India flog WI in tri-series one-dayer

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka: Skipper Rahul Dravid posted an unbeaten 52 yesterday to steer India to a six-wicket victory against  the West Indies in a limited-over tri-series. Chasing Windies’ modest score of 178 from 47.4 overs, India experimented with their top batting order and reached 180 for four in 36 overs with Dravid coasting to his 61st one-day half-century and the second in successive games. India lost to Sri Lanka by three wickets in the tri-series opener Saturday. India’s victory was set up by an accurate attack that bundled West Indies’ youthful batting lineup for a meagre total despite losing the toss in the day-night contest.

Opener Virender Sehwag (2) was caught behind by rookie Denesh Ramdin off pace spearhead Jermaine Lawson on the ninth delivery of the innings, but makeshift opener Mohammad Kaif contributed 24 and steadied the innings through a 65-run partnership with Suresh Raina, who made a 42-ball 35 in only his second limited-over international. Kaif edged paceman Tino Best to Sylvester Joseph in the slips and Raina, surviving two dropped catches on zero and 27, was snapped by Xavier Marshall at short cover off Dwayne Smith before Dravid shared a composed 61-run stand with Yuvraj Singh (28). “Man of the Match” Dravid struck seven boundaries from 65 deliveries.

Windies squandered the advantage of batting first after skipper Shivnarine Chanderpaul won the toss when they lost three early wickets and managed to compile just 57 runs at the halfway stage of 25 overs. Only three members of the West Indies’ Sunday XI — skipper Chanderpaul (175 matches), Ricardo Powell (105) and Smith (26) — had played more than 25 one-dayers going into this match. Middle-order batsman Narsingh Deonarine and wicketkeeper Ramdin were playing their maiden limited-over international and both produced credible performances. The West Indies has fielded an inexperienced squad owing to a contract dispute between the West Indies cricket board and the players’ body.

Opener Runako Morton scored just one run before falling LBW to pace bowler Irfan Pathan in the match’s third over and Joseph was run out going for a second run after turning the ball to square-leg fielder Raina. Opening batsman Marshall struck five boundaries off 48 deliveries to score 26 runs before edging spin bowler Harbhajan Singh to Dravid in the slips. Deonarine and Chanderpaul put on a 52-run partnership for the fourth wicket, but failed to accelerate the scoring. Surviving a dropped catch on seven by Sehwag off pace bowler Ashish Nehra, Chanderpaul went on to score 22 off 53 deliveries without hitting a single boundary.

Chanderpaul fell trying to sweep a straight delivery from spin bowler Raina, becoming his first victim in a one-dayer. Rookie Deonarine went on to top-score in his maiden one-dayer, compiling a 91-ball 41 that contained one six and two boundaries. Deonarine was the seventh man out when Sehwag trapped him LBW. Sehwag also bowled Ricardo Powell (1) to finish with a haul of two for 39. Smith smashed two sixes and a boundary to score 20 from just seven deliveries before edging offspinner Harbhajan Singh (2 for 24) to wicketkeeper Mahendra Dhoni. Ramdin also produced a gritty performance to compile a  37-ball 24 before being losing his off-stump to pace bowler Nehra, who then clean bowled Powell with the next ball. No. 11 batsman Lawson denied Nehra (2 for 23) the hat-trick, but Best (24) lofted fast bowler Zaheer Khan straight to Raina at long-on in the next over. (AP)