India overcome rain to win 3rd ODI

CRICKET: GROS ISLET, St. Lucia, July 4, 2009 - India dodged the showers to eke-out a workmanlike six-wicket victory over West Indies in the rain-hit third One-day International on Friday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground.

India take an unbeatable 2-1 lead the four-match series with the final match to be contested on Sunday at the same venue.

Chasing a revised target of 159 from 22 overs under the Duckworth-Lewis Method following a near hour-long stoppage for rain during their chase, India hit the jackpot with one ball to spare.

"It was close because every time we tried to get away from them, the rain kept coming and Duckworth-Lewis came into the picture," said India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, whose unbeaten 46 from 34 balls shepherded his side over the threshold.

"Overall, I am quite happy with the performance."

India were put on the path to glory, when their openers Dinesh Karthik and Gautam Gambhir shared 95 in 12.1 overs for the first wicket.

Karthik hit the top score of 47 from 43 balls, and Gambhir made 44 from 38 balls before they were dismissed within three overs of each other to leave India 108 for two in the 16th over.

India also lost Yuvraj Singh for two and Rohit Sharma for 11, but India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni held his nerve, and helped his side navigate the closing overs to take them over the threshold.

India required 11 from the final over, and Dhoni hit a six off the second ball from Jerome Taylor over mid-wicket, before Yusuf Pathan hit the winning run, when he stabbed a short, rising ball into square cover, and scampered a single.Earlier, Ramnaresh Sarwan stroked 62 to lead West Indies to 185 for seven.

Sarwan struck five fours and a six from 58 balls, after India sent West Indies in to bat, and the home team tried to maintain the intensity, after the weather failed to cooperate, and reduced their innings to a maximum of 27 overs.

West Indies captain Chris Gayle supported with 27, Runako Morton scored 22, and Darren Bravo made 21 to keep the momentum going.

Ashish Nehra led India's bowling with three for 21 from five overs, and Harbhajan Singh captured two for 25 from five overs.

"The weather played a big part in the outcome, but there is nothing that we could have done about it," said Gayle.

"I thought we started pretty well in the batting, but we fell off a bit towards the end, and then they got off to a good start, and we tried to pull it back.

"It came down to the last over, and we have to give credit to Dhoni for the way he batted, and took his side home."

Play started two hours and five minutes late because of the weather, but then a couple more stoppages for rain forced the final reduction in the number of overs.

India were put on their heels by Gayle with typically robust batting before rain forced the players of the field. Nehra made the breakthrough for India, when Gayle was caught behind in the fourth over, but then another shower sent the players scampering.

WEST INDIES
maximum 27 overs)

C. Gayle  c wkpr Dhoni b Nehra			27
R. Morton st Dhoni b H. Singh			22
R. Sarwan run out (Gambhir/Dhoni)		62
S. Chanderpaul c Nehra b Pathan 		15
D.J. Bravo c wkpr Dhoni b Nehra			13
D.M. Bravo b Nehra  				21
D. Ramdin not out 				14
J. Taylor c I. Sharma b Harbhajan Singh  	 1
Extras (lb7, w3) 			 	10
Total (7 wkts, 27 overs)			185

Did not bat: D. Bernard, S. Benn, R. Rampaul.

Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Gayle, 3.4 overs); 2-78 (Morton, 12.3); 3-125 (Chanderpaul, 18.3); 
4-135 (Sarwan, 20.5); 5-169 (D.M. Bravo, 25.1); 6-172 (D.J. Bravo, 25.6); 7-185 (Taylor, 26.6).

Bowling: I. Sharma 5-0-35-0; 
	 Nehra 5-1-21-3 (w1); 
	 R.P. Singh 5-0-34-0; 
	 Harbhajan Singh 5-0-35-2; 
	 Yuvraj Singh 2-0-19-0 (w1); 
	 R. Sharma 1-0-7-0; 
	 Pathan 4-0-27-1 (w1).

INDIA
(target: 159 off 22 overs)

D. Karthik run out (Rampaul)  			47
G. Gambhir c wkpr Ramdin b Benn			44
M.S. Dhoni not out   				46
Yuvraj Singh c D.M. Bravo b Bernard  		 2
R. Sharma c Bernard b D.J. Bravo 		11
Y. Pathan not out 				 1
Extras (lb4, w3, nb1)  				 8
Total (4 wkts, 21.4 overs)			59

Did not bat: A. Nayar, Harbhajan Singh, I. Sharma, R.P. Singh, A. Nehra. 

Fall of wickets: 1-84 (Karthik, 12.1); 2-108 (Gambhir, 15.1); 3-117 
(Yuvraj Singh, 16.6); 4-148 (R. Sharma, 20.5).

Bowling: Taylor 3.5-0-39-1 (w1); 
	 Rampaul 4-0-26-0 (nb1);
	 Bravo 4-0-27-1; 
	 Bernard 3-0-21-1 (w2); 
	 Benn 5-0-31-1; *Gayle 2-0-11-0

Man-of-the-Match: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (India).

Umpires: C. Duncan, N. Llong.

TV umpire: G. Greaves.

Match referee: C. Broad. AFP