Monthly Archives: October 2014

It’s been a long time coming.

20 Monday Oct 2014

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The story of the week, the one that required two days of recovery before this blog could be written; Virat Kohli finally scored his long awaited 20th century. He had faced more than just a slump in form during his time in England, he appeared to have lost his confidence and replaced it with a fear that kept him glued to his crease and reaching for the ball. The Kohli that played in the 4th ODI in Dharamsala was a new man, one who was calm and collected. He looked as though he had never been in a slump and appeared as though summer had never happened.

Kohli’s milestone put him at the top of the ODI rankings by percentage of centuries. He currently has the highest conversion rate of all players with 20+ centuries. 15% of Kohli’s 133 ODI innings have produced a century with a 39.2% conversion rate showing exactly how skilled he is.

What ended up being the final ODI of the series was a fantastic all round performance from India, they bowled well during the game and at the death but more importantly, their batting fell into place.

Darren Sammy was followed out to the toss by the WI team who were showing their support for the captain during the players stand-off against the WIPA. Sammy won the toss and made the right decision putting India in the bat first. Even with conditions favouring the bowlers, India started very well scoring 70 before the first wicket fell. Virat Kohli came in and even though he began slowly, he picked up singles and once he found his rhythm, there was no stopping him. He and Suresh Raina put on a 138 run partnership after a solid start from Shikhar Dhawan who scored 35 and Ajinkya Rahane who scored 68. India cruised to 330-6 with two players scoring half centuries and one scoring a hard earned century.

 

West Indies responded relatively poorly, being bowled out for 271 runs in 48.1 overs. Dwayne Smith got out for an 11 ball duck and Keiron Pollard scored a mere six runs from 31 balls. Marlon Samuels once again produced a phenomenal century, one that appeared even more brilliant considering the circumstances WI were facing but unfortunately it wasn’t enough to pull them over the line. He had very little assistance from the rest of the team except Darren Bravo and Andre Russell who both scored 40s.

It’s unfortunate that the WI series ended there just as India were finding their groove. With Rahane, Raina and now Kohli finding form, India have a real chance to defend their 2011 World Cup title.

However, it seems likely that Sri Lanka will be picking up the slack soon and India will be wanting practice against their 2011 World Cup final rivals.

India sort out death bowling but lack batting form

13 Monday Oct 2014

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India had everything going for them, they were playing at home and playing their favourite format of the game. However, during their first game, they almost looked like they were back abroad playing Test match cricket. The ODI series against West Indies should have been almost an easy win for India. Though West Indies are one of the most explosive limited-overs team, they were lacking in practice, low on morale, missing their star spinner and one of their most dangerous batsmen. They were also going up against a team who had just won an ODI series abroad.

A comprehensive 124 run win in the first ODI by WI was more than impressive considering their circumstances. They put on a fantastic all-round performance from start to finish. WI started well with Dwayne Smith scoring 46, but Marlon Samuels stole the show with his 126 not-out. With the help of Dinesh Ramdin, WI put on a huge total of 321. One that had never been chased down in Kochi before.

Though WI reached a formidable total, it wasn’t due to poor death bowling from India for once. India bowled very tightly during the final overs, something which they have always had trouble with. However most of the damage had already been done during the middle overs. Nevertheless, given the conditions and India’s reputation, there was still hope for the Indians. With Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina finding form in England during the ODIs, and MS Dhoni back in his element it was sure to be a close match.

India began strong with Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan settling well and playing some beautiful shots. A huge miscommunication during the ninth over led to both batsmen standing in the same crease and Rahane being run out leaving India 49-1. Apart from Dhawan’s 68 it was a very poor batting show from India from then on. Virat Kohli got out in an all too familiar way and no one else except the openers and Ravindra Jadeja scored above 20. India were all out for 197. It appeared that India had fixed one problem in their death bowling but found new problems in their batting.

The second ODI began in shambles again for India with Dhawan getting out for one. They recovered slowly with Rahane and Ambati Rayudu building a partnership but neither could last at the crease and India were left 74-3. Kohli and Raina added 105 for the fourth wicket and Dhoni scored a 50 to bring India to 263.

Though 263 was a decent total, India appeared to be on their way to a second loss as WI cruised to 162-2 in 35 overs. During the 36th over, something changed. Once Dwayne Smith was dismissed, the WI lineup collapsed with the next seven wickets falling for a mere 45 runs.

Even though India won, it was not convincing. The WI batsmen only required six an over when the third wicket fell and considering their lineup, it was their game to lose. India will need to pull their socks up in the eight ODIs leading up to the World Cup if they hope to defend their title as champions.