India v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Delhi Bravo waiting on Simmons' fitness

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India v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Delhi
Bravo waiting on Simmons' fitness
ESPNcricinfo staff
October 10, 2014


Kochi was our best all-round game in a while - Bravo
Lendl Simmons' absence was the only cause of concern for the West Indies' camp in a clinical performance against India in the first ODI, in Kochi, two days ago. Ahead of the second ODI, in Delhi, captain Dwayne Bravo was hoping to have Simmons back in action soon, but said the team will not rush his return.

"Lendl Simmons is still struggling with his back and we are giving him as much time as possible to recover. He is a key member of our squad and he has a lot of bearing to the balance of the team," Bravo said. "Hopefully he is fit to play. If not, we have to see what else we can try and do to our top order."

Simmons hurt his back during the West Indies' first warm-up game, against India A in Mumbai on October 3. Despite the presence of Leon Johnson in the squad as a reserve opener, the West Indies team management preferred to let their captain partner Dwayne Smith at the top of the order in Kochi. Bravo was noncommittal on whether the same strategy will be adopted in Delhi, should Simmons not play.

"Opening is a difficult position but at the same time it is a big opportunity for a lot of players to grab that spot. I took the responsibility to open in the first game but I am not sure where I am going to bat in tomorrow's game. I would love to see Simmons get fit as quickly as possible, which will do good for us."

The opening ODI was played under the shadow of a possible West Indies players strike over a dispute relating to player payments. Though the team agreed to take the field only on the morning of the match, their game showed no signs of being affected - even without two of their key players being present; Chris Gayle is recovering from a lower back injury, and Sunil Narine was withdrawn from the series after his action came under the scanner during the Champions League T20.

Bravo, who didn't entertain questions related to the payment dispute, was delighted to see his team putting up such a solid performance despite having their backs to the wall. "It is a great feeling to go one-nil up against the world champs, especially without guys like Chris and Sunil," he said. "But there have been times when we have started [series] well but not finished to our potential. We have set ourselves a standard, now that we have got a good start, and we have to make sure we maintain it. This is going to be our biggest test."

With a view to help West Indies rebuild into the force they were in the 1970s and '80s, the WICB has roped in former captains Richie Richardson and Clive Lloyd - as team manager and chief selector, respectively - and fast bowling legend Curtly Ambrose, as the bowing coach. Bravo admitted that their presence has had a positive impact on the team. "It is good to have legends like Clive Lloyd, Curtly Ambrose or Richie Richardson involved with the team. Curtly Ambrose brings a different energy and an attitude in the team. The players really respect him and look up to him. I have grown up watching these legends and it is good to have them around where players can go to them and get some advice.

"The good thing is that the team is sticking together and supporting each other well. We have a must-win attitude, and we have a support staff that brings in a great positive energy to the dressing room.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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India v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Delhi
Upbeat West Indies hunt for consistency


Match facts
October 11, 2014


Big Picture
West Indies are an erratic one-day team. They can be prone to self-destruction. West Indies are an endearing one-day team. Their batting line-up boasts the kind of power that excites most followers of cricket, and they have a number of interesting characters in there. Addressing this split-personality issue would be high on the visitor's agenda with the World Cup on the horizon, and they took a step towards that in Kochi despite being without a few first-choice players.

They bucked a perception of their batsmen being allergic to singles - there were 92 of them in a total of 321 - and their bowlers harnessed the advantage of a huge total well. Sustaining a performance like that has been a problem though as a record of 18 wins against 20 losses over the past two years suggests.

India would want to orchestrate a recurrence of those problems. Their go-to method for that at home is to strangle the opposition by spin. But R Ashwin, who has bowled 85 overs with an economy rate of 5.34 in the last 12 months at home, has been rested for this series. They do, however, have Ravindra Jadeja, who has gone for 5.23 an over in that period. That is why MS Dhoni said he was more concerned with zeroing in on his seam bowlers for the World Cup. Yet, as Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin showed, if India's spinners are attacked they can be coaxed into bowling flatter and quicker, and in essence limiting their chances of turning the ball.

