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325! That?s a big score
Its almost a fortnight after Deepavali, but all over India crackers are being burst long into the night after India scored a mammoth 325 runs to overrun West Indies.
Its almost a fortnight after Deepavali, but all over India crackers are being burst long into the night after India scored a mammoth 325 runs to overrun West Indies and level the one-day series 2-2.
The score is the third biggest chase ever in one-day history and having accomplished another 300 plus chase against England in the NatWest final, India has again reasserted its position as one of the favourites to win the World Cup.
Rahul Dravid was as often the mainstay of the Indian batting. He let off 20 more dot balls than he should have and it could have turned against India but for the fact that Sanjay Bangar played an explosive innings — the likes of which he was never expected to — considering how he competes with
snails for speed in Tests.
It was a battle of the boundaries and even though Chris Gayle won the man of the match and an award for the maximum sixers (5) it was India who won the match with an audacious batting display.
Hopper could have applied more pressure in the last 10 overs but he just gave up the fight.
West Indies have been in devastating form in the one-dayers, their batting led by Chris Gayle has taken the Indian bowling to the cleaners.
A couple of bad decisions by umpire Hariharan in the end turned out to be crucial. Sanjay Bangar was clearly caught behind and everyone but the umpire saw it.
India now can boast of a depth in batting that not many one-day sides have and that is what is going to be crucial in the World Cup. The team which played on Friday along with Zaheer Khan and Sachin Tendulkar is an unbeatable combination.
Murli Kartik bowled a very tidy spell and it made sense to take him in place of Anil Kumble as this column had suggested earlier. It did not need any gazing into the crystal ball to realize that Kumble’s days in one-day cricket are over. It is time he realized it too and stuck to Test cricket.
Though India won the match, it is difficult to imagine why Sourav Ganguly opted to field. India’s bowling is no great shakes and without Zaheer it is madness to opt to field first under any circumstances. Srinath has lost his bite, like it has been suggested many times but the TINA (there is no alternative) factor is working in his favour. Maybe Ganguly wanted his batsmen to stick
to the chasing habit they have mastered of late.
Chris Gayle (140 in 127 balls) played another whirlwind innings and he is the man to watch. It is high time that the Indian bowlers sorted him out. The Windies have no good spinner and that in the end proved to be their downfall.
It has become an absorbing series. Before it is over one hopes that Ramnaresh Sarwan gets a century after so many brilliant knocks and a 99 on Friday. He has class and Ladyluck needs to sit with him for longer.
