It is hard to imagine what would happen had the West Indies not lost as many wickets as they did. India did not enjoy the cushion of 340 runs as much as they thought they would. Instead the West Indies put up a feisty battle that was brought down as much as twenty-nine runs needed from twenty-one balls. But the one thing that the West Indies did not have going for them was the wickets in hand column and it perhaps made the difference between winning and losing.
dhoni gayle
India won the first ODI by twenty runs. But they were made to work to defend the runs. First it was Chris Gayle with a brief flourish for thirty-seven. Then Runako Morton took over temporarily when the West Indies captain departed courtesy the reignited Ashish Nehra.
But it was the belligerence of Ramnaresh Sarwan and acumen of Shivnarine Chanderpaul that ensured that the hosts never flagged despite the early loss of wickets. West Indies were practically always ahead of where India were at any stage. But with twelve overs and a hundred runs to get, the West Indies lost their key batsmen and valuable balls that could have perhaps seen them home.
Sarwan’s forty-five defied the demand of the chase while Chanderpaul was quietly working his way, ready to cut loose. His sixty-three then became even more valuable once Sarwan disappeared as well. India’s wayward bowling that included several wides, even in the dying stages of the match, appeared to be costing India dearly.
However, despite the lower order and tail wagging, West Indies were cut short with nearly overs to go, when it appeared the match was anyone’s for the taking.
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