India Take First ODI in Last-Ball Thriller
Match Report
It doesn’t happen often that a team scores 300 in an ODI and the gentlemen of the press mumble to each other at the innings break that they were 15 runs short of a good score. But that was what happened this evening when India posted 298 for nine in Jaipur in the first game of this three match ODI series.
Stand-in skipper Jacques Kallis had earlier elected to field on a good deck where the talk of evening dew promised to assist the chasing side.
Suresh Raina (58, 63b) powered India through the middle overs in a batting display that was gutsy, innovative and stylish. A fine platform was set earlier by Virender Sehwag (46, 37b) and Dinesh Kartik (44, 56b) after Sachin Tendulkar was run out in the second over of the match. Wickets fell at regular intervals but every other Indian batsmen chipped in to ensure a strong total was reached.
South Africa were off to a fantastic start in reply as the high-risk opening batsmen Herschelle Gibbs and Loots Bosman brought up the fifty-partnership in only the eighth over. But one got the feeling that each of them had played one shot too many and it wasn’t long before Bosman (29, 33b) was bowled by Praveen Kumar and Gibbs (27, 40b) had holed out at long on. Both wickets came at the expense of reckless stroke-play.
Again AB de Villiers got a start as he and Kallis guided the Proteas to 100 for three in 18 overs, well in touch with the required rate of about six runs per over. But when de Villiers (25, 23b) was bowled by one that kept low from Ravindra Jadeja, the Proteas chase began to capitulate. Alviro Petersen, Albie Morkel and Mark Boucher were all out for single figures as the run rate required exploded and Kallis ran out of partners at 161 for six. When Kallis was bowled by Sreesanth (89, 97b, six fours and a six) South Africa were reduced to 225 for eight (43 ov.) and the game seemed up.
But then something extraordinary happened. Wayne Parnell (49, 47b) and Dale Steyn (35, 19b) put on 65 runs in 38 balls to give the crowd a tremendous last-over finish. Steyn was bowled with the second ball of the last over and the visitors needed nine runs from four balls to win the game, with one wicket in hand. Langeveldt found a single to put Parnell on strike but he could only manage a single.
Seven runs were then required from two balls when Sachin Tendulkar made a heroic dive on the boundary to keep the opposition to three runs. Parnell then needed a boundary off the last ball to win the match when Praveen gifted South Africa a wide. Two runs were now needed off the final ball and Parnell got the ball down to third man and turned quickly to come back for the second. A poor throw from Sresanth was well wide of the ‘keeper but some brilliant work from Dhoni had the bails whipped off before the batsman could make his ground.
So India won the match by one run in the most thrilling of finishes. Gosh, this ODI cricket is boring!
Post Match Quotes From SA Captain Jacques Kallis, who amazingly looked refreshed after the match.
“We played unbelievably to get that close but it was frustrating to lose wickets so frequently.”
“Wayne is a talented cricketer and he will take a lot away from today. He is a man for the moment and is working on becoming a great all-rounder.”
“On the whole I’m happy with way things went, but we need to make sure we get some big partnerships going upfront.”
“We were satisfied to restrict them to 298.”
“It’s going to be tough to win the series from here but we know we can do it.”
