Indian seamers led by Rudra Pratap Singh bowled well in patches as Sussex were all out for 236 in 45 overs in the first of the three warm-up games ahead of the limited overs series.
Published: Aug 25, 2011, 07:17 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2011, 07:17 PM (IST)
India seamer Munaf Patel in action during their tour game against Sussex © Getty Images
Hove (Sussex): Aug 25, 2011
Indian seamers led by Rudra Pratap Singh bowled well in patches as Sussex were all out for 236 in 45 overs in the first of the three warm-up games ahead of the limited overs series.
The match has been reduced to 45-overs-a-side after heavy downpour.
RP who had a miserable comeback to the Test arena snared four for 45 from his nine overs but Munaf Patel who was made to cool his heels for the entire Test series was smashed for 52 runs in his seven-over spell.
India conveyed the right intent by fielding both Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the playing XI as well as playing five regular bowlers in a bid to be better prepared for the ODIs than they were for the Tests in which they suffered a 4-0 whitewash.
But a few overs into the Sussex innings, India quickly abandoned the policy of checking on players’ form and fitness and strived rather to win the inconsequential match.
Munaf, the one-day specialist, caused the most concern as he bowled his first six overs for 47 runs and was taken to cleaners by a rather amateurish Sussex line-up.
After his first delivery was driven the ground, Munaf usually found it difficult to stem the flow of runs, necessitating for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to press on his part-timers Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina to complete his overs.
Patel, arguably India’s best ODI bowler and one of World Cup heroes, generally found it difficult to bowl to young Joe Gatting, nephew of former England captain Mike Gatting.
Gatting, came in at No 4 after Sussex lost two early wickets, hit Munaf straight and over extra cover and once picked and deposited him out of the grounds in the buildings surrounding the onside region.
He followed up this shot with a square driven four.
Munaf, who has played only two first-class games since the last Test he played against West Indies in Dominica early last month, clearly showed the effects of rustiness.
Four over before the Sussex innings was to end, Munaf was brought on and he did get a wicket when Ben Brown (48) hit a shot in the air.
India introduced two of its spinners, Amit Mishra and Ravichandran Ashwin, in the 15th and 18th over, and it immediately paid dividends when Gatting, attempting a forceful shot, was bowled for 46, made off only 48 balls and including six fours and a six.
Sussex had a good partnership for the fourth wicket in the form of left-hander Matt Machan (56) and right-hander Brown (48 ) who put on 65 runs for the fourth wicket.
Machan, 56 off 62 balls, showed good energy between the wickets even though he hit no more than five fours. He was dismissed after he offered a return chance to Suresh Raina. (PTI)
Brief Scores: Sussex 236 all out in 45 overs (Matt Machan 56, Ben Brown 48, Joe Gatting 46; RP Singh 4 for 45) vs India.
The match has been reduced to 45-overs-a-side after heavy downpour.
RP who had a miserable comeback to the Test arena snared four for 45 from his nine overs but Munaf Patel who was made to cool his heels for the entire Test series was smashed for 52 runs in his seven-over spell.
India conveyed the right intent by fielding both Sachin Tendulkar and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni in the playing XI as well as playing five regular bowlers in a bid to be better prepared for the ODIs than they were for the Tests in which they suffered a 4-0 whitewash.
But a few overs into the Sussex innings, India quickly abandoned the policy of checking on players’ form and fitness and strived rather to win the inconsequential match.
Munaf, the one-day specialist, caused the most concern as he bowled his first six overs for 47 runs and was taken to cleaners by a rather amateurish Sussex line-up.
After his first delivery was driven the ground, Munaf usually found it difficult to stem the flow of runs, necessitating for skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to press on his part-timers Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina to complete his overs.
Patel, arguably India’s best ODI bowler and one of World Cup heroes, generally found it difficult to bowl to young Joe Gatting, nephew of former England captain Mike Gatting.
