JOIN USLate assault leaves India dazed
But on a bright Thursday, Bravo took some massive strides in getting rid of the Lara shadow while orchestrating the West Indies’ seven-wicket win in the fifth and final one-dayer at Sabina Park. India made a competitive 251, but failed to check a Bravo-inspired West Indies as the hosts made 255 for three in 48.4 overs, and the series ended 3-2 in India’s favour.
Once India put 251 on the board, courtesy half-centuries by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, it was clear that the home side would require a carefully planned chase. Lendl Simmons and Adrian Barath, returning from an injury lay-off, departed without making any contribution, and at 53 for two, West Indies needed solidity. The star of that passage of play was R Vinay Kumar, who bowled a fantastic opening spell of 5-2-6-1.
Bravo and Ramnaresh Sarwan provided the sturdiness during their 103-run third-wicket alliance. The West Indian run-rate hardly went beyond 4.11 during their association, and at some stages, it looked like the hosts would indeed fall short of the post. Even the fans in the stands went largely silent during their partnership as the big hits were at a premium.
Perhaps, Bravo and Sarwan realised West Indies’ need of the hour, and the younger Bravo should be handsomely complimented for keeping his focus steady even amidst a growing need for boundaries. Bravo might have decided that Sarwan was the better of the two to tackle the Indian bowlers, especially in-form leg-spinner Amit Mishra and the endless variations of offie R Ashwin.
The plan worked wonderfully well as both Mishra and Ashwin were denied success in the middle overs, something the West Indies failed to do in earlier matches against the spinners.
The Indian bowlers failed to wear out Sarwan but the scorching Caribbean sun managed it as the elegant right-hander walked off the field with cramps in the 38th over, but not before making a steady 75 (94b, 5x4, 1x6).
At 156 for two, there was still a lot of work to be done, and Bravo took over from that stage in the company of Marlon Samuels. Samuels is no longer that forceful entity of the past, and that made it mandatory for Bravo to assume the lead role. The youngster did that with aplomb, and the sparkling Bravo replaced the dour version in the batting Power Play, taken from the 43rd over.
The five-over block produced a whopping 57 runs, and a major share was the result of Bravo’s ability to hit sixes at will. The Trinidadian slammed five sixes in that period as the West Indies reduced the margin between victory and defeat considerably. It was a sensational effort from a batsman who is considered just as a carbon copy of Lara while getting his own identity denied.
The innings showed that Bravo can create his own space, and serve West Indian cricket for long. He was done in by a Mishra googly when a century was within his reach, Parthiv Patel making made a good stumping to jettison him. The hosts still needed a further 38 to score their second straight win over the world champions. Kieron Pollard and Samuels ensured that their side will touch the tape with ease for a morale-boosting win.
Score Board
INDIA
Dhawan c Sarwan b Roach 11
(26b, 1x4)
P Patel c Martin b Russell 6
(11b)
Kohli (run out) 94
(103b, 10x4)
Tiwary c Baugh b Pollard 22
(22b, 1x4, 1x6)
Rohit b Martin 57
(72b, 2x4, 1x6)
Raina c Barath b Pollard 0
(4b)
Pathan c Baugh b Russell 30
(29b, 2x4, 1x6)
Ashwin (not out) 8
(7b, 1x4)
Mishra b Russell 0
(1b)
Vinay c Baugh b Roach 2
(8b)
Ishant b Russell 0
(2b)
Extras (LB-1, W-19, NB-1) 21
Total (all out, 47.3 overs) 251
Fall of wickets: 1-15 (P Patel), 2-21 (Dhawan), 3-79 (Tiwary), 4-189 (Kohli), 5-190 (Raina), 6-225 (Rohit), 7-245 (Pathan), 8-246 (Mishra), 9-249 (Vinay).
Bowling: Roach 10-0-52-2 (w-5), Sammy 6-0-48-0 (w-5), Russell 8.3-0-35-4 (w-4, nb-1), Pollard 8-0-39-2 (w-2), Martin 10-1-39-1 (w-1), Simmons 5-0-37-0 (w-2).
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 17/1; 10: 39/2; 20: 95/3; 30: 148/3; 40: 210/5; end of innings: 251 all out in 47.3 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 39/2; Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 34/0; Power Play 3 (batting): 42.1-47 overs: 33/4.
WEST INDIES
Simmons c Mishra b Vinay 6
(16b)
Barath lbw Mishra 17
(46b, 1x4)
Sarwan (retd hurt) 75
(94b, 5x4, 1x6)
Bravo st P Patel b Mishra 86
(99b, 3x4, 6x6)
Samuels (not out) 28
(25b, 3x4)
Pollard (not out) 24
(13b, 3x4, 1x6)
Extras (LB-9, W-9, NB-1) 19
Total (for 3 wkts, 48.4 overs) 255
Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Simmons), 2-53 (Barath), 3-213 (Bravo).
Bowling: Vinay 9-2-46-1, Ishant 9.4-0-49-0 (w-2), Mishra 10-1-46-2 (nb-1, w-1), Ashwin 10-1-50-0 (w-1), Raina 6-0-35-0 (w-2), Pathan 1-0-7-0 (w-1), Kohli 3-0-13-0 (w-1).
Scoring pattern: 5 overs: 12/1; 10: 29/1; 20: 64/2; 30: 114/2; 40: 167/2; end of innings: 255/3 in 48.4 overs.
Runs during: Power Play 1: 1-10 overs: 29/1; Power Play 2: 11-15 overs: 24/0; Power Play 3 (batting): 42.1-47 overs: 57/1.