The Hindu : Sport : Gayle storm leaves Indians clueless

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 19, 2006

Sport

Sport

Gayle storm leaves Indians clueless

S. Ram Mahesh

KINGSTON: Chris Gayle struck his twelfth limited-overs century to power West Indies to 251 for six in the first ODI against India at Sabina Park here on Thursday.

Despite incessant showers lashing the city since Wednesday night, the match, shortened to 45 overs-a-side, started just an hour late. It needed a marvel for any play at all — Sabina, renowned for its drainage, provided just that.

"It looks bad, very bad," Colin Croft, the former West Indies fast bowler, had said on Wednesday afternoon, pointing to the coal-black clouds that had draped the Blue Mountain in the backdrop. Fortunately, the crowd comprising more Indians than locals did not have to wait long.

For Gayle took to the Indian bowling with the relish of a gourmet eyeing his supper's worth after Rahul Dravid had inserted the home team. Gayle's opponents, who struggled to put the ball in the right regions, gave him more than a passing assist.

Inauspicious start

Pathan explored the middle of the pitch and went for 14 in his first over. Seventy came in the first ten as the left-hander from Jamaica ran amok.

With his pendulous back-lift, Gayle crashed down on anything short, freeing his arms and cutting past point. He dispensed, as he usually does, with any meaningful footwork; on occasion he pushed forward, but chose balance and a stable base over large strides either way. He timed some, most notably a wristy short-arm pull off Pathan. Others, he just smote.

Dravid delayed Power Play 2 till the 16th over in an attempt to rein in the marauder, and introduced Harbhajan and Ajit Agarkar. The medium pacer from Mumbai got Runako Morton, who was sedate in comparison to his partner, to edge a nicely pitched out-swinger.

Harbhajan then trapped Sarwan on the sweep to begin an intriguing duel with Brian Lara.

The West Indies skipper had walked in to a rabid ovation — klaxons, whistles, trumpets, beer-fuelled lungs played their parts.

Gayle, meanwhile, had gone to his half-century with perfectly placed sweep off the off-spinner. As if to challenge himself, the 26-year-old lunged and reverse swept Harbhajan. Sehwag entered the attack — Gayle smashed a loopy of-break so high, the improbably tall cranes involved in constructing the North Stand seemed in danger.

Lara carefully cut the balding slow bowler late. Sehwag, surprisingly, didn't exit the attack. It was then Lara's turn to hit the Najafgarh resident for a six — the ball bounced around in the steel girders this time.

Pathan changed his pace with skill in his second spell; it still didn't prevent a vicious Lara upper cut that nearly carried for six. Dravid brought R.P. Singh back on. It didn't help. The 37-year-old left-hander, in his third coming as captain, met one on the full and thrillingly drove it through the covers.

Munaf does the trick

Finally, Munaf did the trick in the 32nd over — Lara couldn't keep a cover drive on the carpet, and Kaif leapt to his left to take it. Thus was the dangerous partnership of 82 broken.

Munaf turned up the pace, hurrying new man Shivnarine Chanderpaul. Gayle reached his hundred off 118 balls with 15 fours and a six when he bottom-edged Munaf. The crowd went wild as he raised his bat in acknowledgment. The celebrations continued as he pulled R.P. Singh flat and hard over long-on, and followed it with a swivel pull to backward square-leg.

Earlier, India left out Robin Uthappa, Sreesanth (bruised heel), and Ramesh Powar (twisted ankle); Venugopala Rao was twelfth man. West Indies chose to drop Corey Colleymore, Dave Mohammed, and Dwayne Smith (twelfth man).

SCOREBOARD

West Indies: C. Gayle c Dravid b Agarkar 124, R. Morton c Dhoni b Agarkar 23, R. Sarwan lbw b Harbhajan 2, B. Lara c Kaif b Munaf 35, S. Chanderpaul c Sehwag b Pathan 18, M. Samuels (run out) 10, C. Baugh (not out) 12, D. Bravo (not out) 0, Extras (lb-14, nb-6, w-7) 27, Total (for six wkts. in 45 overs) 251.

Fall of wickets: 1-87, 2-94, 3-176, 4-222, 5-233, 6-248.

India bowling: Pathan 9-1-50-1, Munaf 9-1-48-1, R.P. Singh 7-0-45-0, Harbhajan 9-2-34-1, Agarkar 9-0-38-2, Sehwag 2-0-22-0.

PP 1: 1-10: 75/0; PP 2: 16-20: 17/1; PP 3: 21-24: 21/0

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