da dobrowin： In an upset result, West Indies overturned the form book to record a16-run victory over India on Saturday to win the Coca-Cola Cup finalat the Harare Sports Club, after twice losing to the same oppositionin the preliminary round
John Ward07-Jul-2001In an upset result, West Indies overturned the form book to record a16-run victory over India on Saturday to win the Coca-Cola Cup finalat the Harare Sports Club, after twice losing to the same oppositionin the preliminary round.The weather (and the media facilities, as is usual until the new mediacentre is finally built) failed to match the occasion. It wasunusually overcast and therefore very cold, like an English countymatch in April.The pitch was good for batting, giving only a little early help to theseamers, and it took a fair degree of spin. However, Sourav Gangulywas happy to put West Indies in to bat on winning the toss for India.West Indies, in Wednesday’s `preview’ of the final, had made a solidstart that had proved to be too slow. They were determined it wouldnot happen again. Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle began with positivestrokeplay and had 33 on the board after five overs, mostly offDebashish Mohanty, who went for 26 in his first three-over spell.The Indian bowlers and fielders showed signs of stress under theunexpected pressure as the fifty came up in the eighth over. HarbhajanSingh was brought on to bowl the tenth over and succeeded in putting abrake on the scoring rate. Runs still cascaded from the other end, asthe batsmen matched each other with superb driving in particular, andran well between wickets. These first ten overs were the decisiveperiod of the match, as the West Indian openers gave them an advantageand impetus that they never lost.Harbhajan finally broke through as Gayle (43 off 45 balls) holed outto long-off in the 14th over, having put on 86 with Ganga, who in thefollowing over hit Virender Shewag over his head for four to reach 50off only 40 balls. He eventually holed out at deep midwicket off Sodhifor 71 off 62 balls. Carl Hooper came in next, but Wavell Hinds becamebogged down against the spinners and hit a return catch to Sodhi for10.Two new batsmen in Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had to settle in,but then they got the board moving again, not so much with thepowerful boundaries of their opening pair but more through skilfulplacement for ones and twos. Hooper ran to his fifty off 46 balls, andChanderpaul soon followed before being yorked by Nehra for exactly 50.The pair had added 108 and West Indies were 238 for four in the 43rdover.The aim was no doubt for 300, but Hooper (66 off 63 balls) skiedZaheer Khan to mid-off, which put that difficult target just out ofreach. Ramnaresh Sarwan made 16, Ridley Jacobs 26 not out, and WestIndies finished with 290 for six.Only spinners Harbhajan (35 runs conceded off 10 overs) and Sodhi (31off 7) escaped serious punishment and India faced a mammoth task towin the Cup the form book said should be theirs. But with SachinTendulkar in their ranks, it could be done.However, India’s hopes soon received a crushing blow. Tendulkar,suffering apparently from stomach trouble, had not scored when hetried to pull Corey Collymore in the third over and skied a catch tomidwicket.Ganguly however seemed quite to have regained his form, scoring 22 ofthe first 24 on the board and playing some daring shots, especiallyover the covers, against the pace bowlers. However, when he had 28 hetried to swing Collymore across the line, to be trapped lbw, and Indiawere 35 for two in the ninth over.Heavy responsibility now devolved upon VVS Laxman, returned frominjury, and Rahul Dravid. Laxman (18) was just settling in and lookinggood when he pulled to square leg to give Collymore his third wicket,and at 58 for three in the 13th over, India were staring defeat in theface.Dravid, undaunted, played some fine strokes, but Shewag (2) alsoflicked a catch to midwicket, this time off Dillon. Then came thefinal blow as Dravid (30) played back to Reon King and played the ballon to his stumps via the inside edge. At 80 for five with all theirfront-line batsmen back in the pavilion, India were to all effectsdead and buried.Sodhi and Sameer Dighe did their best to ensure India would lose withhonour, as they shared an aggressive partnership of 101 beforeCollymore returned to have Sodhi caught at long-on for 67 off 76balls. Gayle bowled Harbhajan (12), going for a big hit, and Khan (0)with successive balls, but Dighe continued to blaze away, hittingparticularly powerfully to leg.But 25 were needed off the final over and it was just too much, withthe heroic Dighe finishing unbeaten with 94, assisted perhapsunexpectedly by Mohanty (18 not out). Collymore finished with four for49. Although India were never quite there after the loss of theirfirst five, it was great entertainment to the last ball.