Guyana Test Match Between Australia and West Indies Moved to Dominica

West Indies news

ESPNcricinfo staff

February 3, 2012

Guyana has been stripped of its scheduled Test match between West Indies and Australia due to political interference by the country's government, the WICB has announced.

The third Test of the series will now be held in Dominica from April 23-27, the dates unchanged from the original schedule.

"The change in venue is as a result of the situation in Guyana owing to the Government of Guyana's push to take over the management and governance of cricket in the country," the WICB said in a statement.

"The Guyana Cricket Board, which is the agent of the WICB and the legitimate cricketing authority, has been prevented from undertaking the necessary tasks needed to ensure the successful hosting of the match."

Last month the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) was locked out of its premises by the Guyana government, which appointed an Interim Management Committee (IMC) headed by Clive Lloyd to govern the sport in the country because the July 2011 GCB elections were being disputed.

The ICC decried the Guyanese government's actions, stating after its most recent meeting that: "The ICC Board was concerned to learn of the developments in Guyana where the government has dissolved the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and replaced it with an Interim Management Committee (IMC)."

"In condemning this government intervention in the strongest possible terms, the ICC Board reaffirmed the principle of non-interference and that the only legitimate cricketing authority is that recognised by the West Indies Cricket Board."

In its annual conference in June, the ICC had taken a firm stance on government interference in cricket and had given its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game. In keeping with that stance, the ICC board strongly opposed the Guyanese government's actions.

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Omari Banks Announces Retirement

West Indies news

ESPNcricinfo staff

January 30, 2012

Omari Banks, the former West Indies allrounder, has announced his retirement from cricket. Banks, 29, was the first Test cricketer from the island of Anguilla, and represented West Indies in ten Tests and five ODIs between 2003 and 2005. He continued to play for Leeward Islands till 2010-11, after a three-season spell with Somerset ended in 2009.

One of the highlights of Banks' international career was his unbeaten 47 against Australia in 2003 when West Indies famously hunted down 418, still the largest successful chase in Test history. He also captained Leeward Islands on the domestic circuit, and played 80 first-class matches after making his debut in 2000-01.

Banks currently works as a physical education teacher in Anguilla, and has also been trying to build a career in music. He is the son of reggae musician Bankie Banx, and his first single 'Move On', will be part of his father's upcoming album, 'Just Cool', due to be released on March 6.

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Darren Sammy Opts Out From Bangladesh Premier League

West Indies news

ESPNcricinfo staff

January 20, 2012

Darren Sammy, the West Indies and Windward Islands captain, has opted out of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) so that he can play in the domestic regional four-day competition and prepare for the upcoming home series against Australia in March. Sammy was bought by Sylhet Royals for $55,000 at the player auction in Dhaka on February 20.

"While I enjoyed playing cricket in front the enthusiastic and passionate Bangladeshi fans, the BPL's schedule clashes with that of the West Indies Cricket Board's Regional 4-Day Tournament. Participating in the BPL would mean missing the first four rounds of the Regional 4-Day," Sammy said in a statement. "West Indies will host Australia starting mid-March and it will be a tough and challenging series. I have decided that it would be best for me to participate in the Regional 4-Day in order that I am properly and fully prepared for the challenges of the series against Australia.

"Additionally, Windward Islands cricket is blossoming and making significant strides and we are playing consistently well. My contributions as captain and allrounder are integral to this process and I am keen on serving my team as we continue to grow. I look forward to playing before the Bangladesh fans in the future at a time which is mutually convenient."

Dwayne Bravo, Jerome Taylor, Kevon Cooper, Lendl Simmons, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Smith, Fidel Edwards, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels and Chris Gayle were the other players from the West Indies bought at the BPL auction.

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Royal Challengers Bangalore Retain Chris Gayle

IPL 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff

January 20, 2012

Chris Gayle has been retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore for the next two IPL seasons. The Royal Challengers had first rights to Gayle's services after he represented them as a replacement for Dirk Nannes in the previous year. Though the amount he has been signed for is yet undisclosed, it is to be revealed to the IPL authorities and will be deducted from the Royal Challengers' auction purse.

"We are delighted to make Chris Gayle a permanent member of our IPL squad. We are confident that with players like him in our side, we will take the extra step this season, and win our maiden IPL title," Sidhartha Mallya, Director, Royal Challengers Sports Pvt Ltd, said in a release.

"To me, Bangalore has been a home away from home," Gayle said. "I wanted to continue playing for them, and it turned out that they were keen to retain my services."

The IPL trading window closes on Friday, January 20, and the Royal Challengers had the option to either retain Gayle or leave him to be open for auction on February 4. He went unsold at the auction last year and the maximum amount the Royal Challengers could pay him was $650,000, the amount Nannes was bought for. He joined them on a one-year contract and topped the run-charts in the 2011 season. This year, however, he could be bought for a significantly higher amount; the purse each franchise has been allowed is $2 million.

Gayle was in prime form in the IPL last year, playing a crucial role in Royal Challengers' journey to the final. He struck two centuries, three half-centuries, picked up eight wickets - a prize catch for any franchise that had his services for the season to follow. A BCCI official, at the time when Gayle's future was uncertain, told ESPNcricinfo that the Royal Challengers were keen on signing Gayle but would have to shell out a large portion of their purse to convince him. "Bangalore want Gayle because they see the cricketing merit in the decision as he helped them to the final last year," the official had said. "But if they decide to sign a deal with him, they will have to pay big money and if they do that they will be left with nothing much at the auction."

The Mumbai Indians, a richer franchise than the Royal Challengers, were also interested in signing Gayle but Royal Challengers made use of their first rights to his services.

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Where will Chris Gayle Go in IPL 2012?

IPL 2012

Nagraj Gollapudi

January 16, 2012

Four days before the first trading window of the IPL shuts, the biggest question surrounds the future of Chris Gayle, the West Indies opener. Gayle turned out for the Royal Challengers Bangalore last season, and topped the run-charts while taking them to the IPL final. However, Gayle joined the Royal Challengers as a replacement player midway through the season and was hence on a one-year contract. This year the Royal Challengers have first rights to his services, but it is up to Gayle whether to accept their offer or make himself available for the February 4 auction.

Either way, Gayle stands to cash in on the Twenty20 reputation he has built after hitting two centuries and five half-centuries for the Royal Challengers over last year's IPL and Champions League T20. Last season, he went unsold in the original auction and when he replaced an injured Dirk Nannes the maximum the Royal Challengers could pay him was $650,000, the price Nannes was bought for. This year, Gayle can be bought for up to $2 million, the purse each franchise is allowed.

The Royal Challengers are looking at breaking the bank to retain him before January 20, and if they cannot come to an agreement with him other franchises can bid for him in next month's auction.

"You will have to wait. We will make an announcement soon," Siddharth Mallya, the owner of the Bangalore franchise, told ESPNcricinfo, without revealing any further details. But the Royal Challengers are hot on the heels of Gayle, who is currently playing in the Big Bash League in Australia for the Sydney Thunder. Should the Royal Challengers manage to sign Gayle before the auction, they will have to disclose the fee they have agreed with him to the IPL authorities, and that amount will be deducted from the franchise's $2 million purse at the auction.

A BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo that the Royal Challengers wanted to sign Gayle but they would have to shell out a large portion of their purse to convince him. "Bangalore want Gayle because they see the cricketing merit in the decision as he helped them to the final last year," the official said. "But if they decide to sign a deal with him, they will have to pay big money and if they do that they will be left with nothing much at the auction."

As far as Gayle is concerned, he is spoilt for choice. Reportedly the Mumbai Indians, who have already signed Dinesh Karthik (for $2.35 million) and Pragyan Ojha during the transfer window, have expressed their interest in buying Gayle. "Every franchise would like to have Gayle. He turned one IPL on his own," one of the franchise officials said. According to him Gayle would easily get the maximum $2 million purse available to each franchise. If more than one franchise bids $2 million for Gayle, it will go to a secret tie-breaker in which the competing franchises will submit closed bids.

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Somerset Sign Chris Gayle

County news

George Dobell

January 12, 2012

Somerset have signed former West Indies captain Chris Gayle for this year's Friends Life t20 campaign.

Gayle had been in talks with Middlesex but the county decided to pursue their interest in an overseas fast bowler instead.

Gayle, 32, has an exceptional T20 record. Not only has he made the highest score in international T20 cricket, 117 against South Africa in September 2007, but he is also the only man to have made five T20 centuries. He also shares the record for the quickest international T20 hundred with Brendon McCullum. Both men reached the landmark in just 50 balls.

Gayle will replace Kieron Pollard as one of Somerset's overseas players. Pollard is expected to be on international duty on West Indies tour of England but Gayle, having fallen out with the West Indies board, is unlikely to be selected. He will strengthen an already daunting Somerset batting line-up that also includes Craig Kieswetter, Marcus Trescothick, Peter Trego, Roelof van der Merwe and James Hildreth.

Gayle will hope to take Somerset one better in the Flt20. They have been losing finalists in the last three seasons.

"I am delighted to be heading to Somerset this summer," said Gayle. "They are a great club and hopefully I can make a key contribution to their T20 campaign this year."

Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose added: "Chris is a tremendously exciting player and one of the people who would get into any World T20 XI.

"He is a tremendous all-rounder; his batting is outstanding, he bowls and can open the attack with his off-spinners and he is also a brilliant fielder, so we are absolutely delighted."

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Former Barbados Umpire Nigel Harrison Dies Aged 77

West Indies news

ESPNcricinfo staff

December 19, 2011

Nigel Harrison, the former Barbados first-class umpire, has died aged 77 after a brief illness. He stood in Shell Shield and Red Stripe Cup matches through the 1980s. His last first-class game was a tour match during England's tour of the West Indies in 1990.

He also served as the president and treasurer of the Barbados Cricket Umpires Association (BCUA). He was also a former Managing Director of Corbin Compton, a leading local advertising company.

"He was a good umpire. I don't think he ever had a bad report. He knew the game and was always very involved in the training of new umpires," Lloyd Barker, a former international umpire, told the Barbados Cricket Association website.

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Injured Pollard Ruled out of Big Bash League

Big Bash League 2011-12

ESPNcricinfo staff

December 16, 2011

Kieron Pollard, the West Indies allrounder, has been ruled out of the inaugural edition of the Big Bash League due to a hamstring injury. Pollard, who was part of the Adelaide Strikers team, injured his right hamstring while fielding on Thursday and scans revealed a grade two strain. Alfonso Thomas is likely to take his place in the playing XI.

"Our plan was always to rotate the international players, and now with our additional signing, it means Alfonso Thomas is able to slot straight into the team," Darren Berry, the Strikers coach, said. "We are obviously disappointed to lose Polly and his firepower in our middle order, but we won last year's T20 competition (South Australia) and have proven we can win without him."

Pollard struck form with the bat recently, scoring his maiden international century, an innings that included 10 sixes, against India in Chennai. The South Africa offspinner Johan Botha is also part of the Strikers squad. "The arrival of Johan Botha from South Africa is great news for us, and we regard him as one of the finest T20 players in the world," Berry said. "The two international players [Botha and Thomas] we have already in the squad, along with the rest of our local stars who formed a large part of the winning team last year, will hold us in good stead."

The Strikers play their first game on December 18 against Melbourne Renegades.

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Pollard's Special Innings of 119 was Not Enough For West Indies

India v West Indies, 5th ODI, Chennai

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran

December 11, 2011

India 267 for 6 (Tiwary 104 retd, Kohli 80) beat West Indies 233 (Pollard 119, Russell 53) by 34 runs

India completed a fantastic year as far as home one-day internationals are concerned with another victory over West Indies in a topsy-turvy ODI, on a sweltering day in Chennai, to make the series scoreline 4-1.

The focus in dead rubbers is usually on fringe players auditioning for bigger roles, and plenty took centre-stage at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Manoj Tiwary stated his case for a permanent place in an increasingly crowded India middle-order with his maiden one-day century and Kieron Pollard played his finest international innings without managing to complete a herculean task after West Indies' top order did its familiar house-of-cards impersonation.

Those two were the headliners but there were significant contributions from other players scrapping for a place. Andre Russell showed why he should be an automatic pick for West Indies, legspinner Rahul Sharma displayed great accuracy and a cool head in only his second international match and Irfan Pathan caused plenty of excitement with his famous inswingers with the new ball.

India were missing their four biggest ODI batting stars but that didn't prevent their next generation, led by Tiwary and Virat Kohli, from piling on 267 for 6 on a slow-and-low track. Then West Indies' batting floundered against an attack that featured at most one player who would make India's first-choice XI.

Irfan swung out Lendl Simmons first ball, and added the wicket of Kieran Powell soon after. Abhimanyu Mithun, one of the quick bowlers selected ahead of Irfan for the Test series in Australia, also took two wickets with the new ball. When Denesh Ramdin was adjudged lbw in the 16th over, the game seemed over as West Indies slumped to 78 for 5.

Pollard thought otherwise. The slow surface in Chennai is not suited to Pollard's explosive style of batting but that did not prevent him from stroking some effortless sixes down the ground. The one shot he did put some power behind, in the 16th over, cleared not just the rope but the stands as well, landing on the roof over long-on. There were very few slogs in his entire innings; virtually all of his the sixes were hit with a straight bat.

Keeping him company in an attempted revival was Russell, who has already shown his hitting skills several times. He matched Pollard stroke-for-stroke in a boundary-filled stand of 89 runs for the sixth wicket. Caribbean flair may be an old cliché but there was plenty of it in Russell's batting, highlighted by a flick for six over midwicket off Rahul Sharma. He bustled to his 50 off just 37 balls, outpacing even Pollard, though he did get two reprieves from wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel.