Another strength-turned-concern for India is the form of their top order. Virat Kohli's weakness outside off stump has followed him home from England. Ambati Rayudu contributed to his own dismissal when he ran down and swiped to mid-on. Shikhar Dhawan was not as fluent as he normally is but mustered the only notable contribution with 68. India would hope Kochi was just a blip on the radar.

Form guide
India LLWWW (Completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WWWWL

Watch out for
Mohammed Shami is one of India's bowlers who has been tasked with handling the death overs. He can dig those yorkers in at the batsmen's boots, but when they go awry, they really go awry. A pin-point yorker uprooted Kieron Pollard's leg stump, but another attempt at it offered Denesh Ramdin a very high full toss that was dispatched over point for six. India would hope he cultivates better consistency before the World Cup.

Sulieman Benn is the only specialist spinner West Indies have on this tour. His height has made him awkward to deal and he marries that with good accuracy. Subcontinent conditions will give him turn as well. He was needed for only five overs in Kochi and conceded only 16. He might expect to bowl a few more in Delhi.

Team news
With Mohit Sharma's injury, India's bowling will need a makeover. Ishant Sharma has been roped in as replacement and might get to play straightaway. Dhoni was happy with his bowlers in Kochi, but there might be a temptation to swap out Amit Mishra, who conceded 72 in 10 overs, for chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav.

India (likely): 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Amit Mishra/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Ishant Sharma/Umesh Yadav, 11 Mohammed Shami

West Indies made do with a make-shift opening combination in the first ODI, with Lendl Simmons recovering from a back injury. Unless he has regained fitness, they might keep to the same XI.

West Indies (likely): 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Dwayne Bravo (capt), 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 D Ramdin (wk), 6 Kieron Pollard 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Andre Russell, 9 Sulieman Benn, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Jerome Taylor

Pitch and weather
The pitch at Feroz Shah Kotla has received some bad press in recent times. Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir wanted three of his home games in the last Ranji season shifted elsewhere in search of an outright result. The curator hopes to change that image and has said he was preparing a surface on which batsmen can trust the bounce and bowlers can enjoy good carry. On the eve of this match, the pitch was reported to be quite green, but that was expectedly only to hold it together and would be shaved off. The weather is expected to be sunny, but later on dew is expected to be a factor again.

Stats & trivia
Despite West Indies being regular visitors to India, the two teams have met only once in Delhi since the turn of the century - a Test in 2011
Virat Kohli is 79 runs away from becoming the fourth India batsman to score 1000 runs against West Indies.
Quotes
"Those six innings that I failed [in the England Tests] probably will help me to play 50 good innings."
India batsman Shikhar Dhawan

"Our challenge is to see if we can repeat our success from the previous ODI or come close with a good performance."
West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo

Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

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India vs West Indies: Team Sticking Together and Has a Must-Win Attitude, Says Skipper Dwayne Bravo
Coping with the absence of Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine and battling against payment disputes, the Dwayne Bravo-led West Indies rose above all odds to beat India in the first ODI at Kochi.
Reported by: Press Trust of India Last updated on Friday, 10 October, 2014 18:06 IST

West Indies India 2nd ODI


West Indies team celebrates during 1st ODI vs India
© BCCI

New Delhi: West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo had an embargo regarding any questions on their ongoing dispute with the WICB, but the all-rounder said that the team stuck together in difficult times and maintained a "must-win attitude." (Wounded India look to draw level against spirited West Indies)

"The good thing is that the team is sticking together and supporting each other well. We have a must-win attitude in the team, which is great to see," Bravo said when asked how tough it is to lead the side despite off-field controversies. (Ishant Sharma replaces injured Mohit Sharma in India vs West Indies ODIs)
"Our support staff also brings in tremendous positive energy to the dressing room. It is good to have legends like Clive Lloyd, Curtly Ambrose or Richie Richardson in the dressing room. (Rohit Sharma wants his opener's slot back)

"Curtly adds a different dimension to our team. The players really respect him and look up to him. I have grown up watching these legends and it is good to have them around where players can go to them and get some advice," Bravo told reporters ahead of the second ODI between India and West Indies in New Delhi.

