Rampaul, the wrecker-in-chief
Published : Dec 22, 2011 00:00 IST
India's chase got off to the worst possible start with Rampaul's double strike — getting Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for first-ball ducks. Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli got starts, but the home team was soon in despair. Rampaul had Suresh Raina caught behind, and Ravindra Jadeja was run out, leaving India six down for 105. Kunal Diwan reports.
The West Indies registered its first win of the tour when it beat India by 16 runs in the third ODI at Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium.
The Caribbean team posted 260, thanks to a frenzied attack by Darren Sammy and Andre Russell in the slog overs, and never allowed India's chase to get on track after Ravi Rampaul (four for 57) dismissed Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir for first-ball ducks in the second over.
Rohit Sharma played valiantly for his 95 (100b, 10x4, 1x6), allowing India to get back in the game with a partnership of 91 with R. Ashwin, but when he was run out — by a whizzing direct hit from Sammy India's resistance cracked with finality.
Earlier, Sehwag sent the West Indies in and the sedate innings was innervated by Sammy (41, 17, 5x4, 2x6) and Russell (40, 18b, 4x4, 2x6), who exploded towards the end. The two came together at 181 for five in the 45th over, after Denesh Ramdin (38) and Kieron Pollard (29) were dismissed in successive overs, and added 79 in 34 balls.
Sammy destroyed Mithun in the 49th over, taking 23 runs. Russel made the last over, bowled by Umesh Yadav, count for 20. The last five overs cost India 73 as the West Indies raced to 260.
India's chase got off to the worst possible start with Rampaul's double strike. Parthiv Patel and Virat Kohli got starts, but the home team was soon in despair on 79 for four in 15 overs. Rampaul had Suresh Raina caught behind, although replays indicated the ball coming off the thigh pad, and Ravindra Jadeja was run out, leaving India six down for 105.
Rohit, meanwhile, had motored along, bringing up his 50 in 64 balls. He took the score from 105 for six in the 21st over to a challenging position with a 91-run seventh-wicket stand, in 19.1 overs, with Ashwin (31).
India needed 65 runs in ten overs when Ashwin was trapped in front by Sunil Narine. Vinay Kumar was soon bowled by Roach. And when Sammy redeemed himself for dropping Rohit on 33 and Ashwin on two by running out the former with a direct hit, India needed 45 from 6.2 overs with the last pair in the middle.
Abhimanyu Mithun (23, 16b, 2x4, 2x6) and Umesh Yadav (11, 10b, 2x4) threw their bats at everything, but the West Indies tasted its first success on tour when Rampaul, later named Man of the Match, trapped Mithun leg-before for his fourth victim of the match.
THE SCORESWest Indies: L. Simmons c Patel b Vinay 1; D. Hyatt c Patel b Mithun 20; M. Samuels b Ashwin 58; D. Bravo (retd. Hurt) 26; D. Ramdin c Patel b Umesh 38; K. Pollard c Jadeja b Vinay 29; Andre Russel (not out) 40; D. Sammy (not out) 41; Extras (lb-2, w-5) 7; Total (for five wkts. in 50 overs): 260.
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-42, 3-122, 4-177, 5-181.
India bowling: Vinay 8-1-39-2; Umesh 9-1-75-1; Mithun 7-0-47-1; Jadeja 10-1-37-0; Ashwin 10-0-33-1; Raina 6-0-27-0.
India: P. Patel b Samuels 39; V. Sehwag c Ramdin b Rampaul 0; G. Gambhir lbw Rampaul 0; V. Kohli lbw Narine 20; R. Sharma (run out) 95; S. Raina c Ramdin b Rampaul 2; R. Jadeja (run out) 11; R. Ashwin lbw Narine 31; Vinay Kumar b Roach 3; A. Mithun lbw Rampaul 23; Umesh Yadav (not out) 11; Extras (b-1, lb-2, w-3, nb-3) 9; Total (in 46.5 overs): 244.
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-8, 3-43, 4-79, 5-84, 6-105, 7-196, 8-200, 9-216.
West Indies bowling: Roach 10-0-54-1; Rampaul 8.5-1-57-4; Narine 10-0-34-2; Samuels 10-0-50-1; Russell 4-0-25-0; Sammy 1-0-7-0; Simmons 2-0-10-0; Pollard 1-0-4-0.