It was an athletic bit of fielding that broke the partnership that threatened to take the game away from India. Gautam Gambhir pounced on a Pollard dab towards short third man and scored a direct hit to run out Russell, who carried on running to the pavilion. Sammy failed once again but that still didn't stop Pollard from believing.

He farmed the strike and sprinkled in the odd nonchalant six in what was easily the longest innings of his international career. His wait for a first international hundred seemed set to be extended when he thumped Rahul Sharma to Kohli at long-on when on 99, but Kohli shelled the straightforward chance. With only the final wicket remaining, a rain of boundaries followed from Pollard before one mis-hit ended the game; he holed out to Ajinkya Rahane at long-off to leave West Indies 34 runs short.

If that was a special innings from Pollard, there was an important one from Tiwary earlier. It was Tiwary's first opportunity of the series, and he came in with a charged-up Kemar Roach on a hat-trick, three balls into the match. It was only his sixth game for India in nearly four years, spread across four different series. He had never made a hundred even in domestic one-dayers, and his previous highest score in internationals was 24.

He was greeted by a sharp bouncer from Roach, but grew more assured as the innings progressed. A couple of eye-catching off-drives early on eased his nerves, before he started picking off plenty of leg-side boundaries off the spinners. He first steadied the innings through an 83-run stand with Gambhir, whose 31 had a mix of sharp singles and panicky running.

That didn't prove a setback for India though, as Virat Kohli gave another example of his increasing ease at the international level. He worked risk-free singles off seven of his first eight deliveries, and opened up once he got used to the pace and bounce of the track. Kohli and Tiwary put on 43 runs in a five-over spell starting from the 27th over. It was not even the Powerplay and was supposed to be part of the 'boring' middle overs with the field spread out.

Tiwary had been cramping towards the end of his innings, and retired soon after reaching his century. Kohli became the highest ODI run-getter of the year and marched on towards his fifth one-day century of the year, but spooned a catch to long-off on 80.

The final stages of the Indian innings showed how difficult a surface it was to score on. Only three boundaries were hit in the final ten overs, as Sunil Narine proved hard to read, and Anthony Martin and Marlon Samuels didn't offer any freebies. The damage had already been done though, and despite Pollard's best efforts, West Indies couldn't reduce the margin of defeat in the series, which was far more closely contested than the 4-1 scoreline suggests.

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A chance To Test Bench Strengths

India v West Indies, 5th ODI, Chennai

The Preview by Dustin Silgardo

December 10, 2011

Match facts
India v West Indies, December 11, Chennai
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)

Big Picture

Virender Sehwag's record-breaking double-century in Indore could have one of two effects on Sunday's match in Chennai. Either fans will still be abuzz with the euphoria that surrounded the feat and turn up hoping for a reprise, or they will believe the zenith of the series has already been reached, and with the result decided as well will struggle to find meaning in the dead rubber.

For the India team, though, the match does hold some significance. Injuries to Praveen Kumar and now Varun Aaron, mean Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun will both be on the plane to Australia for the Test series. In Indore, the pair bowled just eight overs between them and were taken for 71 runs, hardly the kind of form you'd want two of your seamers going to Australia in. On a Chennai pitch that has been slow and low through the year, and offered nothing for the quicks, it will be a test of both their mettle to see if they can at least get through a full quota of overs and take some confidence into the big tour of Australia.

After the thrashing in Indore, one could forgive the West Indies players if their minds were already on the plane back home. But Darren Sammy's side have repeatedly shown fight on this tour, highlighted by their performance in the third Test in Mumbai. Through the one-day series so far, West Indies have put on more runs for the last five wickets than the first five and they will believe that if the top order can come good, they can get a total that will challenge India.

Form guide

India WLWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LWLLL

In the spotlight

There had been a bit of mystery surrounding the logic behind having Rahul Sharma in the India squad for two one-day series and a Test series without giving him a game. In Indore, there was some vindication for the selectors, who had picked Rahul Sharma despite the fact that he has only played 10 first-class games. He impressed with his ability to turn the ball even with a flat trajectory and his variations in pace, and struck three times in his first three overs. The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has kept low and will be conducive to Rahul Sharma's skiddy topspinner.

Marlon Samuels has got plenty of starts on this tour of India, but is yet to score a century since returning to international cricket after a two-year ban. His only previous ODI in Chennai was in 2007, when he scored 98 and helped West Indies win. As the most experienced batsmen in the ODI team, he will be the one West Indies rely on to turn the form of the top order around.

Pitch and conditions

Rain is always a possibility in Chennai at this time of year. While thundershowers are expected through most of next week, the forecast says Sunday will be sunny.

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium has played low and slow all year. During the World Cup, it was the most difficult of all the Indian pitches to bat on. West Indies were bowled out for 188 in their group game against India in Chennai, with spinners taking six of the ten wickets. The pitch has also produced low-scoring encounters through the IPL and Champions League Twenty20, and it could be a hard grind for the batsmen against spin on Sunday.

Team news

With the series already in the bag, India could experiment with their line-up on Sunday. Irfan Pathan will expect to be given a game but it will be difficult deciding who to leave out as Vinay and Mithun are both headed to Australia and the selectors may want to give them game time. Rahul Sharma deserves another chance after his impressive debut and R Ashwin is the local lad. Irfan could be slotted in as an allrounder, with Ravindra Jadeja being rested. Ajinkya Rahane and Manoj Tiwary are part of the squad without getting a game so far this series. Perhaps one of them could be given a chance in the dead rubber, with one of the middle-order batsmen rested.

India (probable): 1 Gautam Gambhir, 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Ajinkya Rahane/Manoj Tiwary, 4 Rohit Sharma, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Parthiv Patel (wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja/ Irfan Pathan, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Abhimanyu Mithun, 11 Rahul Sharma

Darren Bravo missed the fourth ODI with a hamstring injury and it is not certain whether he will be fit for Sunday's game. Whether or not he returns, Danza Hyatt must surely make way after scoring just 62 runs in four innings in the series. Adrian Barath could replace Hyatt if Bravo does not play. Given the nature of the pitch, West Indies may opt to play two spinners, and bring Anthony Martin in for Kermar Roach.

West Indies (probable): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Adrian Barath/ Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach/ Anthony Martin, 11 Sunil Narine

Stats and trivia

Virender Sehwag has never scored back-to-back centuries in ODIs. Seven of his 15 one-day hundreds have been succeeded by single-digit scores.
Out of the four ODIs played at Chepauk this year, three have been won by the side batting first. The average second-innings total in matches that the team chasing lost is 193.

Quotes

"I have been interacting with Eric Simmons [the India bowling coach] regarding variations and that has helped me a lot. I am also learning a lot while playing alongside Ashwin. It looks like a turning track. I would definitely like to do well again and ensure a 4-1 series victory for us."
Rahul Sharma expects the Chepauk pitch to assist his bowling

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Sehwag's 219 Runs Gives India 3-1 series win over West Indies

India v West Indies, 4th ODI, Indore

The Report by George Binoy

December 8, 2011

India 418 for 5 (Sehwag 219, Gambhir 67, Raina 55) beat West Indies 265 (Ramdin 96, Jadeja 3-34, Rahul Sharma 3-43) by 153 runs

It took nearly four decades for a batsman to score the first double-century in one-day international cricket but less than two years for the second. Virender Sehwag, the batsman most touted to break Sachin Tendulkar's record for the highest individual ODI score, didn't merely break it - he shattered it and raised the bar so high that it's hard to imagine anyone, apart from Sehwag himself, raising it higher.

