6th Match: India v Kenya at Port Elizabeth, 17 Oct 2001 CricInfo Live Report

6th Match: India v Kenya at Port Elizabeth, 17 Oct 2001
Peter Robinson

India innings: 15 overs, 30 overs,
Pre-game: Toss,
Kenya innings: 15 overs, 30 overs, Innings,

KENYA SCENT MAJOR UPSET AS INDIA COLLAPSE

Kenya continued to sniff out the prospect of a major upset as India’s top order was pushed aside in the Standard Bank One-Day International at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh were dismissed off successive balls to follow Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly back to the dressing room and after 30 overs India were 100 for six.

The Indian batting continued to lack conviction as Tony Suji struck a double blow in the 19th over of the innings. With the fifth ball of the over he had Rahul Dravid caught behind by Kennedy Otieno for 11 before Yuvraj Singh chopped the next ball onto his off stump to have the Indians 60 for four.

Reetinder Singh Sodhi joined Jacob Martin as India sought to make something from the wreckage of their top order, with Sodhi making his intentions clear when he lifted Tony Suji over long on for six.

And when the legspinner Collins Otieno came into the attack for Suji his first two balls, both long hops, were struck firmly away through midwicket for fours.

Martin, meanwhile, kept his end up, but the loss of the early wickets ensured that the required run rate, just under five to the over at the start of the innings, had crept up above six.

Joseph Angara, the man who started the rot by dismissing Sachin Tendulkar for 3, came back into the attack to strike another blow for India. It was not the best of deliveries, short and wide outside off stump, but Sodhi wristy cut was quite wonderfully caught by Collins Otieno, one-handed as he dived to his right. Sodhi’s 21, which included three fours and a six, had come off 25 balls and his departure reduced India to 97 for five.

Angara then took his third wicket, bowling Martin through the gate for 36 to have India in desperate trouble at 100 for six.

ANGARA SETS INDIA BACK ON THEIR HEELS

A remarkable opening burst from Kenya’s Joseph Angara, playing his first match in the Standard Bank One-Day Series, rocked India back on their heels at St George’s Park on Wednesday night.

Angara grabbed the prize wicket of Sachin Tendulkar as he opened with four successive maidens as India, chasing 247 to win, reached 46 for two after 15 overs. Not out at that point were Jacob Martin on 17 and Rahul Dravid who had yet to score. At the same stage in their innings, Kenya had been 60 for one.

Tendulkar simply could not get out of the blocks on a perfect batting pitch as he faced 20 balls in making just 3. Fourteen of the deliveries came from Angara who bowled the Indian star with the second ball of his third over.

At 7 for one India seemed bewildered by the state of affairs and the first boundary of the innings only arrived in the seventh over when Ganguly glanced Martin Suji to fine leg.

After another maiden from Angara, Ganguly clearly decided that enough was enough, moving down the wicket to crash a six over extra cover and then putting the seamer back over his head for another six as 13 came off the over.

Angara was rested after six overs in which he took one for 19 and when Thomas Odoyo came into the attack he struck immediately, bowling Ganguly behind his legs for 24 to have the Indians 40 for two.

There was another scare for the Indians before the fielding restrictions were lifted when Martin edged Tony Suji just short of Ravindu Shah at slip and later in the over Kennedy Otieno missed a difficult chance from Martin, then on 16.

KENYA REACH 246/6 AGAINST INDIA IN PORT ELIZABETH

Kenya built their most impressive batting effort of the Standard Bank One-Day International Series on the back of a century opening partnership at St George’s Park on Wednesday. Again three Kenyans scored 50s as they made up for the humiliation of being bowled out for 90 last Friday by taking 246 for six off India in their 50 overs.

After both openers had gone within the space of four balls, Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo added 80 for the third wicket with Odoyo the primary aggressor. Tikolo, captain for the day in place of the suspended Maurice Odumbe, made 27 before being bowled by Harbhajan Singh at 203 for three.

Odoyo had reached his own 50 and raised the Kenyan 200 with two fours of Yuvraj Singh in the 42nd over of the innings, but he eventually fell for 51, caught on the midwicket boundary by Jacob Martin off Anil Kumble at 213 for four.

