India register easy victory over Kenya

India warmed up for their Pool C decider against Pak next weekend with a straightforward win in the ICC championship. India thrashed Kenya by 98 runs.

On a day where the sun kept up more than a brave show despite the weathermen's ominous predictions and the wind gods were out in full, biting force, the Rose Bowl was a sea of blue interspersed with saffron, white and green.

They came by the horde --- mostly in blue T-shirts beating dholaks, some wearing the bright orange of the Aztecs Cricket Club with Punjab Police stickers glued on and many bare-chested with the tricolour painted on their chests and swigging beer. In any case, it was India day in this sleepy town of southern England and while Kenya had their handful of supporters in the crowd --- most interestingly of Indian origin --- they were booed down every time they made an attempt to egg on their team.

And the team needed some encouragement. The Kenyans got Sehwag early (though he stood around for 29 balls and smacked two square cuts while he was there) but that was where the happy part of the day ended for them. Ganguly and Laxman (at No. 3 this time in case you among the few who weren't watching and are confused as to what the Indian batting order was) were involved in 161-run partnership for the second-wicket.

It wasn't the most commanding of stands in the way they went about it, but the Indian skipper played very well for the first 60 runs or so of his 90. He wasn't throwing his bat around, wasn't trying to hammer the bowling, just trying to get as much time in the middle as possible -- something he had said he wanted all his batsmen to do. He again got out 10 short of his 100 and would likely be cursing himself because he'd probably have reverted to his aggressive style with the ton out of the way.

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Laxman looked iffy at first, especially with taking singles but opened up splendidly as his 50 approached. The Hyderabadi, who had an outstanding last season with five hundreds, would be hoping this 79 is the start of something special again.

Two wickets down with nearly 200 runs on board and 11 overs left. This should have been the perfect setting for Yuvraj (at No. 4 this time) to showcase his special talent but he came and went again without troubling the scorers much.

He hit one special four, then simply drove at an Odoyo delivery and walked off even before the umpire's finger went up after an ecstatic Kennedy Otieno behind the stumps took the proffered catch. He knew he had erred.

But his departure brought together two men who seem in a zone of their own at the moment. Rahul Dravid, recently crowned ICC's Player of the Year and Mohammad Kaif, who seems to have marked out England as his special territory.

In the three previous games India has played here this month, Kaif had 50, 50 and three, the last score the result of being stranded mid-pitch by Ganguly.
It was their rollicking, unbeaten stand that really finished the Kenyans -- who were in an unusually lackadaisical mood anyway.

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