Darren Bravo lashed a career-best 86 and Ramnaresh Sarwan supplied a well-crafted 75 as West Indies beat India by seven wickets with eight balls to spare in the fifth and final cricket one-day international at Sabina Park yesterday. Bravo and Sarwan shared a match-winning partnership of 103, which was the backbone of the hosts’ successful victory charge to 255-3 off 48.4 overs. India had earlier rode half centuries from Virat Kohli (94) and Rohit Sharma (57) to post 251 all out off 47.3 overs. Andre Russell’s 4-35 helped stem the tourists’ momentum at a crucial stage and they lost their last seven wickets for 62 runs. Bravo went from being cheap imitation to being a decent impression of Brian Lara, setting up West Indies’ win with 34 off 12 after his rather strange go-slow seemed to have countered Sarwan’s 75, leaving them 80 to get off the last eight overs. This was the second time this season that West Indies won two matches after losing the series, but it was also a complete role reversal: usually known to fluff their lines in the end, they pulled this back in the last overs of both innings. Andre Russell and Anthony Martin facilitated the comeback with the ball as West Indies took the last seven wickets for 62, and Bravo’s effort transformed the seemingly intentless innings.
After Roach and Russell had hustled the Indian openers out, Virat Kohli hardly looked at unease. He saw Manoj Tiwary look a bit uncomfortable, and then try to hit out, at the other end, but he never needed to resort to taking risks. His run-out, a mix of an ill-judged second and a special bit of fielding by Sarwan at fine leg, started the turnaround. Martin was the first to capitalise on that, bowling Rohit in the first over of the Powerplay. If Russell bowled like there was no tomorrow, the batsmen seemed to be leaving the chase for some other day. Adrian Barath and Bravo were the early culprits even as Sarwan played the best innings since his comeback. Barath benefited from two dropped catches and two run-outs in his 46-ball 17, and Bravo struggled with the same trait of either hitting shots straight to fielders or defending with hard hands. He took 58 balls to cross the strike rate of 50.
That meant Sarwan had to take risks. In the 33rd over, with the asking rate having reached 7.38, he lofted Suresh Raina for a four and a six, and it seemed that finally the real Sarwan was ready to replace the pretender we have been used to over the season. With that six, though, he started cramping up, and after a struggle for five overs, he walked off. Samuels came in, took his time to settle in, and Bravo too hardly seemed to be taking the initiative. Sixteen came in the first four overs of the partnership, and Bravo then asked for the Powerplay. Ashwin was the first one to suffer, going for sixes over wide long-on and cow corner. Mishra dished out a high full toss, which Bravo deposited into the grass on the other side of the boundary. The next ball was a regulation sweep, but it carried over square leg for another six. In the next over, he lofted a Vinay Kumar slower delivery over long-off. All three had respectable figures until then; not only were they rearranged, West Indies now needed just 42 off 33. Mishra came back to have Bravo stumped with a googly, but Samuels and Kieron Pollard showed enough sense, skill and power to turn the rest into a cruise.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies vs India
INDIA Inns
S Dhawan c Sarwan b Roach 11
P Patel c Martin b Russell 6
V Kohli run out (+Baugh/Sarwan) 94
M Tiwary c wkpr Baugh b Pollard 22
R Sharma b Martin 57
S Raina c Barath b Pollard 0
Y Pathan c wkpr Baugh b Russell 30
R Ashwin not out 8
A Mishra b Russell 0
R Kumar c wkpr Baugh b Roach 2
I Sharma b Russell 0
Extras: (lb1, w19, nb1) 21
TOTAL: (all out, 50 overs) 251
Fall of wickets: 1-15; 2-21; 3-79; 4-189; 5-190; 6-225; 7-245 ; 8-246; 9-249
Bowling: Roach 10-0-52-2 (w3); Sammy 6-0-48-0 (w3); Russell 8.3-0-35-4 (nb1, w4); Pollard 8-0-39-2 (w2); Martin 10-1-39-1 (w1); Simmons 5-0-37-0 (w6)
WEST INDIES Inns
L Simmons c Mishra b V Kumar 6
A Barath lbw b Mishra 17
R Sarwan retired hurt 75
DM Bravo st P Patel b Mishra 86
M Samuels not out 28
K Pollard not out 24
Extras: (lb9, w9, nb1) 19
TOTAL: (3 wkts, 48.4 overs) 255
Fall of wickets: 1-12; 2-53; 2-156; 3-213
Bowling: Vinay Kumar 9-2-46-1; I. Sharma 9.4-0-49-0 (w2); Mishra 10-1-46-2 (nb1, w1); Ashwin 10-1-50-0 (w2); Raina 6-0-35-0 (w2); Pathan 1-0-7-0 (w1); Kohli 3-0-13-0 (w1)
Result: West Indies won by 7 wickets
Series: India win five-match series 3-2
