3rd ODI: India v West Indies at Rajkot, 12 Nov 2002 CricInfo Live Report

3rd ODI: India v West Indies at Rajkot, 12 Nov 2002
Anand Vasu

India innings: 25 overs,
West Indies innings: 25 overs, End of innings,
Pre-game: Toss & Teams,

SEHWAG TON PUTS INDIA IN STRONG POSITION
What Chris Gayle can do, I can do better. That seemed to be Virender Sehwag’s slogan as he ripped the West Indian bowling attack to shreds. Chasing 301 is a daunting task, no matter what batting line-up you have. It does however help if your openers can batter the bowling to reach 195/0 in 25 overs. Crashing his way to his third one-day ton, off just 75 balls, with the help of as many as 14 boundaries and two sixes, Sehwag led the Indian charge.

Sehwag’s honest to goodness firebrand approach spared no bowlers. Anything outside the off disappeared through cover point – off the front and back foot, in the air and along the ground. When the ball was on the pads the approach was a little less brutal, but no less effective. Moving outside the line of the ball Sehwag was quick to whip the ball past the fielders to the on side fence.

Don’t assume it was a one horse charge though. Sourav Ganguly came into his element early on, playing some classy drives through the off side. Although unable to match his marauding partner stroke for stroke, the Indian captain was no slouch when it came to scoring quickly. When there was a bit of width on offer Ganguly was quick to capitalise, easing the ball through the covers.

At the 15 over mark, when fielding restrictions were lifted, India were 120 for no loss. This was the only time the batsmen tried to improvise. Ganguly used his feet to come down the wicket, Sehwag gave himself width and the flow of boundaries reduced only slightly. Cameron Cuffy, beginning well, threatened to arrest the flow of runs but soon found himself under pressure as he was picked off for a couple of boundaries.

The difference in pace of the two batsmen was apparent at the 25 over mark. Sehwag had 109 runs to Ganguly’s 72. In terms of boundaries the gulf was bigger. Sehwag bludgeoned 16 boundaries and two sixes to the captain’s nine boundaries.

The scary part for the West Indies is that both batsmen are still very much at large.

WEST INDIES POWER TO HUGE TOTAL
Making the best of the hectic start Chris Gayle engineered, West Indies reached a daunting 300/5 from their allotted 50 overs. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul made the best of a lacklustre bowling performance to put together a vital 149-run fourth wicket partnership in 24.1 overs. Ricardo Powell (19, 18 balls, 1 six) and Ridley Jacobs applied the finishing touches, ensuring that West Indies reached 300/5 from 50 overs.

Sarwan’s classical approach to batting prompted critics to doubt his suitability to the one-day game when he arrived at the international stage. Combining judicious shot selection with an ability to place the ball into the gaps, Sarwan has overcome many hurdles in becoming a fine one-day batsman.

Chanderpaul’s ability to change gears from the dogged Test match approach to the free stroking limited overs style is well documented. On the day it was hardly necessary for Chanderpaul to depart from tried and tested methods. Just chipping the ball into gaps and indulging in the odd heave to the on side Chanderpaul compiled 74 (77 balls, 8 fours).

In the 46th over of the innings, looking to up the tempo, Chanderpaul fell. After hitting the first two deliveries of a fresh Harbhajan spell for boundaries, Chanderpaul went for a third hit down the ground and watched in dismay as Jai P Yadav held on to a well judged catch in the deep.

Soon after, Sarwan perished, playing a wild slog against Ashish Nehra, only feathering a catch to Dravid behind the stumps. Sarwan’s 88-ball 84 included 6 boundaries and two sixes.

Despite some clever spin bowling to Ricardo Powell early on, and a sprinkling of well directed slower balls and yorkers from the pacemen, Powell managed to slam one six in his 18-ball 19. Jacobs, unbeaten on 9 was at the crease when the innings ended.

GAYLE GIVES WEST INDIES BREATHTAKING START
The Madhavrao Scindia stadium in Rajkot, as it is known these days, is no stranger to high-scoring, crash-bang-wallop type of one-day cricket. Despite the loss of three wickets, the third one-dayer proves to conform to this trend as a Chris Gayle inspired West Indies bludgeoned their way to 135/3 at the half-way mark.

When Sourav Ganguly won the toss and elected to field, he would have been well aware of the risk involved. Gayle, batting like a man possessed, made these risks a harsh reality. The tall left-hander used a fast bat swing to great advantage, hitting through the line almost faultlessly to send fielders chasing leather and bowlers running for cover.

Just the fourth ball of the innings saw Gayle begin his charge, slamming Javagal Srinath through covers with power and authority. Ashish Nehra suffered the same fate when his turn came and that set the tone for the innings. The cover region was peppered with hits – too many to mention and the scorers were kept busy.

While Gayle blustered, Wavell Hinds faltered. After making 10 off a sedate 28 balls, Hinds, playing half-cocked tickled Srinath to VVS Laxman in the slips in the ninth over with the score on 36.

Then came the bloodshed. Gayle launched a Nehra delivery straight back over the bowler’s head well over the stands and out of the ground. Ajit Agarkar, bowling first change was dispatched for the second six of the day when a flat pull pinged the advertising hoardings at square leg.

Marlon Samuels for his part was efficient in his 18-ball stay at the wicket where three boundaries took his score to 16. Ganguly, bowling himself after other options failed managed to snaffle Samuels out, when he guided a delivery straight to the waiting gloves of Rahul Dravid behind the wicket.

Ramnaresh Sarwan joined Gayle out in the middle and ensured that the scoreboard kept ticking over with a series of singles that gave his partner the majority of the strike. After the pair had added 26 in quick time, Gayle did the opposite of what was needed.

Trying to pull Harbhajan Singh to the on side with raw power, Gayle was clean bowled with his score on an imposing 72 (68 balls, 12 fours, 2 sixes). With a wicket early on in his spell, Harbhajan grew in confidence, giving the ball more air, allowing it to turn.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul (batting 9) joined Sarwan (batting 23)out in the middle, turning the mayhem of Gayle into a methodical plod towards a big total. At the 25-over mark West Indies were 135/3.

HOOPER RULED OUT AS INDIA FIELD FIRST
There were changes to both sides as they took the field for the third one-dayer at Rajkot. India, as they had hinted earlier, dropped a spinner- Anil Kumble and brought Jai P Yadav back into the side. The West Indies were forced to make two changes.

Skipper Carl Hooper, suffering from a knee injury was ruled out of the encounter and in his place Ricardo Powell makes it to the final eleven. The young batsman has pummeled India into submission in the past and has a style of batting that is ideally suited to the shorter version of the game. Corey Collymore, who was wayward in the second one-dayer is replaced by the reliable Cameron Cuffy.

The weather at Rajkot is warm, if a touch humid. There’s a gentle breeze blowing across the ground and just enough in the wicket to prompt India to field first after Sourav Ganguly won the won the toss for the first time in the series.

Being 2-0 down in this seven-match series, India are desperate to bounce back. The fact that Ridley Jacobs is leading, in the absence of the charismatic and experienced Hooper will give the Indians reason to hope.

Teams: West Indies:CH Gayle, WW Hinds, MN Samuels, RR Sarwan, S Chanderpaul, RL Powell, *+RD Jacobs, CE Cuffy, M Dillon, MV Nagamootoo, VC Drakes.

India team: *SC Ganguly, V Sehwag, AB Agarkar, +R Dravid, VVS Laxman, M Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Jai P Yadav, J Srinath, A Nehra.