Impressive India leave UAE in a spin

Joy Chakravarty 03:29 01/03/2015
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  • Ravichandran Ashwin's four wickets tore through UAE

    The WACA was always going to be the biggest challenge for the UAE batsmen in this World Cup, and so it proved as they were consumed with utmost ease by defending champions India on a pitch that still remains the fastest in the world.

    But it was not the pace that bothered the UAE batsmen, even though Umesh Yadav seemed unplayable in his first spell. It was the bounce that unruffled them, especially that which spinner Ravichandran Ashwin managed to extract. On several occasions, wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was forced to jump behind the wickets to collect Ashwin’s deliveries. But compared to the Indian captain, the UAE batsmen were like cats on a hot tin roof.

    The off-spinner was lethal despite a clear lack of turn on the pitch, and broke the back of the UAE batting in an uninterrupted spell of 10 overs after being brought in as the first change in the 11th over. When he finished, he had figures of four for 25 and the UAE were in tatters.

    Aided by two-wicket efforts from Yadav (2-15) and left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (2-23), India shot out UAE for 102 runs in 31.3 overs. In reply, India cruised to 104-1 in 18.5 overs, with Rohit Sharma hitting a sparkling unbeaten 57 in 55 balls, while Virat Kohli was not out on 33.

    The fact that the UAE were not going to push a side as accomplished and in such swashbuckling form as India was understandable, but their previous two displays had raised hopes that they would at least give Dhoni and his men a fight. But from the moment both openers – Amjad Ali and Andri Berenger – fell playing poor shots early in the innings, the UAE always had their backs to the wall.

    Berenger went in the second over of the match to Yadav, trying to pull a delivery that got big on him and he top-edged it to Dhoni’s glove. This was just three balls after watching his partner Ali do the same thing and top-edge a catch to square leg, where it fell just short of a diving Rohit Sharma.

    While Berenger did not learn from Ali’s mistakes, the latter too committed the same error twice over. After adding six runs for the second wicket, he played a similar shot to Bhuvneshwar Kumar and perished, caught by Dhoni.

    Khurram Khan joined Krishna Karate and the two saw off the fast bowlers, but that was when Ashwin came in and wreaked havoc with his nagging line and length, variation of pace and the clever mix of arm ball.

    India celebrate another wicket as they eased to success

    Shaiman Anwar was once again the UAE’s best batsman. When he was the final player to be dismissed – bowled by Yadav for 35 – he had ensured that his team reached the dignity of a three-figure score. In the process, he became the fourth highest run scorer in the tournament – his 208 runs in three innings bettered only by Chris Gayle (258), AB de Villiers (217) and Shikhar Dhawan (224).

    It was Ashwin’s best haul in ODIs, while UAE’s 102 was their lowest in the format.

    UAE captain Mohammed Tauqir’s decision to bat first after winning the toss made sense as it was his best option. The UAE were hoping to rack up a good total, something in the range of 225-250, and then put pressure on their batting by taking a couple of quick wickets. That never happened.

    Yet, there was a magic moment in the match for the UAE, when Rohan Mustafa, fielding at backward point, flung himself in the air to catch a square cut by Dhawan (14).

    It was UAE’s only success of the game. Sharma used the occasion to get into some form, and he executed several pull shots that gave a good indication he was in good knick. India next play the West Indies at the same venue on Friday

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