Cricket fans should be grateful that this match was even played, given that there were serious indications about the India – West Indies series being called off because of a bitter fight that has broken out between the West Indies players and the board. The West Indies Cricket Board has reduced the wages of the players considerably, by as much as 75%, for reasons best known to them. The angry reaction of the West Indian players was fully justified as they are professionals, and not expected to perform an act of charity by playing for nothing.
Another issue of concern has been the banning of the best limited overs specialist bowler in the world, Sunil Narine, for a defect in the action, deemed to be illegal by ICC, cricket’s governing body. Chris Gayle, perhaps the most destructive batsman in the world was also unavailable. So, when captain Dwayne Bravo said in his letter to his board, the WICB that the morale in his team was at an all time low, it was fully understandable.
But what was amazing was how the West Indies players recovered from such lows and went on to literally thrash the over paid and overhyped Indian cricket team at Kochi yesterday. The West Indies put up an exemplary batting performance, scoring a mammoth 321 runs, batting first. The Indians were nowhere in the hunt and always looked likely to lose as they batted. The entire much vaunted Indian batting line-up folded up for just 197 runs, giving the West Indies a comfortable and morale boosting 124 runs win.
Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, but this win was really quite unexpected. The West Indies were led from the front by the highly talented Marlon Samuels, who was playing his first ODI match in over 7 months. Samuels has reasons to feel slighted by the selectors, and he transformed his frustration into exemplary aggression, smashing the Indian bowling attack all over the Kochi stadium, hitting a faultless unbeaten 126 off just 116 balls, with 11 fours and 4 glorious sixes.
Samuels found able support in Dinesh Ramdin, another of those West Indies players whose career has never quite taken off. Ramdin hit a well compiled 61 off 61 balls. Together with Samuels, Ramdin helped add up 165 runs for the fourth wicket in just 23 overs. The two never let the Indian bowlers settle down even for a bit and singled out leg spinner Amit Mishra for special treatment. Indeed, all Indian spinners were attacked mercilessly, hit for massive sixes that gave the outfielders no chance whatsoever.
The Indian reply was as insipid as it gets. Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan struggled to hit the ball around as they started the innings and never quite got going. Rahane was run out because of an error of judgement. Enter Virat Kohli. Kohli’s reputation has been damaged severely by his performance in the England tour and his poor form continued in Kochi as well, as he was out in similar fashion, edging an outswinging delivery from a seamer to give a comfortable catch to first slip. Only this time, the bowler was Jerome Taylor rather than James Anderson. And the setting was Kochi rather than Manchester. The result – out for just 2 runs.
Ambati Rayudu didn’t last long and Suresh Raina was bowled for a duck by his Chennai Super Kings teammate Dwayne Bravo. MS Dhoni knew winning this match would be next to impossible and looked highly disinterested. There wasn’t much that either he or Shikhar Dhawan could do as the Indian innings folded tamely – except for a rearguard effort by Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammad Shami, as the last wicket took the score from 155 for 9 to 197 all out. The series is now fully on, and anything is possible.
