India Find A Way

A game for the purists, instead of a slog-a-thon, the batsman had to rely on technique and discretion for their runs.

Not surprisingly Tendulkar and Lara, the two greatest contemporary batsman looked a cut above, on a pitch with seam and variable bounce, both top scored for their respective teams.

India won the toss and elected to bat, which has been the preferred option for the winning captain throughout this series.

That this was to be a bowlers day was evident from the first over when Dwayne Smith had the Indian captain Rahul Dravid caught at the wicket for a duck, and then followed this up by bowling the dangerous Virender Sehwag for one in his next over (India 6-2).

With the ball occasionally keeping low and Smith in fine bowling form, India looked to Sachin Tendulkar for salvation. The ‘little master’ delivered, but unfortunately Smith was cutting a swathe through the other batsman. Dismissing Suresh Rana for 11 and Yuvraj Singh for nought (38-4).

Enter Mahendra Dhoni, who like so often before made batting look easy crashing 4 boundaries and striking at better than a hundred. But like so often before, he then decided to play a ‘village green stand and deliver’, with the result that he was comprehensively bowled by Corey Collymore for 18.

It was eventually left to Harbhajan Singh to stay with Tendulkar, and they combined for a 78 run partnership for the 7th wicket, before Harbhajan was caught behind for a well made 37 (156-7) which included two straight sixes.

Then disaster, Tendulkar was run out when the bowler Marlon Samuels managed to get a finger on a straight drive from RP Singh, the ball cannoned into the stumps with a lunging Tendulkar short of his ground. This was a cruel way to end a supreme batting performance, and looked the only way the West Indies would dismiss the little champion.

The West Indies needing 163 for victory and having already qualified for the final decided to give some batting opportunity to their middle order. This saw both Chris Gayle and Brian Lara drop down the batting list.

Needing just over three an over the Windies started steadily and had moved onto 44 without loss before Shivnarine Chanderpaul (21) miscued a pull stroke from the bowling of Munaf Patel, Sehwag being the man taking the rain maker.

Patel then claimed and out of form Ramnaresh Sarwan for two, before Sreesanth removed opener Runako Morton for a gritty and in the circumstances valuable 27 (50 balls).

West Indies were now a shaky 58-3 when Ajit Agarkar came back for an inspired second spell. Moving the ball appreciably and at a fair pace he beat the bat on numerous occasions, before finally trapping Marlon Samules lbw for five.

When RP Singh trapped Gayle in front for just one the West Indies had collapsed to 70-5. Enter Dwayne Smith, determined not to see his great bowling wasted he proceeded to crash three boundaries in just four balls before receiving the worst decision of the day, out LBW to a ball which clearly came off a thick in-side edge.

A fine stumping by Dhoni off the bowing of the big turning Harbhajan, saw Dwayne Bravo dismissed for 10 and the West Indies were 96-7.

Enter Brian Charles Lara at No nine. Playing some dazzling shots, the captain seemed like he had his team home at 145-8 needing just 18 runs for victory, but a great catch from Dravid at first slip helped India scramble home by just 16 runs, and keep their hopes of playing in the final alive.

India 162
Sachin Tendulkar 65, Harbhajan Singh 37
Dwayne Smith 4-31, Chris Gayle 2-13

India won by 16 runs

West Indies 146
Brian Lara 40*, Runako Morton 27
Harbhajan Singh 3-35, Ajit Agarkar 2-22

Cricket Web Man of The Match
Harbhajan Singh