Agencies
Dharamsala, October 17
Virat Kohli struck a rollicking 127 as India fashioned a 59-run win over the West Indies here today, effectively sealing the ODI series 2-1 after the visitors dramatically pulled out from the remainder of the tour over an acrimonious pay dispute with their board. Kohli reassured that he is back in form and struck a sublime knock off 114 balls to push India to 330 for six after the West Indies put them in to bat on a wicket expected to favour the bowlers.
Opener Ajinkya Rahane(68) and Suresh Raina (71) were the other big contributors to the formidable score, reached also with the help of loose bowling and sloppy fielding from the West Indies.
The West Indies, who made their mind of going back home last night and were somehow convinced to play at least today's game, found it tough to give their best. Their negative body language expectedly affected their overall game, culminating with their unsuccessful chase that ended at 271 all out in 48.1 overs.
A rare positive for them on the day was Marlon Samuels (112 off 106), who raced to his seventh ODI hundred and second in three matches.
The Caribbean batsmen crawled to 27 for 2 in 11 overs, making it difficult for them to get near the stiff target.
Samuels fought a lost battle with Darren Bravo (40) chipping in at the top. Andre Russell came up with a 46-run cameo (off 23 balls) towards the end.
It seemed that the West Indies were batting on a different wicket to the Indians, who scored runs at will.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/25) and Umesh Yadav (2/44) made the ball talk early on as the opposition batsmen went into their shell.
Samuels at least showed the will to fight and saved his team further embarrassment. He hammered nine fours and six sixes, especially taking spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2/80) to the cleaners. The game poignantly ended with Samuels getting bowled off Mohammed Shami.
Young left-arm spinner Akshar Patel, brought into the side in place of Amit Mishra, ended up with tidy figures of 26 for two in 10 overs.
Earlier, Kohli along with Raina (71) and Rahane (68) made batting look easy on a pitch that was expected to behave differently. Kohli showed his class on way to reaching his first hundred across formats since February, following which he experienced the first lean patch of his career. With the century, he also became the fastest to score 20 hundreds in ODIs.
WI deny calling off India tour
Reuters
Kingston, October 17
The West Indies have not called off the ongoing tour to India despite reports earlier that Sri Lanka had stepped in to take their place, the West Indies Cricket Board said on Friday.
"The West Indies Cricket Board advises, that, contrary to media reports, it has taken no decision to discontinue the ongoing tour to India," a statement read.
"The WICB will make a further statement following the conclusion of the fourth one-day international which is in progress."
A day of confusion, claim and counter-claim began with the Indian cricket board (BCCI) saying that the touring West Indians had abandoned their tour following an internal dispute and were flying home after Friday's one-dayer. The BCCI said Sri Lanka had stepped in.
The WICB and the West Indies Players Association signed a new agreement last month covering pay and conditions but it was rejected by the senior players, including one-day captain Dwayne Bravo who claimed they were kept in the dark and demanded WIPA chief Wavell Hinds's resignation. The players subsequently issued a strike threat but eventually took to the field and were playing the fourth ODI at Dharamsala when an angry BCCI confirmed the abrupt end to the tour, which also included a fifth one-dayer, a Twenty20 International and three test matches.
"The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has informed the BCCI of its decision to cancel the rest of its ongoing tour to India because of a dispute with its players, and has advised the BCCI that its players will return home immediately," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said in a statement.
Bravo turned up for the toss with the entire team accompanying him in what looked like a show of unity. "My team is standing behind me, it's been a tough situation...it's time we have to make a decision," said the 31-year-old all-rounder.
The apparent abrupt withdrawal, however, angered the world's richest cricket board with the BCCI criticising the "unilateral" decision. "The BCCI is shocked and extremely disappointed at the decision taken by the WICB," Patel said.
"The WICB's inability to resolve internal issues with its players and allowing the same to affect an ongoing bilateral series does not reflect well on any of those involved."
Patel said the Indian board made several appeals to the WICB to honour its commitment and complete the tour. "The BCCI will pursue all options available to protect its rights, whilst seeking appropriate action from the ICC to ensure that its interests and those of the game at large will not suffer any damage due to such acts of indiscretion," he added.
The BCCI is seriously contemplating reviewing the West Indies players’ participation in the cash-rich Indian Premier League as the ongoing series ended abruptly on Friday due to visiting team’s payment dispute with their own cricket board.
So miffed are the BCCI officials with the attitude of the Caribbean players that some hard actions can’t be ruled out as far as their playing in IPL is concerned.
“The matter is likely to be raised at IPL governing council meeting where the issue will come up for serious discussions. Some of the members of board’s top brass want to ban the Windies players for atleast one season,” a senior BCCI functionary told PTI on Friday.
“For the likes of Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, IPL has been a primary source of income and the perks that they have got in India for their star status. The love that Indian public bestowed on them is unimaginable and this is pure backstabbing by their players,” the official added.
“What BCCI officials are finding it difficult to digest is that even after their assurances to Sanjay Patel, who went to Kochi to persuade them, things have come to such a pass. How could they backtrack on their promise? This is a matter of principles. If they can give commercial considerations priority then why won’t they be penalised for their uncompromising attitude,” the senior official said.
While BCCI will have to take the franchises into consideration as two of the most high-profile franchises Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians have high-profile West Indians.
Dwayne Bravo and Dwayne Smith are key players of CSK while Kieron Pollard is an influential player in MI ranks. Not to forget Sunil Narine and above everyone else Chris Gayle.
A question mark is certainly there on Caribbean players’ participation in IPL-8.
