the opposition skipper into the cover boundary. He pulled majestically, drove stylishly and cut authoritatively bringing up his half century with a beautiful square drive.

West Indies would have felt their best chance of winning the game when Shekhar Dhawan after playing so well for his first ODI fifty gave away his wicket to an unnecessary slog sweep to leave visitors 104 for 4 in 26th over. Raina, though, settled erratic Sharma down and Indian innings as well. He gave innings the tempo by getting singles, doubles and boundaries rather easily. Indian captain showed aggression at times hitting four crisp boundaries before removed by leg spinner Anthony Martin for his second wicket of the day with his team needing 31 runs to win. Rohit and Yusuf Pathan added rapid 26 runs for the sixth wicket to take India within the striking distance of a win. Pathan fell to a quick reflexive catch in the follow-through to Ravi Rampaul.

Dhawan, playing in his only second ODI, showed glimpses of his talent and absorbed the pressure of early wickets which had India in a spot of bother in a rather tricky chase. The left hander appeared fidgety early on and contributed to a great deal in running out his opening partner Parthiv Patel when he called him for a quick run after timing an on -drive straight to the mid-on. Parthiv failed to beat Dwayne Bravo’s rocket throw Caulton Baugh who whipped up bails in the flash for the first wicket. Yet to come to grips on a slowish track, Dhawan saw Virat Kohli and S Badrinath fall in a quick succession to have India reeling at 63 for 3. The innings got better for Dhawan after every minute he spent at the crease and showed some signs of aggression, one of them yielding him a six over mid-wicket. It was senseless aggression that did him in the end when he went for a glory shot soon after completing his half-century.

To their credit West Indies bowled with purpose but batting yet again disappointed. Despite half centuries each from Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels, West Indies could manage only 214 for 9 during their batting effort that lacked intent and meandered for major part of allotted fifty overs. The scrappy display with the bat yet again exposed the home side batsmen’s inability to play quality spin bowling with batsmen consuming too many balls without making any real progress. Indian super bowling effort was led by their ace off-spinner Harbhajan taking three wickets in his 10 overs giving away just 32 and was well backed by leg-spinner Amit Mishra’s tight and full of variation ten over spell. Praveen Kumar’s swing and accuracy didn’t make things easier and Suresh Raina’s six overs part-time off spin in which he snared two wickets including that of dangerous looking Samuels added to West Indies’ miseries.

Apart from Samuels who appeared busy during his 75-ball stay, none of the batsmen showed urgency, and at no point looked to run hard between the wickets. Indian good show with the ball and slowness of the track notwithstanding, the home team contributed largely to their patchy batting performance. And, experienced Sarwan couldn’t escape the blame. He consumed all of 94 balls for his 56 and occasional demonstrated the skill level that Sarwan of old was full of. The Sarwan- Samuels combination put on only substantial stand of the innings with 82 for the fourth wicket but at a very slow pace.

Praveen gave India first breakthrough having Lendl Simmons caught at mid-off when batsman charged down the track to find himself in an awkward position to play a pull shot with team score on 23 in seventh over. In the next over, Munaf Patel induced a bug edge off flashing drive from Darren Bravo to have him smartly caught in the slips. With home team pegged back early in the piece, young opener Kirk Edwards and Sarwan went into a shell letting Indian spinner dominate the proceedings. The pair put on 31 balls off 63 balls and it was Harbhajan who ended Edwards’ agonizing stay when youngster top edged a lame pull to the first slip.

Such was the sluggishness of West Indies batting; first half of the fifty overs yielded only 73 runs. Samuels gave innings some impetus, hitting two fours off one Yusuf Pathan over, slamming a six on a free-hit but Sarwan struggled to virtually get the ball of the square. Patel broke the stand when his namesake and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel acrobatically pouched a leg-side trickle from Sarwan after batsman had hit him for two consecutive fours en-route to his laborious fifty in the first over of batting powerplay.

The batting powerplay was the best phase of Windies’ innings that yielded 43 runs but, once, Raina bowled Samuels for 55 it marked the slide. Bhajji got Dwayne Bravo stumped in the 45th over when he got one to dip and bounce as batsman was shaping to play into the leg side. The last five overs of innings saw three batsmen departing and only 23 runs scored.