da leao： India made West Indies resemble a schoolboy team in restricting themto 169 for seven in 50 overs in a triangular one-day series match inBulawayo today
30-Jun-2001India made West Indies resemble a schoolboy team in restricting themto 169 for seven in 50 overs in a triangular one-day series match inBulawayo today.The final score, which looked a remote possibility when West Indieswere reduced to 47 for five in the 25th over, was largely a result ofthe efforts of Ridley Jacobs (53 not out) and Marlon Samuels (44) whowere engaged in a 72-run partnership for the sixth wicket.India, who rested Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh and Ajit Agarkar, werewell served by the new ball pair of Debasish Mohanty and HarvinderSingh both of whom were playing their first match in the series.Captain Sourav Ganguly won his third straight toss and his decision toput the opposition in to bat was once again justified by Mohanty andHarvinder who struck early to dismiss both openers, Darren Ganga andChris Gayle, and leave West Indies at five for two in the third over.Mohanty removed the number three batsman Wavell Hinds in the 11th overand West Indies, 18 for three, could never recover from the early lossof wickets.They scored at a snail’s pace and by the half-way mark had lost theirbatting mainstays Shivnaraine Chanderpaul and captain Carl Hooper too,with just 47 runs on the board.Mohanty finished with the dream figures of three for 18 from his tenovers while Harvinder and Zaheer Khan had figures of two for 25 andtwo for 27 respectively.So complete was India’s dominance that the West Indies could scorejust two boundaries in the first 25 overs, one each by Chanderpaul andHooper. They hesitated to take runs and were lucky not to get run-outon a few occasions.It was only when these three medium-pacers were withdrawn did the WestIndies batsmen get some respite. Samuels and Jacobs found the gentlemedium-pace of Reetinder Singh Sodhi and the off-spin of VirendraSehwag easier to negotiate.They scored mainly through ones and twos though the occasionalboundary also did come. Samuels hit Sodhi through the covers andstraight drove Zaheer for two fours immediately after the dismissal ofHooper to slightly ease the pressure.Jacobs hit Sodhi over mid-on and, for the first time in the innings,the West Indies scoring rate went beyond two runs an over.The 100 of the innings came in the 36th over and the pair just lookedto accelerate when Mohanty, playing his first international game intwo years, effected the breakthrough by having Samuels caught byHarvinder at long-on. Samuels’ 44 came off 74 balls and contained fivefours.Jacobs added another 37 runs for the seventh wicket with MahendraNagamootoo before Zaheer Khan took a fine return catch to send thelatter back to pavilion. Nagamootoo made 17.Jacobs brought up his half-century off 69 balls which contained onefour and a six off Sodhi. West Indies could not make much use of theslog overs as Zaheer and Harvinder bowled in the blockhole.