The West Indies Media manager, Philip Spooner had requested the reporters to strictly restrict their questions to only "cricket and tomorrow's match."
Asked how it felt to win the first ODI so convincingly against a strong Indian side at their own backyard without the services of the likes of Chris Gayle and Sunil Narine, Bravo said, "It is a great feeling to go 1-0 up against the World Champions, especially without guys like Chris and Narine.

"There have been times when we have started well but not finished to our potential. We have set ourselves a standard, now that we have got a good start, we have to make sure we maintain it. This is going to be our biggest test."

[socafighter]

Shikhar Dhawan will be opening with Ajinkya Rahane for India. Rahane to face Ravi Rampaul, bowling over the wicket. Two slips in place.

Time for toss Michael Holding sees a bit of grass, and feels it should be a good cricket pitch. let me tell you, though, grass at Kotla is the most misleading bit of green you can come across. Should ideally be a bat-first pitch, but there could be dew in the evening

MS Dhoni has won the toss, and he has decided to bat first. Umesh Yadav has been chosen ahead of Ishant Sharma. Amit Mishra gets another game. West Indies are unchanged...

[kaliman2006]

I should have known better than to be duped again....

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West Indies tour of India, 2nd ODI: India v West Indies at Delhi, Oct 11, 2014

India 263/7 (50 ov)
West Indies 215 (46.3 ov)
India won by 48 runs

West Indies in India ODI Series - 2nd ODI
ODI no. 3533 | 2014/15 season
Played at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi

11 October 2014 - day/night match (50-over match)

    INDIA innings (50 overs maximum)   R   M   B   4s   6s   SR
AM Rahane   c DJ Bravo b Sammy   12   59   28   1   0   42.85
S Dhawan   b Taylor   1   9   9   0   0   11.11
AT Rayudu   c Sammy b Benn   32   72   54   3   0   59.25
V Kohli   c Samuels b Rampaul   62   124   78   5   0   79.48
SK Raina   c Pollard b Taylor   62   83   60   5   2   103.33
MS Dhoni*†   not out   51   66   40   5   1   127.50
RA Jadeja   b Taylor   6   21   16   0   0   37.50
B Kumar   c Pollard b DJ Bravo   18   20   14   1   0   128.57
Mohammed Shami   not out   1   6   1   0   0   100.00
Extras   (b 4, lb 1, w 13)   18               
    Total   (7 wickets; 50 overs)   263   (5.26 runs per over)

Did not bat A Mishra, UT Yadav

    Bowling   O   M   R   W   Econ   
View wicket   R Rampaul   8   0   47   1   5.87   (2w)
View wickets   JE Taylor   10   0   54   3   5.40   (2w)
View wicket   SJ Benn   10   0   47   1   4.70   (1w)
View wicket   DJ Bravo   8   0   51   1   6.37   (1w)
View wicket   DJG Sammy   4   0   14   1   3.50   
    MN Samuels   5   1   21   0   4.20   
    AD Russell   3   0   14   0   4.66   (2w)
    KA Pollard   2   0   10   0   5.00   
    WEST INDIES innings (target: 264 runs from 50 overs)   R   M   B   4s   6s   SR
DR Smith   b Mohammed Shami   97   141   97   11   2   100.00
DM Bravo   b Mohammed Shami   26   52   44   2   0   59.09
KA Pollard   b Mishra   40   58   50   1   3   80.00
MN Samuels   c Kohli b Yadav   16   44   38   0   1   42.10
D Ramdin†   c Raina b Mishra   3   25   7   0   0   42.85
DJ Bravo*   c Dhawan b Mohammed Shami   10   22   15   1   0   66.66
AD Russell   st †Dhoni b Jadeja   4   8   6   0   0   66.66
DJG Sammy   b Jadeja   1   3   3   0   0   33.33
R Rampaul   c & b Mohammed Shami   16   20   13   1   1   123.07
JE Taylor   c Kumar b Jadeja   0   6   3   0   0   0.00
SJ Benn   not out   0   13   3   0   0   0.00
Extras   (lb 1, w 1)   2               
    Total   (all out; 46.3 overs)   215   (4.62 runs per over)

