Related Links

January 31, 2007 (4th ODI Scorecard)

West Indies have crashed to a heavy defeat of 160 runs at Vadodara to lose the Pepsi Cup Series 1-3. Chasing a monumental target of 342, West Indies' batting failed all the way to turn the match into a one sided affair at the half way stage itself. Put into bat first, India had piled up 341 for 3 with all its batsmen firing on all cylinders and in particular Sachin Tendulkar who is relishing his new role in the middle order with a 76-ball century. The love affair between these two teams will continue as they meet yet again for a warm up match in the Caribbean ahead of the World Cup.

It was a day that belonged to Sachin Tendulkar more than anyone else. He had walked into bat with India already into a strong position at 148 for 2 after 25 overs. His intentions of dominating the bowling was clear in the way he went through his drives. Rahul Dravid, the Skipper scored 78, which was instrumental in stitching back to back century partnerships with Ganguly and Tendulkar. While Dravid was rock solid in keeping his wicket intact, the other batsman whether it was Ganguly or Tendulkar were batting in full swing to make sure that there was no collapse like it was in Chennai. One negative about Dravid's innings was that his strike rate wasn't all that impressive to begin with, but he did cover up a little later to end up with 78 from 109 balls, not the kind of effort that you associate with on a batsman's paradise. Dravid had got out much to the delight of the Indian fans at the right time. His exit came in the 44th over to allow Mahendra Singh Dhoni some time in the middle. The Jharkhand Samson blasted three sixes and a boundary in a 20-ball 40 that helped India blast 64 runs in the final five overs. Dhoni also assisted Tendulkar in getting the required amount of strike in the final over to help him reach his 41st century which he did in the final ball of the innings. Tendulkar was also lucky that he was dropped on two occasions during the slog overs. In the first instance, Brian Lara at covers couldn't hold onto a fierce drive to let it go to a boundary and in the end, Dwayne Smith couldn't take a catch at deep mid wicket, which went for a boundary as well.

The 20,000 crowd were treated to some great one day shots all through the Indian innings. It began with Robin Uthappa slamming two powerful sixes off Daren Powell. However, it wasn't going to be Uthappa's day as he got an awkwardly rising short delivery from the same bowler which he had to nick it into the slips. Robin Uthappa with three fours and two sixes scored 28 from 17. He might have booked his spot for the World Cup by the incredible promise he has shown his last two innings! Former Captain Sourav Ganguly had to show that he still had plenty to offer for Indian Cricket at the top of the order. He was a confident striker of the ball today, often backing away from his stumps to free his arms. India was going according to a plan. It was once again a century missed out by Ganguly, this time he was outsmarted by Chris Gayle, who saw him step down a bit early. Ganguly had picked up 68 from 82 balls with 8 fours and a pull for a six.

If the West Indians wanted to successfully chase 342, then they needed Gayle and Chanderpaul to set the IPCL Sports Complex ground on fire. It wasn't going to happen today once Ajit Agarkar cleaned up Gayle with an absolute beauty and Zaheer bounced out Chanderpaul. The two dangerous match winners were out of the equation in the first powerplay itself. Devon Smith scored a few runs before he was the next to be dismissed, caught by a full length dive from Yuvraj at short mid wicket that gave Irfan Pathan, a lucky break.

The turning point of the innings looked to be the dismissal of Brian Lara's. The West Indian skipper was run out at the non striker's end through a deflection that had resulted from a dropped catch from the bowler Irfan Pathan offered by Samuels. All Lara could do was to face two balls before this unfortunate thing had happened to him. Samuels was the lone batsman left to do the impossible. He did the wise thing in playing his shots and collect a 12th ODI fifty that should cement his place in the side. The stylish right hander is finally playing to his potential which is a big bonus for West Indian cricket. Denesh Ramdin also got some runs today, he had come up with 40 that could keep his place in the team for the World Cup even though his keeping has gone down slightly. Among the bowlers, Ajit Agarkar bowled consistently well throughout the series. He had neat figures of 2 for 40 in 9 overs today. Zaheer Khan was sharp and effective while the other left armer, Irfan Pathan making his comeback didn't impress a lot, he had conceded 43 from his 7 overs. Harbhajan and Kumble had a decent outing, for once they had the match covered much before they had come into bowl.

There was an interesting moment during the West Indian innings. Sachin Tendulkar did not come onto field as he might have been resting after scoring that hundred and Rahul Dravid had pulled cramps in his calf muscle. Both the Captain and Vice-Captain were missing on the field which saw the captaincy go back to Sourav Ganguly, the former Skipper! It lasted for just the few deliveries as Sachin arrived into the ground to take over!

For this fourth and final ODI, India had selected its strongest outfit for this match with the exception of Virender Sehwag who might make his comeback during the Sri Lanka Series. West Indies were without Dwayne Bravo, who was injured and they had missed the services of the all rounder with the ball and the bat. With a 3-1 Series win, India would be happy that they have taken the revenge of their series defeat against the same opposition a few months back.

Top of the Page