Unlike Tendulkar in Gwalior, Sehwag wasn't running out of time as he raced towards 200 in Indore. He got there in the 44th over and had made 219 off 149 balls by the time he was dismissed in the 47th. And in one of cricket's stranger coincidences, both ODI double-centuries were scored in the same Indian state - Madhya Pradesh - at venues less than 500 kilometres apart.

Sehwag's performance led India to 418 for 5, their highest ODI total, and sealed victory in the five-match series against West Indies. It was an innings characteristic of Sehwag's approach to batting. He hit his second ball for four and simply did not stop. He took plenty of risks too, surviving two run-out chances and two dropped catches, but thundered on, ensuring India's run-rate stayed above seven after the 15th over. Sehwag's only out-of-character moment came in the 20th over, when he dived to avoid being run out. Sehwag never dives. It was a sign that he was determined to stay the course. He went to 50 off 41 balls, to 100 off 69 balls, to 150 off 112 and past 200 off 140. The record was broken with a withering cut that sped to the backward-point boundary, and he celebrated with an aggressive fist-pump before breaking into a smile.

Before this game, and after each of the previous three, Sehwag had admitted that the top-order failures, which he contributed to, were the reason India had struggled in their chases. Sehwag had made a duck in the previous match in Ahmedabad, where India lost, but led by example today.

India did two things differently at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. They chose to bat for the first time in the series and also opened with their strongest combination, Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, pushing Parthiv Patel down the order. The upshot of those decisions was an opening partnership of 176 that began smoothly, picked up speed, and gathered the momentum of a runaway train before it was eventually ended, inevitably, by a run-out.

A strong crowd continued the trend of resurging attendances during the home ODIs and they cheered the first boundary in the second over, when Sehwag flicked Ravi Rampaul's first ball for four - a welcome he would give several other West Indian bowlers. Sehwag looked dangerous from the start. Gambhir did not. After making only 3 off 15 balls, Gambhir finally had the width he needed and cut Kemar Roach to the point boundary.

Both batsmen could have been dismissed on 20, though. Sehwag had given up hope of making his ground but Kieron Pollard missed the stumps from point, and Andre Russell dropped Gambhir on his follow through. Gambhir began to steer, cut and drive through the off side frequently, going over fielders' heads and placing wide of the boundary riders. Seven of his first nine fours were in this region. India ended the mandatory Powerplay on 63 for 0.

The field spread after that but it didn't matter. Sehwag and Gambhir scored 45 runs between overs 11 and 15. This passage began with Sehwag hoisting the offspinner Sunil Narine's first ball over the long-on boundary. He then launched Darren Sammy's first inside out over extra cover. This passage ended with Sehwag hammering Narine again, this time into the stands beyond deep midwicket.

The field came in for the bowling Powerplay and Gambhir immediately cut Roach through point, and then dabbed for a single to reach his half-century off 51 balls. The smash-and-dab combo was a feature of the partnership. Sehwag got to his hundred with a fierce cut, hit in the air, brushing the fingertips of the leaping fielder at point before speeding to the boundary. The next ball, he ran Gambhir out, to a direct hit from Samuels. Visibly upset with himself, Sehwag continued to punish West Indies.

When he was hitting fours, Sehwag preferred to go square of the wicket, flicking and glancing the numerous deliveries he received on the pads, and opening the face to pepper the backward-point boundary. When he wanted six, he usually went straighter, targeting the arc between midwicket and long-on. He hit 25 fours and seven sixes in all. On 170, in the 38th over, Sehwag spooned Rampaul towards cover, where Sammy dropped a dolly, leaving the bowler distraught.

The rest of the innings was a blur of boundaries and landmarks. Suresh Raina got to his half-century off 42 balls. India reached 300 in 39.1 overs. Sehwag broke his personal best - 175 against Bangladesh in the World Cup - with a flick to the square-leg boundary. He went past 8000 ODI runs with a chip over the fielder at short fine leg. That shot took him from 191 to 195, and soon he was cutting Russell to send India into rapture. When Sehwag was dismissed - lofting Pollard to the substitute Anthony Martin at long-off - most of the West Indian fielders came from far and wide to shake his hand.

Sehwag did not come out to field - the only blot on his performance - and watched from the dressing room as West Indies' top-order batsmen crashed and burned amid a flurry of shots. India's debutant legspinner Rahul Sharma struck with the last ball of each of his first three overs in international cricket, bowling Marlon Samuels, Danza Hyatt and Pollard to leave West Indies reeling at 100 for 5.

Rahul, who's been in India's squads since the home ODIs against England but stayed on the bench, bowled a variety of deliveries. He sent down legbreaks, googlies and topspinners at varying speeds, but it was the one delivered quicker that brought him success.

Samuels tried to cut a fast topspinner but bottom-edged it onto his stumps. Hyatt then stepped out of the crease, but was yorked by a fast legbreak. The ball pitched outside leg stump and spun between the batsman's pads to bowl him. Pollard was the next to go, swinging across the line and missing a topspinner that clipped off stump.

After losing more wickets, West Indies decided to bat out time instead of playing shots, and the match ended in stark contrast to how it began - tamely. Denesh Ramdin, however, made 96, his best score and the highest by a West Indies wicketkeeper in ODIs. His 64-run partnership with No. 11 Sunil Narine merely kept India on the field longer than they would have liked.

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Sarwan slams Guyana Cricket Board

West Indies domestic news

ESPNcricinfo staff

December 7, 2011

Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies batsman, has hit out at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) for leaving him out of its team for next month's Caribbean Twenty20 Championship.

Guyana announced their 14-man squad on December 6 and the board said in a statement that Sarwan had not been selected because they were not certain he would be fit to play. Sarwan, however, said he had personally kept the board updated on his recovery

"First of all, I would like to make it crystal clear that I have recovered from my injury and I am working on my match fitness," Sarwan told the Caribbean Media Corporation. In regards to the board being unsure about my recent injury, I say that is total c**p.

"I had spoken to the president of the board [Ramsey Ali] and informed him about the status of my injury, I had also spoken to the chairman of selectors, Mr. Reyon Griffith, and so from that point of view they were well informed."

The injury had forced Sarwan to miss West Indies' tour of Bangladesh and India, and he has not played competitive cricket for almost five months. In addition to Sarwan's injury issues, the GCB said that he had not played in the domestic T20 tournament that was used to pick the CT20 squad.

Sarwan, who is currently in Canada, accused the GCB of being inconsistent with their selection policy, since he had not played the domestic tournament leading up to the Super50 one-day series back in October either.

