Shami paves India’s path to the quarters
Dhoni steadies nervous chase as top-order fails.
India advanced to the quarterfinals of the World Cup after prevailing over West Indies by four wickets here on Friday. Set a target of 183, M.S. Dhoni’s men stumbled, losing frequent wickets. It was left to the captain and R. Ashwin to wrap it up.
Against good fast bowling on a pitch reputed to be the quickest in the world, India’s toporder floundered. Virat Kohli made 33, looking fluent until he fell to a short-pitched delivery. India needed 49 runs when the sixth wicket fell. But Dhoni pulled the chestnuts out of the fire with an unbeaten 45. The foundation for the win was laid by Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, who subdued West Indies with a fantastic exhibition of hostile fast bowling.
‘Captain Cool’ delivers
The Indian juggernaut wobbled and juddered but pulled through all right. M.S. Dhoni’s steady hand saw his team home in a nervous run-chase at the WACA ground here on Friday, as India defeated West Indies by four wickets to book a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Cup.
Mohammed Shami, later declared ‘man-of-the-match, and Umesh Yadav put on a demonstration of blistering fast bowling to help limit West Indies to 182. In pursuit, India had sunk to 134 for six when Dhoni and R. Ashwin were united at the crease. The pair added 51 runs in an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership to take the team home.
Jerome Taylor’s opening spell made it clear India’s run-chase was not going to be straightforward. He hurtled in from around the wicket at Shikhar Dhawan, bowling seriously fast and leaving him little room.
Dhawan soon pushed at one and was consumed in the slips. Rohit Sharma received a marvellous out-swinger, bowled at just the right length to draw him forward, and he fell for 7. Virat Kohli then briefly batted as if the difficulties of those before him had been some sort of mirage. He hit two firm drives and whipped Taylor off his pads for successive boundaries. But when Kohli chose to pull Andre Russell (of the Mr. T hairstyle) from outside the off-stump, he dragged it down the throat of the long-leg fielder.
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