India fail to handle short-balls, lose to West Indies

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BRIDGETOWN - Skipper Chris Gayle struck a whirlwind 66-ball 98 as hosts West Indies bounced India out of the World Twenty20 with a 14-run win in a Group F match of the Super Eight here Sunday.

Gayle came agonisingly close to becoming the first to make two international Twenty20 centuries. But his superb knock took the West Indies to a challenging 169 for six in 20 overs after being put to bat by India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on a dampish pitch at the Kensington Oval.

The Indians were pathetic in their chase and the in-form Suresh Raina top scored with 32 before the innings folded for 155 for nine in 20 overs. They were again out done by the short-deliveries, in a repeat of the last year’s World Twenty20 against the same opponents.

With the loss, India slipped to the fourth place in the group and with still a match against Sri Lanka, their chances of making the semi-final is virtually over.

West Indies bowlers used the short-balls cleverly, exposing the Indian batsmen’s vulnerability to short-pitched deliveries.

In the fourth over, opener Murali Vijay (7) was the first to depart after Darren Sammy pitched it short and he mistimed the pull to a diving Keiron Pollard at deep square. Gautam Gambhir (15) followed him soon in the next over after a fast and short Kemar Roach delivery kissed his gloves to wicketkeeper Denesh Ramadin. Yuvraj Singh (12) and Yusuf Pathan (17) also fell to short-pitched deliveries as the innings fell apart.

Raina and Dhoni (29) came up with some useful contributions but lost partners at the other end. Raina was severe on Pollard, hitting him for a six and two fours in three successive deliveries. With Raina on fire, Gayle brought himself to cut short his innings while Dhoni was run out after a direct hit from Dwayne Bravo.

Earlier in the day, sloppy fielding allowed the West Indies get a challenging total on the board. Gayle struck five fours and seven sixes in his typical style, after play started half-an-hour late because of a damp pitch.

West Indies openers Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (23) started cautiously as the Indian spinners extracted some sharp turn. Off-spinner Harbhajan Singh troubled the batsmen with some turn and bounce and conceded just 16 runs from his four overs.

But slowly, the West Indies batsmen cut loose and Gayle made the best of the life he got on 46 when he top-edged a pull off Ashish Nehra in the 12th over, but Dhoni and Pathan messed up the chance by colliding with each other.

Gayle reached his 50 from 41 balls when, two balls later, a thick edge off Nehra flew to third man for his third four.

Chanderpaul, remained a mute spectator during the 80-run stand with Gayle. Sammy smashed two fours and a six in 19 from 10 balls while the big-hitting Pollard two sixes in 17 from 11 balls before he was caught at long-on in the 19th over.

With two balls left, Gayle was run out and failed to achieve the record. He was the first to score a Twenty20 international hundred when he made 117, the highest Twenty20 individual score, against South Africa in the opening match of the inaugural World Twenty20 in Johannesburg in 2007.