Visakhapatnam, Dec 2 West Indies fast bowler Ravi Rampaul's fierce counterattack bailed the visitors out of deep trouble and helped them post a challenging 269 for nine against India in the second One-day International (ODI) here Friday.
Rampaul, coming in at No.10 when West Indies were struggling at 170/9 in 36 overs, smashed an unbeaten 86 off 66 balls. His 99-run stand with Kemar Roach staged a remarkable fightback for the West Indies at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy Stadium.
Rampaul single-handedly stole the show towards the end and got good support from Roach, who chipped in with 24 off 36 balls. It was the highest score by a No.10 batsman in an ODI.
Before that, opener Lendl Simmons (78) guided West Indies, who lost half their side for 63 runs after India put them in overcast conditions which led to a 15-minute delay in the start of the match.
The Indian seamers made most of the conditions early on. R. Vinay Kumar (2/43) and Umesh Yadav (3/38) swung the ball at good pace to trouble the West Indies batting.
Rampaul's maiden fifty in ODIs comprised six huge sixes and as many fours. The Trinidadian entertained the crowd with his big hits. He particularly developed a liking for the off-spin of Ravichandran Ashwin (1/74), who was the most expensive Indian bowler.
Big-hitting Kieron Pollard played a 35-run cameo in the middle of the innings, hitting Ashwin for two huge sixes before falling bat-pad in the next delivery.
© IANS
