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India fight back to clinch victory over Windies
UNLIKELY HERO:
Reserve wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik saved the day for the hosts as his more illustrious colleagues threw their wickets away against West Indies
AP, CUTTACK, INDIA
Friday, Jan 26, 2007, Page 22
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Indian bowler Ajit Agarkar, center, celebrates the dismissal of West Indian batsman Chris Gayle during the second one day international at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack, India, on Wednesday.
PHOTO: AFP
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India recovered from a torrid start to clinch a 20-run victory Wednesday in a low-scoring second limited-overs international against the West Indies.
Defending a modest score of 189, Indian spinners struck back on the turning track to bundle the West Indies out for 169.
The victory gave India a 2-0 lead in the four-match series.
Opting to bat first after skipper Rahul Dravid won the toss, India got off to a bad start as its top-order perished to reckless strokes.
Reserve wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik revived the home team with a defiant 63 and his 62-run partnership for the eighth wicket with Ajit Agarkar (40).
Karthik struck seven boundaries from 87 deliveries during his maiden half-century in eight one-dayers, which secured him the Man of the Match award.
West Indies batsmen found it difficult to negotiate the Indian spinners on a track where the ball came slowly off the surface.
West Indies missed their skipper Brian Lara's steadying influence as their middle-order caved in against off-spinner Ramesh Powar (3-42) and Sachin Tendulkar (2-25) after Agarkar had removed stand-in captain Chris Gayle cheaply.
Gayle took over the captaincy in place of Lara, who was rested due to a sore left knee.
Team physiotherapist Stephen Partridge said Lara did not want to aggravate his troublesome knee ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Powar curbed the ambitions of aggressive Dwayne Bravo (31) before adding the wickets of Runako Morton (0) and Denesh Ramdin (6) as India bounced back.
Giving him support from the other end was Tendulkar, who made up for his batting failure by dismissing Dwayne Smith (27) and Ian Bradshaw (2).
Opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul waged a lone battle for West Indies. Watching wickets tumble at the other end, Chanderpaul posted a valiant 66 to keep the Caribbean outfit in the chase before he was the last man out.
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