"When I was named in the 14 to represent Guyana in the 50-over tournament, I also did not play in the inter-county competition which was used to pick that team," Sarwan said. "Everyone knew how hard I worked with the trainers and everybody in Guyana and how much I wanted to play in the 50-over competition. I am wondering why we couldn't go through the same process?

"I got the experts who treated me to send an e-mail to me which I forwarded to the GCB on the status of my injury. I think it's important for them (GCB) to release that letter to the public so they can see the latest update on my injury."

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Darren Bravo Ruled out From 4th ODI Due To Hamstring Injury

India v West Indies, 4th ODI, Indore

ESPNcricinfo staff

December 7, 2011

Darren Bravo, the West Indies batsman, has been ruled out of the fourth ODI against India in Indore because of a hamstring injury. Bravo injured his left hamstring in the previous game in Ahmedabad and had to retire during his innings.

"Darren Bravo is out for the next game," Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, said on the eve of the match. "Like we showed when Shiv [Shivnarine Chanderpaul] missed a Test [in Mumbai], young [Kieron] Powell came in and took responsibility."

Bravo has been an important part of West Indies' batting line-up. He scored centuries in the Tests in Kolkata and Mumbai and made 60, 13 and 26* in the first three one-dayers. West Indies trail 1-2 in the five-match series and need to win at the Holkar Stadium to keep the contest alive.

"Yes, we will miss Bravo in the line-up. But it gives an opportunity for someone else to come out and make a name for himself. Our team is definitely improving; when we miss guys, the guys come in and perform."

West Indies won the third ODI at Motera - their first victory on the tour of India - to prevent the hosts from taking the series with two games to spare.

Sammy said the 16-run victory had boosted the confidence of his team, which had competed but fallen short in the first two matches.

"The team's morale is good, we've been coming close. It's about taking the opportunity, grabbing it and winning," Sammy said. "We did it in the last game, so the morale is definitely up some more."

"It's two games left and most of the guys have been away from home for two and a half months. We want to finish on a high. We have to believe we can win. It's an important game for us and hopefully we can win it and take it down to Chennai for the final."

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Narine kept building the pressure - Rampaul

India v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Ahmedabad

ESPNcricinfo staff

December 6, 2011

West Indies captain Darren Sammy and fast bowler Ravi Rampaul have praised the offspinner Sunil Narine, whose performance on debut helped his team win its first match on the tour of India. Narine took 2 for 34 in the third ODI in Ahmedabad, where West Indies won by 16 runs to keep the five-match series alive at 2-1.

"It was a good fight back from the boys. The way we batted, that spell from Rampaul, [Marlon] Samuels bowled well, and the debutant Narine also. It was a team effort," Sammy said. "Narine came here [to India] in the CLT20 and bowled in the pressure situations. He's used to it, it's a role he has performed for T&T [Trinidad & Tobago]."

Narine, 23, began his spell with the new ball during the mandatory Powerplay and also bowled during the bowling and batting Powerplays. He picked up the wickets of Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, after the No. 7 batsman had added 91 runs with Rohit Sharma to bring India back into the chase.

"He [Narine] came in and did a very good job for the team. It was a great way to start your international career," Rampaul said. "He bowled early and got a key wicket and came back at the end, there, to pick up another vital wicket for us. He kept building the pressure on the Indian batsmen and it paid off for us."

Rampaul had struck body blows himself by dismissing Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir with his first two deliveries in the second over of India's chase. The hosts were 8 for 2 chasing 261 and were set back severely. Rampaul returned to dismiss Suresh Raina and then picked up the final wicket, that of Abhimanyu Mithun, to finish with 4 for 57 in 8.5 overs. Mithun had scored 23 off 16 balls, and before his dismissal, India needed 16 off 20 deliveries with one wicket in hand to win the match and the series.

"I would say getting those early breakthroughs proved to be the key point in the match, when we bowled. We got up to a good score thanks to some great batting from Sammy and Russell but we still had a big job to do with the ball," Rampaul, who was Man of the Match, said. "I am used to bowling on these slow, low wickets as they are similar to what I play on in Trinidad. Also, the experience of playing here [in India] for Trinidad & Tobago in the Champions League as well as in the World Cup has helped me a lot.

"My strategy was to bowl wicket to wicket and it was good that I got the ball to swing as well. Finally, we have a win on the tour and it means a lot to us as a team. We came close on quite a few occasions and tonight we got the reward. We will look for more in the coming matches."

Rampaul has 28 wickets at an average of 19 in 14 ODIs in 2011, and Monday's four-wicket haul came after he had broken the record for the highest score by a No. 10, an unbeaten 86 off 66 balls in the second ODI in Visakhapatnam.

That West Indies had a competitive target to defend at Motera was because of a late assault from allrounders Sammy and Andre Russell. Sammy scored 41 off 17 balls and Russell 40 off 18 as 93 runs came off the final seven overs. Sehwag, the India captain, said his bowlers had not executed their plans.

"When two big hitters like Russell and Sammy were batting, it was difficult to bowl, they were connecting well," Sehwag said. "I told my boys to bowl as many yorkers as they could. They tried but couldn't get perfect yorkers, but the team fought really well."

Sehwag, however, took responsibility for the defeat, saying the top-order collapse, which he was part of, was the most significant problem. "It is very hard to chase when your top order fails. In the last three games, our lower order's contribution has been more than the top order and we need to look at ourselves. One of the top order batsman has to bat for 30-40 overs."

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West Indies Hit Back To Keep series Alive

India v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Ahmedabad

The Report by Nitin Sundar

December 5, 2011

West Indies 260 for 5 (Samuels 58, Sammy 41*, Russell 40*) beat India 244 (Rohit 95, Rampaul 4-57) by 16 runs

It took Darren Sammy and Andre Russell 5.4 overs of mayhem to undo India's impressive afternoon, and plot their first defeat in 12 home games. They came together after Ravindra Jadeja pulled off an outfield catch for the ages to remove Kieron Pollard, West Indies' most dangerous batsman on paper. Sammy and Russell proceeded to test that assumption with an unbroken partnership of delightful ferocity that yielded 79, propelling West Indies to 260. The bowlers, led by the irrepressible Ravi Rampaul, then sliced through India's top order and set up West Indies' first win on tour.

Two things have been constant in this series - Rohit Sharma's pristine form, and the game-changing capabilities of the last wicket pair. Under lights, West Indies did enough to overcome both and finish on top. Rohit stroked a pleasing 95 as India crumbled around him, but ran himself out in a desperate effort to manipulate the strike to be the ninth man dismissed. Abhimanyu Mithun and Umesh Yadav then lashed 28 for the final wicket to keep West Indies on edge, before Rampaul yorked Mithun to close the game.

Barring Rohit's stunner, which puts him firmly in the frame for a Test debut in Australia, almost nothing went India's way. Yadav and Vinay Kumar impressed with the new balls before being pounded at the death. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir bagged first-ball ducks to extend their worrying runs of poor form, with Australia looming. To make matters worse, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina perished to umpiring errors that could have been reversed if the DRS had been in place.

