The Hindu : Sport : Sehwag fires, the rest misfire

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Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Sport

Sport

Sehwag fires, the rest misfire

S. Ram Mahesh

Spate of run outs and inept batting hamper India

Basseterre: India lost its way in the third ODI here at Warner Park after Virender Sehwag spectacularly set it on course for what looked like a score of over 300. The opener from Delhi made an 81-ball 97 comprising nine fours and three sixes, but a spate of run outs and some inept batting saw India finish with 245 for nine from 50 overs after Rahul Dravid had won his third successive toss.

Those that filled the grassy mounds and the symmetric Lego-block stands had enough to cheer early on. The first ever international delivery here — Bradshaw to Sehwag, no run — earned its share. What followed was near riotous: Dravid twisted around one from the left-armer's angle, over-balancing in an attempt to hit the ball square on the on-side. Bradshaw wheeled around in appeal to see Asad Rauf's finger beginning to ascend.

Raina is No. 3

The skipper left, leg-before for nought in the first over, and Suresh Raina, not Irfan Pathan, walked in. Raina watched Sehwag hurl himself at one just a smidgeon short from Edwards — flashing bat met speeding ball — before unspooling a cover drive off Bradshaw.

The left-hander's front knee buckles outwards during this stroke, allowing his bat an unrestricted path. He stayed long enough to play two more such, but missed one to be bowled off his pads.

Sehwag, who had put on 61 from 9.2 overs with Raina, was beginning to settle, perilously for the West Indies. During the alliance he had carved an implausible six over point, slapped one on the up through the covers, and brutalised another straight. Bradshaw's angle, which had done both Dravid and Raina in, allowed the Najafgarh resident to free his arms. Only Edwards troubled him on instance with pace and bounce.

Kaif struggles

Jerome Taylor was treated with severity. Sehwag seemed to wait an eternity for one just outside off, delaying the release of his wrists to miss gully, point, and third-man on the fence. A guide wide of keeper Baugh fetched him his 22nd fifty. Lara brought Edwards back, switching his end, and introduced Marlon Samuels at the other. Mohammad Kaif grooved in: nurdled, hard-run ones were par, though he timed a short-arm pull and a back-foot cover drive with a certain crispness.

Sehwag sent Bravo over the dressing rooms, which overlook wide long-on, and walloped Gayle at the other end to take his tally of sixes to three. Lara enforced Power Play 3 — delayed until over 28 — and Bravo struck.

The all-rounder enjoys his skipper's confidence, and for good reason. He whips up an impact ball almost on whim — this one swung into Sehwag's toe before bat descended. Thus was broken the 110-ball partnership of 112.

Three for 174, and Dhoni was sent ahead of Venugopala Rao to exploit the field brought in.

But, things went south rapidly. Dhoni made two errors — he ran off a misfield and failed to accelerate in time. Gayle, who had fumbled off his bowling, recovered quickly and threw down the stumps nearest to him. Kaif left five runs later, when his dive to make the crease was foiled by his bat bouncing off turf at the worst moment.

Desperation

Rao's call was one of desperation — it did a disservice to Kaif's 61 (89b, 2x4). The man from Andhra Pradesh continued to struggle as India felt the absence of the man he had replaced: Yuvraj Singh, who sat the match out with a back spasm.

The touring side could manage only a paltry 41 from its last 15 overs amidst mad mix-ups and poor batting. Lara rotated his bowlers well, even giving Sarwan's version of leg-breaks a go, and Bravo's effort at the end — a canny mix of slower ones and yorkers — was praiseworthy. But, Team India had only itself to blame.

The other change in the visiting side's 11 was S. Sreesanth coming in for Munaf Patel in a straight swap of quick bowlers. Robin Uthappa was 12th man. West Indies, meanwhile, played an unchanged 11 from the second game.

SCOREBOARD

India: V. Sehwag lbw b Bravo 97, R. Dravid lbw b Bradshaw 0, S. Raina b Bradshaw 26, M. Kaif (run out) 61, M.S. Dhoni (run out) 15, V. Rao (run out) 11, I. Pathan c & b Samuels 1, R. Powar b Sarwan 1, A. Agarkar c Lara b Bravo 8, H. Singh (not out) 8, S. Sreesanth (not out) 1; Extras (lb-4, nb-1, w-11) 16. Total (for nine wickets in 50 overs) 245.

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Dravid), 2-62 (Raina), 3-174 (Sehwag), 4-211 (Dhoni), 5-216 (Kaif), 6-219 (Pathan), 7-224 (Powar), 8-233 (Rao), 9-243 (Agarkar).

West Indies bowling: Bradshaw 8-2-40-2, Edwards 9-0-49-0, Taylor 4-0-30-0, Samuels 10-0-41-1, Bravo 8-0-45-2, Gayle 10-0-35-0, Sarwan 1-0-1-1.

PP1 (1-10): 61/1; PP2 (11-15): 30/1, PP3 (29-33): 28/1.

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