JOIN USRohit steers India to four wicket win over WI in 1st ODI
Once the West Indies managed to post 214 for 9 on a painfully slow wicket, it was clear that India would have to plan their chase well, and the task became all the more significant considering the relative inexperience of this Indian batting line-up.
After reducing India to 104 for four, the home side had a small window of opportunity to force a favourable result. But Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina shared a well-paced fifth-wicket partnership of 80 runs to steer India to a four-wicket win and to a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
It was in the fitness of things that Raina and Rohit, two lads with a few points to prove, lifted India to victory. The Uttar Pradesh lad has been appointed as the skipper of the team, and nothing less than an impressive show as leader of men and batsman could have been acceptable. On both the counts, the left-hander scored a few points on Monday at the Queens Park Cricket Club stadium.
The wisdom behind selecting Amit Mishra ahead of in-form R Ashwin was a bit baffling, and Raina, as the skipper of the side, could have come under lot of flak if the move had gone wrong. However, the leggie repaid the faith reposed in him with a tidy spell, strangling Marlon Samuels and Ramnaresh Sarwan in the middle overs.
Raina’s field placings might require a tad improvement, but the UP batsman used his off-spin to good effect. He judged batsmen’s discomfort on the slow track to perfection, and brought himself on for a second spell after the 44th over along with Harbhajan Singh. The two offies accounted for three batsmen among them, thwarting the home side’s ambitions of a late surge.
When Raina forged company with Rohit, India were in a wobbly position after losing openers Parthiv Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, who made a laboured 51, Virat Kohli and S Badrinath. But the two youngsters attached big prize to their wickets, and showed a welcome inclination to graft runs. It could be said that the nature of the track forced them to knuckle down and wait for loose balls. But that’s a massive shift in approach for two youngsters known for their sparkling stroke-making.
Let’s take a glance at the stats. Raina’s 43 came off 50 balls with four boundaries, while Rohit consumed 75 balls for his unbeaten 68 that included just three fours and a six, figures that reveal their effective running between the wickets.
It could have been extremely taxing on their bodies on a day when humidity soared to a taxing 94 per cent, and Rohit had to seek medical assistance towards the end of his innings. When it comes to fitness, Rohit and Raina stand at opposite poles. Where Raina is a supreme athlete, Rohit has invited criticism on numerous occasions for the lack of it.
But Rohit survived a harsh tropical day to conjure a match-winning innings, a knock laced with patience, maturity and high levels of concentration, something we couldn’t have associated with the Mumbaikar a few months ago.
“I have worked really hard. I had to sacrifice lots of things in the last three months. I always believe in going to next level. So, I need to keep working on fitness and batting. You need to keep upgrading. If you want to play for 10-15 years, you need to be fit,” Rohit said.
So, these two youngsters have taken brave first steps towards an important season, and India too.
SCORE BOARD
WEST INDIES
Simmons c Harbhajan b Praveen 6
(23b, 1x4)
Edwards c Kohli b Harbhajan 21
(45b, 1x4)
Darren Bravo c Rohit b Munaf 4
(8b, 1x4)
Sarwan c Parthiv b Munaf 56
(94b, 5x4)
Samuels b Raina 55
(75b, 3x4, 2x6)
Dwayne Bravo st Parthiv b H’ajan 22
(20b, 1x6)
Baugh lbw Harbhajan 16
(17b, 1x4)
Sammy lbw Praveen 4
(5b)
Rampaul (not out) 9
(8b, 1x4)
Bishoo lbw Raina 0
(4b)
Martin (not out) 2
(3b)
Extras (LB-5, W-12, NB-2) 19
Total (for 9 wkts, 50 overs) 214
Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Simmons), 2-28 (Darren), 3-59 (Edwards), 4-141 (Sarwan), 5-177 (Samuels), 6-191 (DJ Bravo), 7-198 (Baugh), 8-204 (Sammy), 9-206 (Bishoo).
Bowling: Praveen 10-1-37-2 (w-3), Munaf 9-1-47-2 (w-4), Mishra 10-1-39-0 (nb-1, w-2), Harbhajan 10-0-32-3 (w-1), Yusuf 2-0-16-0 (w-2), Raina 6-0-23-2, Kohli 3-1-15-0.
Scoring Pattern: 5 overs: 21/0, 10: 36/2, 20: 64/3, 30: 99/3; 40: 156/4, End of Innings: 214/9 in 50 overs.
Power Play 1: 1-10: 36/2; Power Play 2: 11-15: 13/0, Power Play 3 (batting): 37.1-42: 36/1.
INDIA
Parthiv (run out) 13
(15b, 3x4)
Dhawan c Simmons b Martin 51
(76b, 3x4, 1x6)
Kohli c Baugh b Rampaul 2
(8b)
Badrinath c Baugh b Bishoo 17
(30b, 1x4)
Rohit (not out) 68
(75b, 3x4, 1x6)
Raina c Simmons b Martin 43
(50b, 4x4)
Yusuf c&b Rampaul 10
(12b, 1x6)
Harbhajan (not out) 6
(4b, 1x6)
Extras (LB-3, W-3, NB-1) 7
Total (for 6 wkts, 44.5 overs) 217
Fall of wickets: 1-29 (Parthiv), 2-34 (Kohli), 3-61 (Badrinath), 4-104 (Dhawan), 5-184 (Raina), 6-210 (Yusuf)
Bowling: Rampaul 10-0-58-2 (nb-1, w-2), Martin 10-0-39-2 (w-1), Sammy 9.5-0-52-0, Bishoo 10-1-37-1, Dwayne Bravo 2-0-17-0, Simmons 3-0-11-0.
Scoring Pattern: 5 overs: 29/0, 10: 48/2, 20: 76/3, 30: 120/4, 40: 184/4, End of Innings: 217/6 in 44.5 overs
Power Play 1: 1-10: 48/2, Power Play 2: 11-15: 10/0, Power Play 3 (batting): 38.1-43: 37/1.