Close West Indies 280 for 3 (Gayle 103, Samuels 52) beat India 279 for 9 (Laxman 99, Ganguly 78, Dravid 51; Drakes 3 for 55) by 7 wickets, with 4 balls to spare
Scorecard The last memory of the match was representative. Ramnaresh Sarwan took an easy single to win the game as Javagal Srinath tried to run him out with a bail – instead of the ball – in his hand. It was hilarious, and it was sad; it was the story of the day. India messed up in every aspect of the game – including selections and batting order – and West Indies did everything just right, without needing to ever play out of their skin.

India, already without Sachin Tendulkar, opted to play just six batsmen in this game, leaving out JP Yadav for Javagal Srinath. They then sent Ajit Agarkar at No. 3 and Harbhajan Singh at No. 5, both of whom did as little with the bat as with the ball later on. Sourav Ganguly made 78 and a fifth wicket partnership of 105 in 84 balls between VVS Laxman (99) and Rahul Dravid (51) took India to 279 in the allotted 47 overs.

West Indies overhauled the total with ease, as Chris Gayle made 103 and Marlon Samuels 52, before Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul added 59 from just 48 balls. India made at least 20 runs less than they needed on this wicket, and then, despite playing five specialist bowlers, bowled awfully.

West Indies looked like winning from the moment they went out to bat. Wavell Hinds savaged the bowling like a hun from medieval times with excess testosterone, smashing Ashish Nehra out of the attack with three boundaries in an over, and then whacking Srinath to the straight boundary.

Hinds's dismissal on 27, driving Srinath to Agarkar at mid-on (42 for 1), did not diminish West Indies' momentum in the slightest, as Gayle and Samuels counter-attacked with gusto. First, Gayle got stuck into Agarkar, hammering three fours in an over – a cover-drive, a steer to third man and a leg glance. Then Samuels did better against Virender Sehwag, smashing him over midwicket for a huge six and then taking two more fours in the same over.

Gayle and Samuels added 133 runs in 131 balls, with Gayle bringing up both the 100 and the 150 of the innings with massive sixes: the first over midwicket off Agarkar, the second a straight one off Harbhajan. Samuels, reviving memories of the Caribbean dominance of the 70s and 80s, treated the bowling as if it was a club attack, a lofted cover-drive off Anil Kumble that went for a one-bounce four being particularly breathtaking. He brought up his fifty with a pull off Sehwag, but holed out to Mohammad Kaif at midwicket two balls later trying to repeat the shot (175 for 2).

Sarwan came in and carried on from where he had left off in Jamshedpur. He was calm, unhurried and brutal on the loose balls that came his way. He played his entire innings at a run-a-ball, and even when Gayle was out shortly after reaching his hundred, bowled by Srinath playing across the line, West Indies were still the favourites (220 for 3).

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, so much the leech in Test matches, was a predator here as he smashed West Indies to an early finish with 39 off just 32 balls. Especially special were an on-bended-knee pull for four off Virender Sehwag and a super-fine sweep off the same bowler. He also walked across and whacked Ajit Agarkar to the square-leg boundary. Two boundaries off the penultimate over off Nehra sealed the issue.

West Indies had started the day wonderfully, getting rid of Virender Sehwag in the second over of the day. Sehwag, on 1, pulled Vasbert Drakes off his hips straight to Merv Dillon at fine leg (3 for 1). Agarkar, who often bowls like a batting allrounder, batted like the specialist bowler he has been for India, driving Dillon straight to Sarwan at mid-on (20 for 2).

Ganguly and Laxman then added 128 runs off 124 balls, going berserk in overs 11 to 14, the last four before the fielding restrictions were lifted: they got 43 runs in those overs, with the bowlers straying repeatedly on leg and Ganguly executing some vicious pulls to the midwicket boundary.

A stoppage due to crowd disturbance disturbed the momentum somewhat, but Ganguly and Laxman kept the scoreboard ticking. Just as they seemed to be setting a perfect platform for a final assault, Ganguly went for it too soon, hoicking Nagamootoo in the 28th over towards long-on but, sadly for him, not beyond it. Drakes took an easy catch, and Ganguly was gone for 78 (148 for 3).

The bizarre experiment of sending Harbhajan Singh at No. 5 failed, as he hoicked Nagamootoo to Ricardo Powell at long-on (155 for 4). But Laxman and Dravid then settled into a partnership that should shut up all those critics who claim that they get bogged down in one-day cricket.

Laxman, in addition to his trademark imperious pulls, wristy flicks and elegant drives also played plenty of gentle pushes into the gaps for quick singles. And Dravid showed an inventiveness that would have done Javed Miandad proud, hustling runs every which way, a particularly memorable stroke being a reverse sweep off Chris Gayle for four.

Disaster struck in the 44th over when, with India on 259 for 4 and seemingly headed towards 300, Dravid was run out pushing for a second run which would have taken Laxman to 100 (260 for 5). A distraught Laxman was stumped the next ball – Mahendra Nagamootoo was the bowler – and India lost their way from then on, making at least 20 less than they should have. In the end, that made all the difference.

Amit Varma is assistant editor of Wisden.com in India.

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