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India stay alive
in the DLF Cup through a stunning win in a
low-scoring affair |
September 20, 2006 (Link to
Scorecard)
 India
have finally defeated West Indies and in doing
so are still alive in this tournament. In the
5th Match of the DLF Cup in Kuala Lumpur, India
defending a paltry total of 162 bundled out West
Indies for just 146 as their bowlers fully
exploited the invariable bounce offered by the
pitch. Harbhajan Singh was the Man of the Match
for his all round show, with the bat he had
scored 37 to put on 78 runs for the 7th wicket
along with Tendulkar and with the ball he had
taken three important wickets at crucial
moments. West Indies had gone in at the half way
break of the match at 34 for no loss and once
they came back they lost all their 10 wickets
for just 112 runs in the next 32 overs.
For India, all the bowlers shared the wickets
with Harbhajan taking three, and the three right
arm pacers Agarkar, Munaf and Sreesanth took two
wickets each and not to forget RP Singh who had
chipped in with one of the most important
wickets that of Chris Gayle. Windies had just
Brian Lara fighting till the end and he had come
in too late at no.9 to get stranded on a
masterful 40 (in 48 balls with 6 fours).
Rahul Dravid won the toss in this do-or-die game
for his team and elected to bat. Irfan Pathan
who has been struggling to have any impact with
his bowling was dropped to give way to the pacy
Sreesanth. West Indies gave break to Jerome
Taylor and Ian Bradshaw to go in with a strange
line up that was filled up with batsmen upto No.
10. Corey Collymore was the only specialist
bowler in the team. The new ball was given to
the part timer Dwayne Smith who gave the dream
start by removing Rahul Dravid in the third ball
of the match with one that held its line after
angling in. Rahul Dravid was yet to open his
account and he was soon joined back in the
pavilion by his Vice-Captain, Virender Sehwag
who was neither forward nor back to a full
delivery from Dwayne Smith to get his stumps
cleaned up. More trouble was to come for India
as Dwayne Smith removed the left handed Suresh
Raina and Yuvraj Singh to leave the innings in
tatters at 38 for 4 in the 11th over.
 It
looked as if Tendulkar had finally found a
partner in Mahendra Singh Dhoni and both these
batsmen could replicate something like what
Hussey and Haddin had done the other day.
However Dhoni (18 n 13 balls, 4x4s) got carried
away after hammering Corey Collymore off the
backfoot for a boundary and in the next ball had
gone for a lofted shot over mid off. Collymore
had got the ball to nip back just slightly to
beat Dhoni's shot to disturb his stumps. India
were soon 78 for 6 with Ajit Agarkar beaten in
the air by Dwayne Bravo's magical slower
delivery. Harbhajan, the next man gave Tendulkar
enough company to finally get India's innings in
some shape through a mixture of sensible batting
and clean striking of the ball. Harbhajan had
struck Wavell Hinds for two sixes in his knock
of 37 (in 59 balls) which was brought to an end
by Chris Gayle. India were taken to 156 for 7
when Harbhajan got an edge in his attempted cut
shot off Gayle. Tendulkar couldn't stay till the
end as he was unfortunately run out through a
deflection of a straight drive from RP Singh by
the bowler Marlon Samuels at the non striker's
end. Tendulkar had by then accumulated 65 runs
after playing 102 deliveries along with 7
boundaries. The tail didn't wag long enough and
India were bowled out for 162 in 39.3 overs.
Dwayne Smith had finished his 10 overs on the
trot with devastating figures of 4-31.
Windies had a new opening combination in
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Runako Morton and
both these batsmen had taken their side to 34
for no loss in 9 overs at the Supper break. With
just 121 more to win, West Indies were the clear
favourites to rap up the chase in some time
after the break. Munaf Patel had got the first
breakthrough for India hurrying Chanderpaul (21)
into a pull shot to have him caught at square
leg. Munaf struck once again, this time in the
15th over as he got the extra bounce and pace to
defeat Sarwan's intention of playing a cut shot.
After Sarwan's exit, India got wickets at
regular intervals to get back into the game
strongly. Runako Morton, the opener was the
first to go flashing Sreesanth behind the stumps
after making 27 and he was followed by Marlon
Samuels who got an unplayable delivery from
Agarkar which kept low to strike him in front of
the stumps. West Indies lost half of its side
with 70 on the board in the 22nd over. Dwayne
Smith the new man in who had joined Wavell Hinds
started off with bang taking three boundaries
off RP Singh. But he was unlucky to be given out
lbw after getting a big inside edge onto his
pads off Ajit Agarkar.
The turning point of the match looked to be that
of the wicket of Dwayne Bravo which had come in
the 28th over. Bravo had lunged forward to a
tossed up delivery from Harbhajan around the
offstump to play for the turn which wasn't there
and the straighter one went past the outside
edge and Dhoni whipped the bails in a flash. The
Indians celebrated as Bravo walked off realizing
that his backfoot couldn't get back in time in
the crease and West Indies were now 96 for 7! In
came the skipper Brian Lara at no.9 with 67 to
win and he had the likes of Wavell Hinds and
Carlton Baugh to support him which they
couldn't. Hinds was only blocking the deliveries
and wasn't getting any runs and his struggle
came to an end as he got a leading edge playing
against the turn and playing early to an off
break from Harbhajan. Hinds scratched around for
57 balls to make just 8 runs and his dismissal
meant West Indies had to still get 45 runs with
two wickets in hand. Lara's brilliance had got
his side 18 runs short of victory and it was now
or never for India to get a wicket to get back
in the match. Harbhajan once again struck at the
right time and once again it was his straighter
one that had foxed the right handed Baugh who
edged that to the slip. Lara was now left with
the no.11 Corey Collymore and he had to
helplessly watch his side defeated by 16 runs as
Sreesanth got a sharp inswinger that kept
slightly low to get Collymore out lbw.
That was a miraculous escape for India after
being bundled out cheaply in the afternoon. They
now have one more match against Australia on the
20th which is like a Semi Final as the outcome
of that match would decide on who would meet
West Indies in the Final to be played on the
24th.
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