    Bowling   O   M   R   W   Econ   
B Kumar   7   0   32   0   4.57   
UT Yadav   9   0   42   1   4.66   
Mohammed Shami   9.3   0   36   4   3.78   
RA Jadeja   9   0   44   3   4.88   (1w)
A Mishra   10   2   40   2   4.00   
V Kohli   2   0   20   0   10.00   

MATCH DETAILS

Toss - India, who chose to bat
Series - 5-match series level 1-1
Player of the match - Mohammed Shami (India)
Umpires - IJ Gould (England) and S Ravi
TV umpire - C Shamshuddin
Match referee - JJ Crowe (New Zealand)
Reserve umpire - RM Deshpande

[socafighter]

Mohammed Shami is the Man of the Match.

MS Dhoni: "Quite difficult (to get 263), but quite a few batsmen got off to a decent start (and got out), we lost two wickets close to the 40th over. That was very crucial. We were short by 20 runs because of that. Virat is an important character in our team the way he bats, he got runs today which will definitely help him. Raina batted excellently, has carried his form from the Champions League.

They have to convert these starts into bigger innings. Shami bowled really well. There was a bit of reverse swing, he got us vital breakthroughs. Mishra was crucial again, he was willing to flight the ball. Once the ball gets wet or there is no turn, Jadeja does not flight the ball. That is why I used Mishra more. I feel quite a few things are missing. We have to pull our socks up. We have not played to our potential. This game is a crucial eye opener for us. We are on the winning side, but we could have lost this."

Dwayne Bravo: "Thought at one point we had it in the bag. Give credit to India. Jaddu. Mahi and the boys put pressure on us. Very small ground, we batted well upfront. Losing wickets at crucial times, lost our way in the middle. Definitely have to work on that. At CSK he (Dhoni) says he always hit my slower balls out of the ground. So I am still waiting."
West Indies collapsing from 170 for 2 to 215 all out. Smith and Pollard were in control when Mishra removed the latter, and then strangled Samuels long enough for the chase to lose steam. West Indies were 189 for 4 when the ball was changed in the 41st over. They needed 75 from 59, but Mishra removed Ramdin first delivery with the dry ball, and Jadeja took two in the next over from that end. Game over.

Jadeja says it was difficult to grip the ball because of dew. Still, he and Mishra have taken 5 for 84 in 19 overs between them.

[socafighter]

India v West Indies, 2nd ODI, Delhi
Smith's low high score and the Kotla fortress
A stats review at the end of the second ODI between India and West Indies in Delhi
Bishen Jeswant
October 11, 2014



12.3 West Indies' win percentage when chasing 250-plus in ODIs over the last ten years. The only Full Member nation with a worse record is Zimbabwe, who have a marginally lower win percentage of 11.1. West Indies have lost 48 out of 57 such matches in this period. India have the best record under such circumstances, winning 39 out of 87 matches, for a win percentage of 44.8.

9 Number of years since India have lost an ODI at Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi. India have played eight ODIs here in this period, and have won all six of the completed games.The last ODI India lost here was to Pakistan in April 2005.

2 Number of times all of India's middle order batsmen, i.e. Nos. 4, 5 and 6, have made a 50-plus score in the same game. The batsmen involved on both occasions were Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. They made 62, 51* & 62 respectively against West Indies, and 68, 107 and 54 against Sri Lanka in 2009.

102 Number of ODI wickets Jerome Taylor has taken. He started the day on 99 wickets and picked up 3 for 54 in Delhi. He became the 15th West Indies bowler and 122nd overall to take 100 or more ODI wickets.

5 Number of times India have batted first after winning the toss since the start of 2013. India won the toss 32 times in this period, and chose to bowl 27 times.

55.4 Average partnership runs between Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina in ODIs. This is the fourth best for any India pair who have played together on at least 30 occasions. Topping this list are Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli, who average 60.6 together.

