India Taught A Lesson By The Windies
May 9, 2010
Report
Some overnight rain saw the last day of Super-Eight action in Barbados delayed by thirty minutes. MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first on a slightly damp wicket. The sellout home crowd was as quiet as their team’s start as Gayle and Chanderpaul went about their business unusually cautiously. After eight overs the pair could not manage a run a ball between them. But then My Gayle cut loose.
Gayle’s 98 (66b, 5×4, 7×6) gave the Calypso side a winning total of 169 for six (20 ov.). Some fierce, fast and fiery short-pitched bowling then did the job for the Windies, who won by 14 runs. It was the West Indies who exposed India’s weakness to the short ball in the last World Twenty20. England copied the tactic at Lord’s in the same tournament and again it worked. Then Australia did it here a couple of days ago and won by 49 runs.
Gayle was run out with two balls left in the innings as he tried to scamper back for a second so as to maintain strike and have a chance of scoring a ton.
Again India played only two seamers on a seamer-friendly track. Again their fielding was appalling. Again Jadeja dropped one he really should have held (he dropped a couple two days ago against Australia). Again the Indian body language was poor. An over-exuberant feet stamping appeal from Jadeja was embarrassing for the young lad and his cricketing nation.
As well as Jadeja’s dropping of Chanderpaul on 12, Gayle was dropped on 46 when he top-edged one and a pathetic miscommunication between Yusuf Pathan and the ‘keeper Dhoni saw neither of them taking the relatively straightforward catch.
India did have one rotten piece of luck though. Rohit Sharma was caught behind off his arm and although Billy Bowden didn’t raise his curly index finger, he and the square leg ump had a chat and sent the lad on his way. It was a crucial wicket that reduced the Indians to 38/3 in the eighth over.
Ashish Nehra took 3 / 35 (4 ov.) but Harbajan Singh was the only economical Indian bowler – he took no wickets but conceded only 16 runs from his allotted four overs. Again the part-timer spin bowling from the Indian middle-order batsmen didn’t cut the mustard.
All seven of the West Indies bowlers picked up a wicket, with the exception of Roach, who claimed two. Sammy’s 1/16 (3 ov.) was economical and it was surprising tat Benn only bowled one over when he took a wicket and only conceded two runs.
The West Indies seemed to breathe new life today. Having won one and lost one of their Super-Eight games, they will look to beat Australia in St Lucia to progress to the semis. It would be marvellous for cricket in the region if they could somehow win this tournament.
India may have lost both of their first two Super-Eight matches but they still have some hope of progressing. If they annihilate Sri Lanka and Australia are win all three of their matches, then they can go through on net run-rate.
Quotes
Chris Gayle (Man of Match) “Good win, just what we needed. I was under pressure, not just cricket-wise but also given so much support. So it was important to play well myself.”
MS Dhoni “Batting hasn’t been up to the expectation. Bowlers have done decently, give or take a few overs here and there. Batting is supposed to be our strength, and we should chase 170 in these conditions. We are hoping to give our best in the next game.”