It was a stunning turnaround for India, who could scarcely put a foot wrong earlier after winning the toss. Seam and swing weren't supposed to be part of the agenda on a sweltering afternoon, but Vinay produced away seamers, Yadav pace and swing, and Mithun a raft of indippers. India's spinners backed them up well to ensure they kept winning the big moments. The half-centurion Marlon Samuels exited just as he was primed for assault. The man most likely to assist him, Darren Bravo, was forced to retire hurt with a hamstring strain. And then Pollard was caught spectacularly to leave the innings faltering. The Sammy-Russell show was only getting started, though.

West Indies' cause was aided by India's inexperience, as Yadav and Mithun delivered despicable lengths in the slog. Sammy wound up for the fun by redirecting Vinay for two fours, before Russell carted Yadav for a monster six. Next, Sammy turned his attention towards Mithun, scything a wide ball, and hammering a length delivery for fours. He then unfurled two sixes dripping with typical Caribbean audacity on either side of the wicket - a slash over cover and a merry whiplash over midwicket. Russell then went ballistic in Yadav's last over, drilling a near yorker down the ground and fore-handing a length ball for fours, before teeing off towards the press box.

India seemed hung-over from the onslaught when they began their chase. Sehwag was yet to make a significant score since the World Cup, but still chased a short and wide first delivery from Rampaul without moving his feet. Gambhir followed immediately, shouldering arms after misreading an inswinger that straightened to catch him plumb on the crease. Parthiv Patel and Kohli responded with a slew of boundaries, but West Indies' spinners, and a couple of umpiring errors were about to derail India.

Kohli was struck in front as he looked to work the debutant offspinner Sunil Narine to leg, but the ball was sliding further down the leg side. The umpire Sudhir Asnani was convinced, though, and Kohli left the pitch spewing a litany of invective in his wake. Samuels then slipped a ripping offspinner past Parthiv's forward prod to disturb his stumps. Suresh Raina exited soon after, when umpire Tony Hill wrongly ruled him caught behind as he hopped across to glance Rampaul. India were tottering at 105 for 6 when Jadeja was run out, but Rohit carried on with a sense of remarkable calm.

He opened his account with a stunning inside-out lofted drive for six, and his shot-making through the covers and down the ground remained sublime all evening. But his rotation of strike, with an uncertain tail to shepherd, was equally exemplary. R Ashwin bottled up one end, West Indies backed away to allow the singles, and a 91-run stand was raised just like that. Sammy dropped both batsmen to aid India's progress, and West Indies were sweating by the time the batting Powerplay came on. Rohit plundered boundaries at will, and India were back in the chase, but it was time for another twist.

Narine, who displayed an ice-cool temperament for a debutant in front of a raucous crowd, gave Ashwin a taste of his own carrom ball to end the partnership, with India 65 runs away. Rohit stretched his luck decisively in the 44th over after pushing the ball to mid-on, and Sammy blasted the stumps out with a laser-sharp throw. The captain celebrated like a man relieved to finally pull a win back. Mithun slugged a couple of monster sixes to keep West Indies waiting, but they weren't enough to extend India's streak.

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West Indies Looking For Their 1st Victory

India v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Ahmedabad

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran

December 4, 2011

Match facts
Monday, December 5
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)

Big Picture
It's been more than a month since West Indies landed in India but they are yet to win a game. They haven't been pushovers though, and have made India work hard for victory in most of the matches. Their captain, Darren Sammy, has regularly lauded the never-say-die spirit and character of his team, but another defeat on Monday will leave them with only dead rubbers to break their duck. West Indies' ODI successes in their previous two home series have also come only once the trophy was lost.

India have far less to worry about. While the form of the openers is a little concerning, most of their experiments have paid off. They can't complain too much about the manner in which their new-look pace attack has fared in the first two matches, Rohit Sharma has played two match-turning innings on his comeback, and Ravindra Jadeja has flourished as an allrounder at No. 7. The team management would like some runs for Virender Sehwag and Suresh Raina, though, before the series is over.

The massive crowds at the previous two matches in Cuttack and Visakhapatnam have sparked off talk about how India needs to play more at smaller cricketing centres. With the scheduling once again ignoring the weekend, it will be interesting to see what the response is on Monday in Ahmedabad. The Sardar Patel Stadium has already hosted three World Cup matches this year, including a high-profile India v Australia quarter-final. Will the fans show up for a one-day game in which the biggest names on both teams are missing?

Form guide
India WWWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LLLWW

In the spotlight
When India toured the West Indies earlier this year, Suresh Raina was the captain of the side, on the back of crucial innings in the quarter-final and semi-final of the World Cup. He failed in the one-dayers in the Caribbean, but had a more fruitful time against England. Still, Virat Kohli's outstanding form all year, and Rohit's recent resurgence means Raina could find himself out of the XI when MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh return. He needs a solid innings or two in the remainder of the series to make his case for a place in the starting XI for the Australia tri-series.

It's only two months since Denesh Ramdin made his comeback to the West Indies side after more than a year on the sidelines, partly as a result of not scoring runs. His batting in the few chances since his return haven't merited him a position as high as No. 6 in the line-up, and he needs to tighten up his keeping as well - dropping Kohli early on proved very costly for West Indies in the second ODI.

Team news
For the home side, the person whose place is most under the scanner is Parthiv Patel. The lack of an alternative wicketkeeper in the squad, though, will keep Parthiv in the XI for only his second international game at his home ground. It is unlikely there will be any experimentation in the make-up of the side that won the first two games.

India (possible) 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Umesh Yadav.

West Indies have to decide whether they need to play two specialist quicks when they have three medium-pace bowling allrounders - Darren Sammy, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell - in the side. There's also Lendl Simmons to turn to in case a few overs of medium-pace is needed. Marlon Samuels alone isn't enough for the spin department, particularly in the subcontinent. How they will find a place for an extra spinner remains to be seen.

West Indies 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Danza Hyatt, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Andre Russell, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sunil Narine/Ravi Rampaul.

Stats and trivia

India have now won 11 successive one-dayers at home, comfortably a record, beating their previous longest victorious streak of seven matches between 1981 and 1983
Viat Kohli is now 57 short of Jonathan Trott in the race to be the highest run-getter of the year in one-dayers
West Indies have played India at the Sardar Patel Stadium four times, winnings on three occasions

Quotes
"It's difficult to say I am satisfied when you are losing. But we have shown a lot of spirit and created opportunities to win."
Ottis Gibson, the West Indies coach, repeats something he and Sammy have said all tour

"McGrath is my hero. I am inspired by him and trying to bowl like him."
India fast-bowler Umesh Yadav has high aspirations

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I am a capable batsman - Ravi Rampaul

left-handed Ravi Rampaul may have cracked the highest ever score by a number 10 batsman in ODI cricket but the West Indies bowler himself isn’t surprised about his record-breaking feat.

“I didn’t surprise myself. I am a capable batsman and have done well down the order. I just played my natural game and it came off. It’s one of those days when everything has gone my way,” Rampaul said at the post-match media conference.

