IT may have turned exciting towards the end, but there was no doubt that the West Indies was the better team that day and was better equipped to sweep India off its feet with a performance which was thoroughly professional in the final of the Coca-Cola tri-series in Harare.
The Indians were beaten fair and square and the excitement came only after the cream of their batting had been removed and the fight was carried on by the pair of Sameer Dighe and Reetinder Singh Sodhi.
Few would have expected India to stage a recovery of the kind it managed at the Harare Sports Club, but then it was always the case of fighting a lost battle. The West Indians had sealed the match with a superb all-round performance.
Setting India a target of 291, the West Indians placed themselves in a position from where they could dictate. It was a very disciplined performance by a team which had been experiencing tough times. The batsmen came good at the right time and the bowlers backed their good work, with Corey Collymore shining in his new role as the spearhead of the West Indian attack.
Preparing for the final, the Indian skipper had expressed his apprehensions when he pointed out how the team had lost three of the last four finals in had figured in. The defeat which had rankled him the most had come at Nairobi when India lost the ICC Knockout final against New Zealand after having played outstanding cricket in the preceding three matches.
So, when he discussed India's chances in the final of the triangular series he did sound a note of caution. "We've to keep our fingers crossed," he remarked. And his fears came true the next day as West Indies raised its game and scripted a wonderful victory.
It was not the West Indian team that one would rate high. It had problems aplenty in its run up to the final. The team was without Cameron Cuffy, its best bowler of the tournament, and the form of its batsmen was not really encouraging. Hooper was not perturbed. He knew his team well and the opposition better and planned the execution in a telling manner.
India had taken pride in its bowling. The seamers especially, where the trio of Ashish Nehra, Zaheer Khan and Debasis Mohanty had done themselves credit. But it was India's bowling which was mauled by the West Indians in a very calculated manner.
It was pretty obvious that the openers, Chris Gayle and Darren Ganga, had been entrusted the task of getting some quick runs because the West Indian batting line up included seven batsmen. By packing the batting, Hooper clearly indicated the area in which his team looked for strength. "We had concentrated on getting a decent total to allow our bowlers some runs to defend," said Hooper of his plans.
Everything worked in West Indies' favour despite the Indians backing themselves to do well after winning the toss. It was a tricky toss to win actually. According to former Zimbabwe captain Dave Houghton the Indians made a mistake by bowling first. "I know Sourav must have been influenced by the overcast conditions, but in Zimbabwe the ball doesn't swing in such conditions. India should've batted first because India's strength lies in its batting. You must give credit to the West Indians because they had planned better and deserved to win for their effort with the bat," Houghton said.
India's coach John Wright, immensely disappointed with the result, expectedly protected the team. "It was tough on the batsmen once they faced such a target," he said. A view shared, expectedly, by skipper Sourav Ganguly.
"We needed a big start but unfortunately it didn't come through. We didn't bowl well and that proved the difference. It's always difficult to come back into the match after you lose five wickets for 80 but I must congratulate Sameer (Dighe) and Sodhi for making a match of it. They showed just how to bat in these conditions and almost pulled off a victory," said Ganguly.
The Indians sprayed the ball for the West Indians to thrive. Of course, Ganga and Gayle, the latter in splendid touch, tore the Indian bowling apart to set up the base for a big win. The margin of victory may have been just 16 runs but West Indies was always in control despite Dighe making a grand effort.
The target was attainable, given the state of the West Indian bowling but the Indian batsmen lacked the will. Too much reliance on Sachin Tendulkar meant that once he got out cheaply there was greater pressure on the batsmen, especially the younger ones like Sodhi and Virender Sehwag. The Delhi all-rounder found the going tough and succumbed tamely while Sodhi initiated the fight which saw Dighe carry on the contest until the final over. Sodhi and Dighe stood out as extremely committed cricketers and showed the right attitude for the rest to emulate.
If Ganga and Gayle showed the way, the middle-order pair of Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul came good at the best time for the team. Experience came in handy as Hooper realised it was important for the middle order to hang around. "We had put more faith in our batsmen and we obviously had to bat sensibly," said Hooper. He and Chanderpaul ensured the Indians had to be at their best when planning their chase.
The onus was on Tendulkar and Ganguly, but they failed to take off and the West Indians sensed victory quite early. The failure of the top half of the Indian batting was as big a let down as the poor show by the bowlers. It was a story of the first 15 overs for India: when it bowled and conceded 96 runs and when its turn to bat came, lost four wickets and with that the momentum.
The desperation in the Indian ranks was obvious in the manner in which the batsmen got out to bad shots. Ganguly did not agree it was poor shot selection but the fact remained that India's planning had gone haywire. The day began with some tardy bowling and the reckless batting snuffed whatever little chances of a fightback that was possible.
For the West Indies, the victory brought back sweet memories of the past when it dominated the world scene. In this tournament, the West Indies lost the two league matches to India but when it came to the title round, Hooper motivated the team into putting a fantastic collective effort. "What mattered was the team's victory," he said. There was a lesson in this for the Indians, who may have formed the better side but then failed to win the contest which mattered the most.
The West Indies was winning a major title after two years and this victory is being considered an important event for the game's future in the Caribbean. As Hooper promised, it is just the first of many such triumphs this season.
The scores:West Indies: Darren Ganga c Laxman b Sodhi 71; Chris Gayle c Harvinder (sub) b Harbhajan 43; Wavell Hinds c and b Sodhi 10; Carl Hooper c Harbhajan b Zaheer 66; Shivnarine Chanderpaul b Nehra 50; Ridley Jacobs (not out) 26; Ramnaresh Sarwan b Nehra 16; Marlon Samuels (not out) 3. Extras (lb-2, nb-1, w-2) 5. Total (for six wkts in 50 overs) 290.
