India start-off with winning note , beat Ireland by nine wickets
India beat Ireland by nine wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis method in the rain-affected one-day international at Stormont here yesterday.
Chasing a target of 171 in 39 over set by the Irish team, Gambhir made an unbeaten 80 while Ganguly scored 75 not out as India reached 172 runs for one wicket in 35 overs after more that two and half hours of the play were lost due to rain. Put into bat first Ireland made 193 but the target for India was revised to 171, according to the Duckworth-Lewis method.
Though Ireland kept on losing wickets at regular intervals but a determined 52 by wicketkeeper-batsman Niall O'Brien helped the team to manage a respectable score after half the side fell with just 83 on the board at one point.
India's decision to field first wasn't the least bit surprising, considering the leaden skies that greeted Rahul Dravid when he walked out to toss. India were to soon go into the game without their most experienced bowler, Zaheer Khan, as well as their newly-appointed vice-captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, but Dravid didn't hesitate at the toss, neither did the new-ball bowlers hesitate to pitch it up soon after.
Once Sreesanth had removed both Kenneth Carroll and Dominick Joyce and Agarkar slipped a yorker through William Porterfield's defences, Ireland found their backs pressed firmly against the wall. Piyush Chawla, the rookie legspinner who was so impressive in Bangladesh, then exposed Ireland's lack of exposure to genuine wrist-spin bowling. Unveiling the full extent of his armoury, Chawla's topspinner bowled Gary Wilson, while a top-edged googly was to be the end for Kevin O?Brien; the 18-year-old ended with figures of 10-2-29-3.
The only real resistance for Ireland came through Niall O'Brien, one of the few World Cup heroes on show. Just as he had done against Pakistan in the memorable Sabina Park giant killing, O'Brien dropped anchor and showed the application which brought him so many plaudits in the World Cup, yet he could only watch as the wickets tumbled around him. From 83-5, Ireland's total of 193 was something of a recovery, made possible largely thanks to O'Brien, who eventually gave Rohit Sharma his first ODI catch after a 79-ball 52. Captain Trent Johnson's 34, full of lusty blows, was the only other significant contribution as Sachin Tendulkar finished off the innings with his 150th wicket in ODI cricket.
India will now take on South Africa in a three-match one-day series here starting Tuesday and then will play a one-off one-day match against Pakistan July 3. Hopefully, they keep up this momentum for the rest of series to come..."All the Best"
posted by Rishil Babu @ 11:51 PM,
