Visakhapatnam, Nov 24:
Chasing 289 on an outfield that looked like it was wet because of persistent rain and not dew, West Indies had it all to lose, and some of their batsmen tried their best to do so. Ultimately, the cool head of deposed ODI captain Darren Sammy prevailed to level the series 1-1. Kieran Powell and the brothers Bravo threw their wickets away, and Lendl Simmons tried to do so unsuccessfully, but Sammy timed the final assault well to carry a stumbling West Indies to their first win of the tour.
The West Indies bowling towards the end of the Indian innings played a key role in keeping the series alive. India were 194 for 3 when the 36th over began, with Virat Kohli on course for an 18th ODI century. Ravi Rampaul, Jason Holder and Sunil Narine pulled them back, and Kohli fell for 99. Narine bowled his last five overs, coming back in the 37th, for just eight runs, bowling two maidens while Rampaul took the wickets. Despite MS Dhoni’s assault towards the end, a total of 95 in the last 15 overs meant a manageable chase, which became easier as the dew got heavier.
The balls must have felt like bars of soap to India and had to be changed on three occasions. They skidded on, negating the slowness of the surface that had pulled India back when the conditions were dry. West Indies, though, were benevolent. Darren Bravo was dropped three times in four deliveries before he went to cut a length ball from R Ashwin and was dismissed. That ended West Indies’ best partnership of the tour, an even 100, and left Powell kicking the ground in disgust at the other end.
Soon, Powell would show an equal lack of situational awareness. In the 26th and the 27th over, both the wet balls were changed for drier ones. And once again, Powell had the best seat in the house to learn from his partner’s mistake. Lendl Simmons went driving at the first delivery of the 26th over, but the drier ball gripped and turned past the bat. The second took the edge, and fell short of slip. Powell, though, wasn’t observing, and premeditated a skip-and-defence to the first dry ball he faced, missing the line of the ball by at least six inches, and getting stumped by a mile. That was R Ashwin’s second wicket; he bowled 10 overs for 37, a big achievement for a spinner in wet conditions.
At 123 for 2, West Indies needed 166 in 28 overs; at 185 for 4, the 104 required off 15.4 overs seemed even more manageable with a wet ball. Somehow, they managed to throw it away on both occasions, this time Dwayne Bravo pulling to the only man in the deep. Sammy, though, came out and showed his team-mates how to do it.
Sammy began with two singles, then played out a maiden from Ravindra Jadeja, but that didn’t worry him. His partner Simmons always tried a big shot whenever he faced a few dots. Sammy, though, knew he could wait. Unlike in the Tests, he backed his game here. (AGENCIES)
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