Fall of wickets: 1-96, 2-120, 3-130, 4-230, 5-252, 6-285.
India bowling: Debasis Mohanty 5-0-43-0, Ashish Nehra 10-1-60-2, Zaheer Khan 10-0-63-1, Harbhajan Singh 10-2-35-1, Virender Sehwag 7-0-48-0, Reetinder Singh Sodhi 7-0-31-2, Sourav Ganguly 1-0-8-0.
India: Sourav Ganguly lbw b Collymore 28; Sachin Tendulkar c Ganga b Collymore 0; V. V. S. Laxman c Leon Garrick (sub) b Collymore 18; Rahul Dravid b King 30; Virender Sehwag c Garrick (sub) b Dillon 2; Reetinder Singh Sodhi c Dillon b Collymore 67; Sameer Dighe (not out) 94; Harbhajan Singh b Gayle 12; Zaheer Khan b Gayle 0; Debasis Mohanty (not out) 18. Extras (lb-4, w-1) 5. Total (for eight wkts in 50 overs) 274.
Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-35, 3-58, 4-74, 5-80, 6-181, 7-209, 8-209.
West Indies bowling: Corey Collymore 10-1-49-4, Mervyn Dillon 8-1-31-1, Reon King 10-1-47-1, Carl Hooper 10-1-63-0, Marlon Samuels 3-0-26-0, Chris Gayle 9-0-54-2.
A tough cookieTHREE back injuries did not prevent this gutsy Barbadian from pursuing fast bowling. Corey Collymore does not bowl quick anymore, but he is an effective medium-pacer for the West Indies. His performance in the final of the triangular series in Zimbabwe was a stellar show by a man who had almost given up the game.
When he bowled against Australia in the Test in Antigua, he made batsmen like Mark Waugh flinch. It was a flat track and Collymore, quick then, spat fire. It marked his return to the team in a telling manner and there was hope for him to join the likes of Cameron Cuffy and Mervyn Dillon in helping the West Indies in these difficult times.
As a West Indies Youth player, he had made a good start before a back problem laid him low. He fought the ailment eight years ago and got into the West Indies team with some impressive performances in the domestic circuit. He was bowling quick but once again the back problem surfaced and threatened to end his career.
Being a tough man, Collymore continued with his obsession of bowling fast and this time he went to Toronto and broke down for the third time. The West Indies cricket officials decided to help him out and corrective measures involved Collymore changing his action. He turned more open-chested and this meant that he lost pace.
It did not matter. Collymore was an attacking bowler at heart and his accuracy fetched him lots of wickets - 26 to be precise in the last domestic season.
Collymore went on the tour of England but he had a poor outing. He did not play a Test against South Africa at home, but found a place in the one-day squad. His line and length made an impression on Carl Hooper, who backed this Barbadian all the way.
Collymore seemed to have got over his back stress but a thigh strain troubled him in Zimbabwe. He recovered in time for the final and produced a spell which broke the back of the Indian batting line up as he accounted for Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V. V. S. Laxman. These three blows took the fight out of the Indians and he added the wicket of Reetinder Singh Sodhi to complete his tally.
The feature of Collymore's bowling has remained his control and consistency. For a bowler who suffered from injuries so often, he has done extremely well. At 24, he has decided to work on a tidy line and length as his strength to avoid any further back problems.
A couple of stints in the English minor league has enabled him to hone his skills. He is not known to be a good bat but contributes by way of being a good fielder.
The Man of the Match award in the final should act as an ideal tonic for Collymore as he strives to support his team's dreams in this season of hope.
A small consolationVIJAY LOKAPALLYTHREE successive Man of the Match awards was not what Sachin Tendulkar had aspired for. Had the awards come along with the team's triumph, he would have been twice as happy. Since the team lost in the final, the awards don't mean much to him.
Often in the past, Tendulkar has indicated that personal milestones meant little if the team did not benefit from them. "What's the fun if I score and yet the team ends up loser?" he has often said.
So, when he received the Man of the Series honour at the end of the triangular series in Harare, Tendulkar's countenance gave an insight into the anguish within the man. He just could not afford a smile, for the team had lost the final and he had let the side down by failing to score.
As John Wright said, there can be no greater critic of Sachin Tendulkar than Sachin Tendulkar himself. "He was very disappointed," revealed Wright. The defeat had left the team depressed and shattered and the sight of Tendulkar reflected the man's mind. It was as if he was punishing himself for the debacle.
"We could've got the runs," he said sadly. Yes, the target was attainable but then as Wright said, "you can't be relying on Sachin alone all the while." The Indian coach was right. Tendulkar alone could not be expected to score all the runs but then he is always the best equipped to get them.
For India to have made a successful charge at the target, it was important that Tendulkar got a big score. He has the ability to get the best out of his partners but he fell to a poorly executed pull. The ball did climb on him and left him cramped. The result was a mishit and disaster for India.
Tendulkar may have failed in the final but he had a wonderful series. His aggregate of 282 runs in five innings at an average of 94 justified his reputation as the best batsman in the world.
His sequence of scores in the one-day series read 70, 9, 81 not out, 122 not out and 0. The zero came when India needed him the most but then Tendulkar was down with a stomach ailment. He fielded mostly near the boundary to rush to the dressing room when required and even if he was not at his best, the threat of Tendulkar snatching the game away from the West Indies was always there. "We were fortunate to get Sachin early," said the West Indian skipper Carl Hooper. It was a big wicket for Corey Collymore, who won the Man of the Match award.
Tendulkar would have been happy only if the Indians had won the title. "We were looking forward to winning the final because we had played good cricket all through," said Tendulkar.
The Man of the Series award was a small consolation for Tendulkar. The trophy would be a part of his glorious collection, but will always remind him of the final which the team lost.
Comments
SHARE