The Hindu : Rayudu, Raina take India to victory

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Rayudu, Raina take India to victory

By Sanjay Rajan

DHAKA, FEB. 24. Some things just cannot be measured. We do not think of a ton of truth, a bushel of beauty or an inspiration a mile long. Similarly it is with teamwork.

While the absence of this aspect resulted in India's loss to South Africa the other night, it was this vital ingredient of success in a team game that came to the fore in India's 96-run win over the West Indies in a crucial Super-League Group I day/night encounter of the ICC under-19 cricket World

Cup at the Bangabandhu National Stadium here on Tuesday.

India won the toss and put up 253 for nine in the allotted 50 overs. This fighting total had certainly looked a distant dream till the halfway stage.

The Caribbean new-ball pair of Ravi Rampaul and Mervin Matthew, who were extracting considerable bounce, sent back the Indian openers in no time to brilliant catches and it looked like the colts in maroon, who were fielding remarkably well, would grab the initiative early. They did, for a while.

Left-hander Rakesh Solanki and Ambati Rayudu, in what could be described as controlled aggression, put on 51 runs and looked set for more when the former was run out to a bad `call'.

The pressure was on the Indian middle-order now, which had not been amongst the runs. Also skipper Rayudu, the highly rated batsman from Hyderabad. It was a must-win contest for the side, and he had to lead from the front.

Rayudu and southpaw Suresh Raina (66, 84b, 4x4) set the pace in the phase when the spinners were operating, adding 53 for the fourth wicket. The Caribbean pacemen were a threat, certainly not their slow bowlers.

Rayudu (47, 72b, 6x4) pulled left-arm spinner Rishi Bachan for consecutive boundaries and was getting on top of the attack when an intended pull, when not in the position for it, off Bachan went straight to the hands of mid-on.

And the side was 122 for four at the start of the 30th over. The best phase of the innings was the 75-run stand for the next wicket between Raina and K. Dinesh Kaarthck (46, 50b, 3x4, 2x6), who thrived on the momentum set earlier. Kaarthick struck a 6 each off Bachan and off-spinner Jonathan Augustus. Thereafter came three of the innings' four run-outs, but by then the side was well on way to the 250-run mark.

It was a tough task for the West Indies, especially after young Karnataka seamer Gaurav Dhiman took three quick wickets.

Captain Assad Fudadin (51, 84b, 5x4), a southpaw, kept the fight going, putting on 63 for the fifth wicket with Augustus, before the side was overwhelmed by India's variety of attack. Leg-spinner Abhishek Sharma finished with four wickets.

In the other Super-League Group II match at the Fatullah Stadium, Sri Lanka, which had lost to the West Indies in its opening encounter two days ago, beat South Africa by 29 runs. It was a high scoring contest, with opener Upul Tharanga and Jaco Booysen recording centuries for the island nation and South Africa respectively.

With all four teams having one win from two matches each, the way to the semifinals is still open.

The scores:

India: R. Uthappa c Maraj b Rampaul 3, S. Dhawan c Simmons b Matthew 6, R. Solanki (run out) 33, A.T. Rayudu c Edwards b Bachan 47, S. Raina c Augustus b Rampaul 66, K.D. Kaarthick (run out) 46, Sunny Singh (run out) 9, G. Dhiman (run out) 8, A. Sharma c Rampaul b Augustus 3, P. Gupta (not out) 3, R.P. Singh (not out) 10; Extras (b-2, lb-1, w-8, nb-8) 19. Total (for nine wkts. in 50 overs) 253.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-18, 3-69, 4-122, 5-197, 6-219, 7-236, 8-237, 9-240.

West Indies bowling: Rampaul 10-1-55-2, Matthew 9-1-32-1, Baker 8-0-56-0, R. Bachan 10-0-54-1, Sebastian 10-0-36-0, Augustus 3-0-17-1.

West Indies: T. Maraj c Kaarthick b Dhiman 12, K. Edwards b R.P. Singh 1, L. Simmons c Raina b Dhiman 27, A. Fudadin c R.P. Singh b Sharma 51, D. Ramdin c R.P. Singh b Dhiman 3, J. Augustus c Rayudu b Sharma 29, R. Rampaul b Sharma 3, L. Sebastian c Uthappa b Raina 1, M. Matthew c & b Raina 8, L. Baker (not out) 5, R. Bachan c Uthappa b Sharma 2; Extras (b-1, lb-4, w-8, nb-2) 15. Total (in 39.1 overs) 157.

Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-36, 3-49, 4-54, 5-117, 6-135, 7-138, 8-150, 9-150.

India bowling: Dhiman 7-1-26-3, R.P. Singh 8-1-39-1, S. Singh 2-0-14-0, P. Gupta 5-0-22-0, Raina 10-3-23-2, A. Sharma 7.1-0-28-4.

Brief scores of other matches:

Super-League Group I: Sri Lanka 277 for five in 50 overs (U. Tharanga 117, N. Nawala 56, G. de Silva 42, K. Kulasekara 32 not out, K. Africa three for 49) bt South Africa 248 in 48.3 overs (J. Booysen 120, V. Philander 30, R. van der Merwe 36, F. Mahroof four for 49), at FCS.

Plate Group I: Papua New Guinea 83 in 35 overs (V. Kila 32, J. Mangan four for 31) lost to Australia 85 for one in 18.2 overs (T. Paine 26 not out, T. Doropoulos 34), at Chittagong.

Nepal 200 for nine in 50 overs (S.P. Gauchan 25, S. Vesawkar 51, M. Shrestha 29, G. Goudie three for 37) lost to Scotland 204 for seven in 49.5 overs (M. Iqbal 67, K. Coetzer 25, S. Weeraratna 34 not out), at MAAS.

Wednesday's fixtures:

Super-League Group II: New Zealand vs. Pakistan (D/N, Bangabandhu); England vs. Zimbabwe (BKSP).

Plate Group II: Bangladesh vs. Uganda (CDVS); Ireland vs. Canada (MAAS).

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport