Dhoni happy as India seal series

West Indies frustrate tourists with determined show in final Test.

ROSEAU:

India captain MS Dhoni brushed aside any disappointment that there might have been, after his side were denied a win in the final Test against the West Indies, courtesy a rock-solid century by Shivnarine Chanderpaul and a spirited bowling display by the hosts.

Chasing 180 for victory, India finished on 94 for three, and decided to bring the match to a close with 15 overs remaining on the last day. But Dhoni expressed his satisfaction at the 1-0 series victory.

“I’m not too disappointed about the final result,” said Dhoni. “We did really well throughout the series, particularly in this game. We decided to call it off because the gamble was quite high for us, we were risking a series win. I think we did our best, and had a go, but we then realised it wasn’t worth it.”

India coach Duncan Fletcher echoed Dhoni’s views on the aborted run chase.

“Once it got to four or five runs per over we were struggling to score,” he said. “The side decided it was difficult to get those runs and thought what’s the point in going there.”

Sammy surprised at Indian tactics

West Indies captain Darren Sammy, though happy with the result, said he was surprised the visitors did not go all out for victory.

“With 15 overs to go and 86 runs required, and considering the calibre of players they have like Dhoni, I thought they would give it a go, being one-up,” he said. “But I guess [with] my ploy to have [Devendra] Bishoo bowl in the rough, they didn’t fancy their chances of going after him. I’m quite happy with the result, and the way the crowd responded to us made it feel that we had won.”

Chanderpaul frustrates India

The decision to abort the run chase ended a frustrating day for the top-ranked Test side, which started with the promise of a second victory in the series, but was blighted by Chanderpaul’s undefeated 116, his 23rd Test hundred.

That earned him the man-of-the-match award after he also stood firm in a ninth-wicket stand with Fidel Edwards.

India were kept in the field far longer than they expected, with Chanderpaul farming the bowling as West Indies were dismissed for 322.

The visitors suffered an early setback in their hunt for victory, reaching 19 for one at tea, after Abhinav Mukund was dismissed for a duck.

A stand of 73 between Murali Vijay, who top-scored with 45, and Rahul Dravid, unbeaten on 34, put India back on track. But Vijay was caught at mid-on off Ravi Rampaul’s bowling, who held a return catch four overs later to dismiss Suresh Raina for eight, effectively ending India’s interest. 



Published in The Express Tribune, July 12^th, 2011.