Rampaul’s show-stopping 86 not out kept the Windies in a contest they seemed very much out of after falling to 170 for nine. However, the speedster feels that a stoppage of 44 minutes was very important in the context of the match as he feels that it broke their momentum.

“It broke our momentum. We bowled a little bit short and were not consistent enough,” Rampaul reasoned.

But the Windies looking for an elusive win on Indian soil hoped to pick their first win of their tour soon.

“We are learning as a team. We hope get across the line soon.”

“But credit to Indian bowlers and there was lack of application at the crease. The ball was moving around. You can’t go out there and play shots and some batsmen played defensive shots.”

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Will Runs Flow again at High-Scoring Wicket?

India v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Visakhapatnam

The Preview by Siddhartha Talya

November 31, 2011

Match facts
Friday, December 2
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)

Big Picture

As the tour moves to the YS Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, the contest between the teams - which seemed rather predictable to begin with - has acquired a more exciting taste following a couple of manic finishes in the lead-up to this game. A draw with the scores level in the third Test and a nail-biting finish in Cuttack, during which Varun Aaron and Umesh Yadav provided an insight into the intricacies of human behaviour under pressure, have spiced up a home season characterised by one-sided contests and poor crowds.

Visakhapatnam should not worry about poor crowds - it's only hosted three internationals in six years and it would be an exception if the game doesn't entertain. A high-scoring venue, teams have gone past 250 in each of the six ODI innings here - twice while chasing successfully. In what could be a battle of the bats at a venue that shot MS Dhoni into the limelight in 2005, the Indian top order will not want to fall victim to the "soft dismissals" that their captain Virender Sehwag criticised them for after the Cuttack game. Even more so for West Indies. They were troubled by India's seamers in Cuttack, but are now at a venue where the bowlers' skills and variations have been of limited value in past games.

Form guide

India WWWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LLWWW

Watch out for…

The decision to rest MS Dhoni has given Parthiv Patel an opportunity to stake his claim for a place in the limited-overs side to Australia, where he toured as the first-choice wicketkeeper in 2003-04. He didn't have the best home series against England, getting starts but not going beyond 38 in four games. His recent form, though, has been good. He scored centuries in successive games for Gujarat in the Ranji Trophy, and will hope to extend this run into international cricket.

Lendl Simmons didn't play in the Test series against India, left out of the squad after Adrian Barath returned from injury. An attacking batsman upfront, Simmons, while not an automatic pick in the longest format, has been in good touch in the 50-overs version. In 2011, he averages 56.41 in 13 games with seven half-centuries and one ton. He took a while to get going in Cuttack before falling for 19. Will Vizag be different?

Team news

Manoj Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane are part of the squad but unless there are niggles or injury concerns, India could go in with the same team that won in Cuttack.

India (possible) 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Virender Sehwag (capt), 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Rohit Sharma, 6 Suresh Raina, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 R Vinay Kumar, 10 Varun Aaron, 11 Umesh Yadav.

Legspinner Anthony Martin had some success against India when they toured West Indies earlier in the year, but will the visitors go in with Sunil Narine for this match? An offspinner, he made a name for himself during the Champions League T20. He dismissed Dhoni and Suresh Raina, and used a variation he calls the "knuckle ball" that takes the ball away from the right hander.

West Indies 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Danza Hyatt, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Andre Russell, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sunil Narine/Anthony Martin.

Stats and trivia

India's win in Cuttack was only their second by a one-wicket margin in ODIs. The previous instance was in Auckland in 2003, against New Zealand, when Ashish Nehra hit the winning runs.
Twenty years ago, on December 6, 1991, these two teams were involved in a tie, in Perth.

Quotes

"There is no excuse for anybody not scoring runs."
Virender Sehwag wouldn't want to say that again in Visakhapatnam

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Rohit and Tail-Enders clinch Nail-Biting win For India in 1st ODI

India v West Indies, 1st ODI, Cuttack

The Report by Siddarth Ravindran

November 29, 2011

India 213 for 9 (Rohit 72, Roach 3-46) beat West Indies 211 for 9 (Bravo 60) by one wicket

For the second time in four days, India and West Indies showed that big hits aren't crucial ingredients in absorbing cricket. As in the Mumbai Test, the final delivery of the match was punched to long-on, but this time there were no tears for the cheering home fans as last man Umesh Yadav's drive went for four to end a pulsating match.

It wasn't the highest quality of cricket, but there was no shortage of entertainment for a voluble Cuttack crowd watching its first international match in two years. Rohit Sharma seemed to have sealed the game with a mostly level-headed half-century after India slipped to 59 for 5, but his dismissal 11 runs short of the target provided an extra dollop of suspense to an already tumultuous match.

Watching tailenders bat ranks high among the enjoyable sidelights in cricket, and watching a panicky No. 10 Varun Aaron and Umesh, with all of 10 ODI caps between them, negotiate the final passage was a heart-warmer. The two came together after Vinay Kumar, a relatively more skilled batsman, lost his head and his wicket by charging out and holing out to mid-off, and that five deliveries after Rohit's dismissal.

Eleven runs were needed from the final pair, off 23 deliveries. It was to be expected that the predominant mood in the middle wouldn't be calm-and-collected, but it was still hard to explain the thinking behind Aaron declining a single off the fifth delivery of the 47th, so that he could take strike in the next over. A visibly stricken Rohit couldn't believe that decision, and substitute Ajinkya Rahane muttered under his breath.

A spell of 15 dot balls was finally ended by Aaron thumping the ball to long-off for a single. More headless-chicken stuff followed as Umesh nurdled the fifth ball of the 48th, with Aaron this time desperately wanting a non-existent second in another attempt to face the start of the next over.

In Aaron's defence, Umesh wasn't exactly the most confidence-inspiring of batsmen, regularly planting his front foot across the stumps and poking at the ball. Umesh managed to sneak a single towards square leg off the first delivery of the penultimate over, for which the pacy Andre Russell might have been a better choice than the innocuous Darren Sammy. An on-target yorker at Russell's pace could have been the game, but Sammy perhaps feared the edged boundary to third man or fine leg.

In any case, Sammy's second delivery was a hit-me short-and-wide delivery that was dispatched for four by Aaron, to bring India within four of victory. He guided the next ball towards point for a single, and in his enthusiasm to look for yet another unlikely second, he slipped and had to settle for one. Umesh coolly shouldered arms to the next delivery, before punching a length ball past mid-on for the boundary that extended India's winning streak in home ODIs to ten. It also ended Aaron's mad scramble for the second run, something he famously did, without delivering victory, off the final delivery in the Mumbai Test.

At the other extreme when it comes to taking the second is R Ashwin, who was mildly criticised after delaying setting off for the potentially winning-run in Mumbai. This time he will receive a lot more criticism, after staying put for too long though his senior partner Rohit was running to the danger end, and was confident of making it.

