Published: Mar 23, 2014, 08:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 23, 2014, 11:00 PM (IST)
By Nishad Pai Vaidya
Mar 23, 2014
It was a complete performance by the Indian spinners as they restricted West Indies to 129 for seven in their ICC World T20 2014 Super-10s encounter at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. Backing MS Dhoni’s decision to bowl first, Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin strangled West Indies through the innings and did not let their batsmen get ahead. Perhaps, Suresh Raina’s warning to the West Indies wasn’t quite heeded. Mishra finished with two for 18 from his four and Ashwin finished with one for 24. Not to forget Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who recorded stupendous figures of none for three in three overs.
It was quite a strange start to the innings as Dwayne Smith simply struggled to get bat onto ball. The only boundary he hit came in the sixth over when he wept Ashwin for a four. Until then, Bhuvneshwar had kept a good hold over him. Bowling in the channel just outside the off-stump, he moved it away from Smith a touch. Bhuvneshwar conceded one run in each of his first three overs, two off which were wides. Smith faced 17 off those 18 deliveries.
At the other end, Gayle lived a charmed life. In the second over, which was bowled by Shami, he edged one to first slip, where Ashwin only palmed it and the ball went to ground. He did manage a six and a four later on against Shami. Amit Mishra was brought into the attack in the seventh over and Gayle welcomed him with a huge six. Off the next ball, he went across the line and the ball soared high in the air. Yuvraj settled underneath it, but had misjudged it and that too went to ground.
Ultimately, Smith’s struggle came to an end in the eighth over when he lobbed a catch back to Ashwin, who dived across to his left to take a good catch. The struggle just continued for West Indies. Dhoni kept Ravindra Jadeja for later and bowled his off-spinners. Even Suresh Raina was brought in and he did a decent job. And then disaster struck, Samuels cut Mishra straight to point and then set-off for a run and Gayle was miles out. In 13 overs, West Indies were 62 for two.
Once Jadeja came on, the batsmen did find it easier to hit the ball. However, Mishra varied his pace and had Samuels stumped in the 15th over. Dwayne Bravo was then dismissed first ball as he failed to read a wrong-un and was trapped in front. From there on it was Lendl Simmons who had to build the innings. He too couldn’t get going very well, although he had a life later when he holed out in the deep of a Jadeja no-ball.
Mishra was brought on to bowl the penultimate over and conceded only two runs. Jadeja was smashed for a couple of sixes by Simmons in the last over, but he also picked two wickets. Narine came in and he too smashed a six as the last over went for 21.
Brief scores:
West Indies 129 for 7 in 20 overs (Chris Gayle 34, lendl Simmons 27; Ravindra Jadeja 3 for 48, Amit Mishra 2 for 18, Ravichandran Ashwin 1 for 24) vs India.
ICC World T20 2014 Points Table and Team Standings
ICC World T20 2014 Schedule details
