Youth power makes it 4-1 for India

Kieron Pollard and Manoj Tiwary hit contrasting centuries on a day that belonged to players trying to cement their spots but India due to a superior batting display eventually won by 34 runs to take the series 4-1. Chasing 268, Pollard kept the faltering innings on track with some clean hitting but ran out of partners in the end. For India, Irfan Pathan impressed on his return with a fabulous spell with the new ball.

With the series already in the bag, India tried out some of their fringe players in the last match - Manoj Tiwary, Ajinkye Rahane and Irfan Pathan all got a game while as, Virender Sehwag and R Ashwin were rested. But, India after electing to bat first on a slow turner at Chepauk had a disastrous start as Rahane and Parthiv Patel fell on successive deliveries of the first over bowled by Kemar Roach, low bounce playing a role in the both the dismissals.

Manoj Tiwary and stand-in skipper Gautam Gambhir got together with their team in a spot of bother at 1 for the loss of two wickets. Tiwary after surviving the hat-trick ball hit a flowing straight drive to get going. Thereafter, the duo concentrated on ones and twos plus the odd boundary kept the score moving. Not only did they steady the ship with an 83-run stand for the third wicket, also providing the middle order something to build on.

In the nineteenth over, leggie Anthony Martin trapped Gambhir leg-before for 31. However, the wicket didn’t affect India much as Virat Kohli settled into the groove smoothly. Once he got used to the bounce and pace in the pitch, he increased the tempo with some free-flowing strokes. At the other end, Tiwary also played sensibly- duly punishing anything off line.

An inside-out shot that sailed over long-off took Tiwary to 96 but the humid Chennai climate took toll. Suffering from severe cramps, he completed his maiden century in ODIs with a boundary but had to return to the pavilion retired hurt without any more addition to his score.

After that, Kohli continued his impressive run in the 50-over format with a sublime 80 before holing in the deep in a bid to add some quick runs. Another in-form batsman, Rohit Sharma departed without doing much as India struggled for runs in the death overs. Only 53 runs were scored in the last ten, India managing a respectable 267 for six in the allotted fifty overs.

Faced with a decent target in conditions West Indies haven’t relished, the top order had to give the visitors a sizeable head start for the tail to make an impact later in the chase. However, that was something that was only to be desired.

Irfan Pathan playing international cricket after many years, announced himself with a superb first over. Lavish swing that had made Pathan such a rage in his earlier stint, helped him trap Lendl Simmons leg-before on the very first delivery of the innings. In his third over, movement once again got him a wicket as Kieron Powell was bowled off the inside-edge on a delivery that seamed in a bit. Two early wickets were what Pathan needed on his comeback.

His new ball, Abhimanyu Mithun wasn’t to be left behind. Marlon Samuels was unlucky to be given out caught behind even though the ball didn’t touch his bat and Jason Mohammad struggled on his debut before Mithun trapped him in front. Dinesh Ramdin too suffered at the hands of umpire- Sudhir Asnani adjudged him leg-before on a Ravindra Jadeja delivery that was going down.

At 78 for five, a top-order failure had once again cost West Indies dear as the chase seemed as good as over. But, Kieron Pollard chose Chennai to shut his critics with a century that was full of high class power hitting.

The early collapse brought him to the crease only in the tenth over; the first boundary from his bat was on a gentle full toss. But there was nothing gentle about the rest of his knock. Despite wickets falling around him, he played his natural game. The first of his ten sixes was a just an extension of arms against Jadeja. The same bowler suffered two more times before the dose was repeated on Rahul Sharma.

Along with Andre Russell, he revived West Indies with a quick fire 89-run stand that came in only 13.1 overs. Russell’s 53 included five boundaries and three sixes before he was caught short of his crease by a Gambhir direct hit.Pollard marched on to get his hundred with some help from Indian fielders but received little support as West Indies fell short by 34 runs with 5.5 overs remaining. Pollard was the last to fall for 110-ball 119.