Published: Mar 06, 2015, 03:21 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 06, 2015, 08:47 PM (IST)
Perth: West Indies were bowled out for 182 by an inspired Indian bowling attack in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 clash at the WACA, Perth. An exhilarating exhibition of fast bowling shook the West Indies top order in the first 10 overs and they never quite recovered from those jolts. The Indian bowlers shared the spoils for the day, but the opening spell by Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami set the tone for the West Indian collapse.Jason Holder’s spirited fifty helped add some respectability to the total. Live Updates: India vs West Indies
Both sides made a change each. Shami returned to the side after missing the last game and replaced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. In order to bolster their pace attack, West Indies brought in Kemar Roach. After winning the toss, Jason Holder chose to bat first and said he backed his side to put the runs on the board. Live Scorecard: India vs West Indies
Shami and Umesh Yadav started off with a very hostile spell. The ball was carrying through to MS Dhoni at a very good height. They intimidated the batsmen with some short stuff. At times, the pace of the pitch was too quick for the batsmen. Dwayne Smith was hit on the body a few times. Chris Gayle mistimed his strokes on a few occasions. Shami was working good speeds, touching the 145 kmph mark. He ultimately got Smith caught behind in the fifth over. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: POINTS TABLE
The pressure only intensified as Marlon Samuels was run-out after Gayle mistimed a pull to mid-on. Samuels ran and was left stranded in the middle. Gayle had tried to break the shackles, surviving a couple of close opportunities. He also managed to swat a six over long-on, but he was out caught in the deep when he pulled Shami to Mohit Sharma. Denesh Ramdin was bowled first ball as he dragged one onto the stumps from Umesh. West Indies were in tatters at 35 for four in the 10th over. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Thereafter, there were small partnerships that helped West Indies go past 100, but they weren’t too long to threaten India. There was also some poor strokeplay. Jonathan Carter found the man in the deep when he swept the spinner. Lendl Simmons pulled a short one straight to fine-leg Darren Sammy was dropped early in his innings when he skied one. He was lucky, but Andre Russell failed to learn from others’ mistakes and hit one to long-off at a time when West Indies needed him to stay in the middle.
Skipper Holder and Sammy put up a partnership of sorts, curbing their natural instincts. Sammy was dismissed for 26, but Holder continued to script a captain’s knock. He was one man who showed good application and chose his opportunities to attack. During his innings, he managed a few big hits down the ground, which helped West Indies move forward.
India’s intensity slipped a little as Holder smashed a few around the park, making his way to an important fifty. ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
Brief scores:
West Indies (Darren Sammy 26, Jason Holder 57; Mohammed Shami 3 for 24) vs India.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
