Karthik and Krunal guide India to victory
Former Indian skipper Azharuddin rings the bell to start the game
India made a heavy weather of a small target to beat West Indies by five wickets in the first of the three-match Twenty20 series against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata yesterday.
Chasing 110 for victory, the hosts kept losing wickets at regular intervals, the innings almost taking a similar path as the West Indies on a wicket that offered some assistance to the bowlers.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik once again proved his worth with a resolute unbeaten 31 and added crucial partnerships with Manish Pandey and debutant Krunal Pandya, who also had a memorable day with the ball.
Earlier, chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav and Krunal Pandya spun a web around the West Indies batsmen in a joint spell of eight overs to restrict them to a paltry 109/8 in 20 overs. The Windies were reduced to 34/3 in seven overs when Pandya — who had misfielded in only the second ball of the innings — was brought in.
The elder brother of injured Hardik got rid of comeback man Kieron Pollard and gave away just 15 runs while senior pro Kuldeep scalped three wickets leaking 13 runs. After 15 overs, the tourists had managed just 63 runs, losing 7 wickets.
Fabien Allen top-scored for the Windies with a counterattacking 27 off 20 balls (4x4)
while Keemo Paul remained unbeaten on 15 along with Khari Pierre (9 not out).
Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin rang the bell just after the national anthems of both India and the West Indies were played ahead of the match. Accompanied by Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Avishek Dalmiya, Azhar completed the much sought after ritual in front of a half-full stadium.
His inimitable swagger intact, the 55-year old — wearing a pink polo T-shirt and denims — wore a wry smile on his face as the venue holds a special place in his heart.