Dismal West Indies batting collapse hands India victory by AFP

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Ground:	Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur
Scorecard:	India v West Indies
Player:	DJ Bravo, CD Collymore, CH Gayle, DR Smith, Harbhajan Singh, SR Tendulkar, BC Lara, AB Agarkar, MM Patel, S Sreesanth, RP Singh
Event:	DLF Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 20th September 2006

 

A dismal West Indies batting collapse Wednesday handed India an unexpected victory in their DLP Cup one-day international to keep alive their hopes of making the tri-series final.

 

India were skittled for 162 in 39.3 overs by the West Indies but the Caribbean islanders failed to punch home the advantage, being bowled out for 140 in reply.

 

It was India's first limited overs win since May and they must now beat Australia on Friday to make the final. The West Indies have already qualified.

 

While the West Indian bowling attack has proved effective at this tournament their batting has left much to be desired.

 

They fiddled with the lineup Wedneday, relegating regular opener Chris Gayle down to sixth and captain Brian Lara to eighth.

 

Ajit Agarkar opened the attack with Munaf Patel in place of Irfan Pathan who was dropped after below par performances in their earlier games here.

 

Runako Morton, a controversial character who was arrested in January 2004 over a stabbing incident, opened with Shivarine Chanderpaul and they started well enough, motoring to 44-0 before their nerves got the better of them.

 

Chanderpaul was the first to go, spooning a Patel delivery to Virender Sehwag at square leg for 21.

 

Patel pounced again to remove vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan for 2, with an edge to wicketkeeper MS Dhoni.

 

India were starting to believe in themselves when Morton was dismissed for 27 in the next over, with Dhoni again in on the act, taking a juggling catch off the bowling of Sreesanth.

 

Agarkar, who had been hounding the batsmen with his pace and accuracy, finally got a wicket when he had Marlon Samuels lbw for five, leaving the West Indies tottering on 63 for 4.

 

Gayle and Wavell Hinds, both experienced batsmen, needed to settle things down but it didn't work that way and Gayle went for one, out lbw to RP Singh.

 

It brought Dwyane Smith to the crease and he was clearly under orders, smashing three boundaries in his first four balls before being given out lbw to Agarkar on his fifth delivery.

 

Lara only came out at 97-7, joining Hinds who took 57 balls to score just eight before he too was back in the pavillion.

 

The West Indies captain gave them a glimmer of hope, making an unbeaten 40 before he ran out of partners.

 

Harbhajan Singh was the pick of the Indian bowlers with 3-35. Patel, Agarkar and Sreesanth all took two each.

 

Earlier, scintillating fast bowling reduced India to 162 all out with only Sachin Tendulkar (65) offering resistence.

 

India struggled from the outset after winning the toss and electing to bat against a side buoyed by the return from injury of their leading fast bowler Corey Collymore.

 

He opened the attack with Smith and India were in trouble immediately.

 

Captain Rahul Dravid fell to the third ball of the day without scoring, nicking a Smith delivery to a jubilant Carlton Baugh behind the stumps.

 

The tall, aggressive Smith was red-hot and knocked down another big gun in Virender Sehwag in his next over, uprooting his off stump, then tempting Suresh Raina into a thick edge to Gayle at slip.

 

Smith also got Yuvraj Singh (0), bowling 10 straight overs to end with 4-31.

(Article: Copyright © 2006 AFP)