Before that run-out, India were 54 away with plenty of overs to go, with Rohit and Ashwin - fresh from a Test century - in the middle. A fairly comfortable state, which India reached due to a 83-run stand for the sixth wicket between Rohit and Ravindra Jadeja. That stand administered CPR to a chase that was fast fading at 59 for 5.

Rohit played the more expansive strokes - a stylish six over the bowler, a textbook cover drive for four off Russell, followed by a controlled pull for another boundary. Jadeja was more content playing the no-frills role, picking up several of his boundaries through glides behind point. It was crucial innings for both players - Rohit returning after several months out due to a finger injury is looking to secure a spot in the crowded middle order, while Jadeja is still to emphatically prove he deserves a spot as high as No. 7.

All the drama seemed unlikely when India's openers galloped to 37 four overs into the chase. The dew was expected to play a huge role in the evening, and a chock-a-block crowd was probably one of the biggest many of the West Indians had played in front of. Kemar Roach didn't let any of that affect him as he pulled West Indies back into the match by removing Parthiv Patel and Gautam Gambhir in the fifth over, and adding the scalp of Virat Kohli soon after.

When Russell snuck one past Virender Sehwag's bat, and Suresh Raina chipped a catch to mid-off, it was West Indies who were in control, particularly as India's most reliable middle-order finishers, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, were absent.

Rohit and the bowlers clinched it for India at the end, but the inexperienced attack had been hugely impressively in the afternoon as well. India had none of the regular members of their World Cup-winning line-up but that didn't prevent them from limiting the visitors to a small total. Yadav and Varun showed off the pace for which they have made a name, Vinay 's patented away-swinger was on display, and the spinners continued to give the selectors no reason to think of Harbhajan Singh.

West Indies' batting had had a reviving stand of their own between Darren Bravo and Danza Hyatt after the top-order stumbled. Bravo doled out his usual share of easy-on-the-eyes boundaries as he extended his rich form from the Tests to make 60, while Hyatt was more controlled after starting problems, due to which he has reached double-digits only twice in six ODI-innings so far.

Some amateurish running from Hyatt took away any semblance of momentum, and the dismissals of Bravo and Kieron Pollard within a short span, meant the final third of the West Indian innings was slow going.

The 211 they posted seemed far from substantial, especially as the pitch wasn't playing too many tricks - the curator had boldly predicted 300-plus ahead of the match - but they again showed an encouraging ability to fight. That may not have translated into results on this trip so far, but it has resulted in the home side being forced to dig very deep in most of the matches.

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Weak Indian side still Tough to Beat

India v West Indies, 1st ODI, Cuttack

The Preview by Siddarth Ravindran

November 28, 2011

Match facts
Tuesday, November 29
Start time 14:30 (09:00 GMT)

Big Picture

India's previous home one-dayer took place in front of a sparse crowd at the Eden Gardens, reinforcing fears over the quantity of cricket being played, but with Tuesday's match taking place at the smaller cricketing centre of Cuttack, a jam-packed stadium is expected. Even though the the biggest crowd-pullers like MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar are missing, tickets sales at the Barabati Stadium have been brisk, and even the practice sessions drew plenty of spectators.

A full-strength India would be expected to roll over West Indies at home, but they are missing at least four of their headliners. In addition, they have lost the most experienced bowler in their squad, Praveen Kumar - he was ruled out of the first three one-dayers with an injury. That means the most seasoned of the quicks is Vinay Kumar, all of 11 one-dayers old, giving the stand-in captain Virender Sehwag something of a challenge.

India are also missing two of their finishers, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh, giving the likes of Rohit Sharma an audition for a permanent place in the hugely competitive middle order.

Despite India facing these hurdles, Darren Sammy has no illusions of the task ahead of his team, calling the series a "very, very tough challenge". Australia are the only team to have won a one-day series in India since April 2005. West Indies are boosted by the arrival of Kieron Pollard, an impact player who can quickly transform matches, and Lendl Simmons, their most consistent one-day batsman of the year. Sunil Narine, the unconventional Trinidad & Tobago offspinner whose variations mystified batsmen in the Champions League T20, could also pose problems in his first outing in international cricket.

Form guide

India WWWWW (Most recent first)
West Indies LWWWW

Watch out for…

Kieron Pollard has long had an uneasy relationship with the West Indies board, and despite his superstar status in the Twenty20 format, West Indies don't consider him for selection. That leaves the one-day format as his only platform for international cricket. And, worryingly for him, if there's one thing West Indies cricket have in abundance, it's medium-pace bowling, big-hitting allrounders. Darren Sammy is, obviously, an automatic pick, Andre Russell has displayed his talent this year, and Dwayne Bravo could also be a contender as and when fit.

Ravindra Jadeja was a deeply unpopular figure towards the end of 2010, but has won over some of the critics with his performances in the home-and-away series against England. Two Man of the Match awards and a bagful of wickets have secured his place in the XI for the current series, but he needs to extend that run. If Yuvraj Singh returns for the Australia tour, India could be tempted to go back to their World Cup-winning formula of seven-batsmen and four-bowlers, which could squeeze Jadeja out of the XI.

Pitch and conditions

The last time these two teams faced off at the Barabati Stadium was nearly five years ago, when India managed to defend 189. This time, though, it is expected to be a high-scoring match, as most ODIs in India usually are. "There will be plenty of runs for the batsmen," the curator Pankaj Patnaik said. "I am not ruling out a total of 300. Bowlers will get good bounce and there will be a little turn for spinners." Dew is expected to play a role, though a chemical spray will be regularly used to reduce its impact.

Team news

The absence of Dhoni means Parthiv Patel will have to be picked, dimming the chances of Ajinkya Rahane getting a game early in the series. Rohit Sharma, returning after a finger injury sidelined him during the England tour, is likely to get the nod ahead of Manoj Tiwary for a place in the middle order. The injury to Praveen could allow India play both their rookie quick bowlers, Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron.


India (probable) 1 Virender Sehwag (capt), 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Vinay Kumar, 10 Praveen Kumar , 11 Umesh Yadav

West Indies expect Shivnarine Chanderpaul to play despite a strained calf muscle, though, he did not practise on the eve of the match. Ravi Rampaul will have recovered from his stomach bug, and could replace Kemar Roach. The batting has been a worry, but there isn't much West Indies can do other than shuffle the order and separate the inexperienced top three.


West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Sunil Narine

Stats and trivia

India have won their previous nine one-dayers at home. Their last defeat was against South Africa in the league phase of the World Cup.
West Indies are tied with Australia as the team with the most ODI wins over India in India.
Lendl Simmons has one hundred and seven half-centuries in 12 one-day innings in 2011.

Quotes

"Fitness-wise, we are stronger as a team. The batsmen are showing signs that they can bat for long periods. Most of all, we are showing a fighting spirit."
Darren Sammy is happy with both the spirit showed by the team, and their ability to get through five Tests in five weeks without any major fitness-related issues

"They are very good bowlers, youngsters who need to learn a lot. They are on the right track, and with coach Eric Simons they are doing a great job."
Virender Sehwag isn't too concerned about the green attack he has at his disposal

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