India vs West Indies 2013 : 2nd ODI - Match Report

West Indies (289/8- 49.3 overs Sammy 63*, Simmons 62, Ashwin 2/37) bt India ( 288/7- 50 overs   Kohli 99, Dhoni 51, Rampaul 4/60)  by 3 wickets

Match Summary-> Finally we got to see a contest in this India-West Indies series, which actually went down all the way to the wire. It seems that Dwayne Bravo’s decision to put the home side in to bat 1st was the right decision as his team managed to first restrict the mighty Indian batting line-up to less than 300, and then pace a wonderful chase, aided by some pretty ordinary, to say the least, fielding effort from the Indians. As many as five catches were dropped during the run-chase including that of Simmons, put down by Yuvraj when he was on 43. Simons went on to score 62, and his 82 run partnership with Darren Sammy(63) completely swung the game in their favour, before a few hiccups from the Windies tail, took the game to the last over. So now we can move to Kanpur for the decider on the 27th which should be another cracker of a game.
Turning Point of the Game-> The complexion of the game changed once Darren Sammy cut loose and began striking the ball with the full face of the bat, bringing down the run-rate to easily manageable figures. The Indian pace-batter had no clue of taming Sammy, and once he got going the game was almost over except for a brief scare when a couple of quick wickets went down at the other end.
Stand-out performances-> Virat Kohli’s almost run a ball 99 was an exceptionally well drafted innings, as was the quick fire half-century from Dhoni at the death, as he massacred the West Indies quicks, by plundering 62 runs of the last 5 overs. For the West Indies, Ravi Rampaul’s four wicket haul played a crucial role in ensuring the Indians were restricted to a total less than 300. The frail West Indies batting line-up however stood tall, in the absence of Chris Gayle, with K.Powell, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons and Darren Sammy all scoring half-centuries. Darren Sammy did manage to keep his cool and see his team home amidst a flurry of wickets towards the end.
Disappointing performances-> The Indian pacers once again disappointed, as India continues to search for their best combination of pace attack. Also the biggest disappointment of the game lay in the fielding efforts of either side, which one must say was poor, with catches dropped galore.
Man-of-the-Match-> Darren Sammy, rightfully has been chosen the Man-of-the-Match, as his innings completely changed the complexion of the game. Coming in at the fall of 5 wickets, and quick runs to score, Sammy did exactly what the doctor ordered, by lacing four boundaries and maximums each, to score a match-winning 63 not out of just 45 deliveries.