Collins Otieno made only 3 before he skied one off Venkatesh Prasad to be caught by Reetinder Singh Sodhi, but his brother, David, gained some measure of revenge by hitting Prasad’s next ball into the sightscreen for six.

David Otieno went quickly to 26 off 27 balls before he was bowled by Prasad, hitting across the line in the last over of the innings.

For the Indians, whose fielding fell some way below the standards they had set at Centurion Park and in Bloemfontein last week, Harbhajan was again the pick of the bowlers, taking two for 38 in his 10 overs.

INDIA STRIKE BACK AFTER CENTURY OPENING STAND FOR KENYA

A 121-run opening partnership between Kennedy Otieno and Ravindu Shah gave Kenya their best start in the Standard Bank One-Day International Series against India at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday. Both batsmen were dismissed in the space of four balls, however, and after 30 overs Kenya were 128 for two.

Otieno has assumed the senior role in the partnership, hooking Sourav Ganguly for six high over backward square leg for six as the Indian captain was hit out of the attack with 21 coming off his first three overs.

There was a narrow escape for Shah when he had 38 as he scooped Anil Kumble just over the head of Ganguly at wide mid on before Otieno reached his 50 by slashing Reetinder Singh Sodhi over point for his sixth four. Otieno then took Kenya in three figures in the same over, hoisting Sodhi high over long off for his third six.

But having reached 64, Otieno tried to repeat the stroke off the left-arm spinner Yuvraj Singh and succeed only in lifting a high catch to Sachin Tendulkar at long off. The first Kenyan wicket had fallen at 121 and four balls and two runs later Shah went for exactly 50, lapping Harbhajan Singh around the corner straight to Yuvraj at backward square leg.

Otieno’s 64 had come off 95 balls with six fours and three sixes while Shah took 50 balls for his 50, hitting five fours.

The dismissals brought Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo together and after 30 overs Tikolo had 4 with Odoyo on 1.

OPENERS GIVE KENYA SOLID START AGAINST INDIA

With Kenya clearly anxious to avoid a repetition of last Friday’s capitulation against India, openers Ravindu Shah and Kennedy Otieno batted watchfully through the first 15 overs of the innings, reaching 60 for no wicket in the Standard Bank One-Day International at St George’s Park on Wednesday.

On Friday, Kenya were bowled out for just 90, but Shah and Otieno put together Kenya’s best opening partnership of the series. Not that there were many there to watch it with just a few hundred spectators scattered about the ground.

Shah and Otieno helped themselves to a boundary apiece off Venkatesh Prasad and Harvinder Singh before Sourav Ganguly switched his new ball pair around. Shah played several handsome drives off the back foot off Prasad, but Otieno produced the best shot of the stand when he whipped Prasad over square leg for six.

Shah emulated the stroke in Prasad’s next over with the ball landing just inside the rope and then Otieno produced another fiercely-struck boundary, a spanking straight drive off Harvinder.

The 50 came up when Otieno dabbed a Harvinder no ball down to third man for a single in the 13th over and when the fielding restrictions were lifted, Shah had 29 with Otieno on 24. Kenya had scored at four runs to the over at this point.

KENYA OPT TO BAT AGAINST INDIA AT ST GEORGE'S PARK

Kenya’s stand-in captain Steve Tikolo won the toss the elected to bat against India in the Standard Bank One-Day International at a sunny, windy St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.

Tikolo has taken over from Maurice Odumbe, banned for two matches for comments he made about umpire Dave Orchard after Sunday’s game against South Africa in Kimberley.

The Kenyans, still without a win in the series, brought in Sandeep Gupta and Joseph Angara with Jimmy Kamande dropping out.

India, meanwhile, made three changes to the team that crushed Kenya by 10 wickets in Bloemfontein last Friday. Virender Sehwag, Javagal Srinath and Ajit Agarkar were rested with Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Venkatesh Prasad and Harvinder Singh coming into the side.

Teams

Kenya: Steve Tikolo (capt) Kennedy Otieno, Ravindu Shah, David Otieno, Sandeep Gupta, Thomas Odoyo, Martin Suji, Tony Suji, Collins Otieno, Brijal Patel, Peter Ochieng.

India: Sourav Ganguly (capt), Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Yuvraj Singh, Jacob Martin, Deep Dasgupta, Harbhajan Singh, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad, Harvinder Singh.