1 Number of times Kieron Pollard has batted higher than No. 4 in ODIs - this was the first. His strike-rate of 80 was his fourth lowest for an innings of 40 or more.

97 Dwayne Smith's score in Delhi, his highest in List A cricket. His previous highest was 96 against Windward Islands in 2005. Previously, Smith's highest score in ODIs was 68. He had played 92 matches and scored 1318 runs at an average of 17.47, including only six fifties.

105 Number of runs scored by Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina for the fourth wicket. This is India's only 100-plus stand for the fourth wicket in more than two years. The last such partnership was between Gautam Gambhir and Manoj Tiwary against Sri Lanka in August 2012.

19 Number of West Indies players who have made 2000-plus ODI runs - Pollard became the latest. Eight of these 19 players have also taken 40-plus wickets, including Pollard.

Bishen Jeswant is a stats sub editor at ESPNCricinfo. @bishen_jeswant

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© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

[capodetutticapi]

we throw away this game today

[socafighter]

West Indies players protest with black armbands in second ODI


The Dwayne Bravo-led side had threatened to pull out of the five-match ODI series before the opening match in Kochi. (Source: PTI)

Press Trust of India | Posted: October 11, 2014 5:31 pm | Updated: October 11, 2014 6:20 pm

The West Indies team might have put off its ‘strike’ plan as of now, but the players continued to protest against the payment dispute with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) by wearing black armbands in the second One-day International against India, in Delhi on Saturday.

The Dwayne Bravo-led side had threatened to pull out of the five-match ODI series before the opening match in Kochi but after a 124-run resounding victory at the Nehru Stadium and with some intervention by the BCCI, the players have now decided to carry on with the series.

Even the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) thanked the BCCI and lauded the players for not only acting wisely but also proving their worth by humbling a strong India ODI side in their own backyard.

In a letter to Hinds, Bravo said that the players have lost confidence in the president because of the Memorandum of Understanding he signed with the WICB on their behalf in which WIPA agreed to massive pay cuts.

In response, Hinds explained his position in a letter to Bravo.
The maroon brigade is now on course to play the remaining three ODIs, one-off Twenty20 International and three Test matches.

Players want WIPA disbanded

Disgruntled with its Players Association due to an ongoing pay dispute, the West Indian team has sought the Cricket Board’s “urgent intervention” to dissolve the body as it no longer had the “authority to speak” on the side’s behalf.

The Caribbean side, which is currently playing an ODI series against India here, had threatened to go on strike on the eve of the series due to the new contracts handed to the players, which would have seen their salaries drop by 75 per cent.

West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo has written to WICB president Dave Cameron, asking for the WIPA to be dissolved as the team felt “hoodwinked” by the manner in which it agreed to the new contracts without consulting the players.

“We write to you to make a conscience appeal to fair play and justice and to seek your urgent intervention in helping to remedy the emerging impasse between ourselves and the West Indies Cricket Board,” Bravo wrote in the letter published by ‘ESPNCricinfo’.

“It is our view, given the circumstances of the formulation and finalising of this agreement, the WIPA Board needs to do the right thing and resign. We wish to formerly advise you that WIPA has no authority to speak on our behalf … We will advise you of the person or persons entrusted with the responsibility to act on our behalf shortly.

“As you may be aware, we have demonstrated much restraint in this matter in trying to get our former representatives (WIPA) to fix this travesty but unfortunately this has not occurred. We are hopeful that, with your intervention, the matter can be resolved without public or other recourse.

In the meantime we will continue to seek advice.” Bravo said that to continue with the series is an “an act of good faith” by his team and should not be seen as acceptance of the new contracts. “Our decision to play in India was in no way intended to convey an acceptance by the players of the unreasonable terms and conditions put forward to us by WICB nor was it intended as an expression of our acceptance of the purported new Memorandum of Understanding,” the letter stated. “We believe this to be a sensible and reasonable option in the interim, while we negotiate new terms and conditions that have been properly ventilated,” he wrote. -