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Preview Two worlds collide on Saturday when mighty India tackle the United Arab Emirates’ team of shipping clerks and airline staff, with at least two of the Gulf amateurs relishing the World Cup showdown at the WACA. All-rounder Krishna Chandran and wicket-keeper Swapnil Patil were both born in India but, frustrated by the pedestrian pace of their playing careers in the country’s over-crowded talent market, they decamped to the UAE where they could pursue both jobs and cricket. [caption id=“attachment_2127385” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
India are now favourites to win their group. Getty[/caption] Chandran hails from Kerala and once featured for a Bangalore college club alongside Stuart Binny, who is a member of the India squad at the World Cup. “It’s going to be a big moment for people back home,” 30-year-old Chandran, who moved to the Gulf in 2010, told wisdenindia.com. “For people who saw me playing in my shorts, with a tennis ball, on the streets of my home village of Kollengode, it’s going to be a big thing to watch me on TV, playing against India, in a World Cup match, at a ground like the WACA.” Chandran, who has become something of a curiosity at the World Cup due to his surname of Karate which adorns some of his playing gear, made a solid 34 runs in the opening loss to Zimbabwe before being dismissed for nought in the heart-breaking two-wicket defeat by Ireland. Patil is another Indian expat and he is looking forward to meeting up with star batsman Ajinkya Rahane who smashed 79 against South Africa. Patil and Rahane played in a variety of youth teams in Mumbai before the keeper decamped to Dubai. But the 29-year-old Patil, one of seven players in the UAE squad who only made their debuts last year after completing residency qualifications, has fond memories of his time spent with Rahane. “As juniors we have spent much time together. Because of distances in Mumbai, we couldn’t hang out together after games but Ajinkya is like a brother," Patil told the Indian Express. “Once I moved from India, we lost contact. But one day at the Dubai airport, he was returning from India’s A tour to South Africa, it was like old times again.” Reigning champions India’s much-vaunted batting line-up has impressed so far at the World Cup, but captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said his fielders deserved credit for restricting opposition totals. - Bench strength - “If we score 280, for example, we know with our fielding we can actually add another 15 runs. I think we have got some excellent fielders, and apart from that we have got fast bowlers who are above average fielders,” said the skipper, whose team were livewires against South Africa. “Overall I’ve got plenty to play with.” India have a mixed record at the WACA, winning four times and losing six, with one of those defeats coming against England during the tri-nations series in January. Now they may use Saturday’s match to test their bench strength. Waiting in the wings are batsmen Ambati Rayadu, all-rounder Binny, young left-arm spinner Akshar Patel and seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The United Arab Emirates have made a mark at the tournament, with Pakistan-born Shaiman Anwar scoring the first hundred by a UAE batsman at a World Cup with 106 off 83 balls against Ireland. All-rounder Amjad Javed, who made 42 and took three for 60 in Brisbane, believes that performance, as well as Ireland’s win against the West Indies and competitive displays by Afghanistan and Scotland, should force a rethink by the International Cricket Council (ICC) who plan to cut the 2019 World Cup to 10 teams. “They have to introduce more teams in the World Cup. The teams are not coming straightaway to the World Cup, they are going through a process and then they are qualifying for the tournament,” Javed said. “So I think they should increase the number of teams.” AFP
World Cup, India vs UAE as it happened: India thump UAE by nine wickets
India have a mixed record at the WACA, winning four times and losing six, with one of those defeats coming against England during the tri-nations series in January.
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Dhoni: It is important in these conditions you execute your plans don’t give the batsmen a chance to score freely. Yes, we dropped one catch today but overall the fielding has been good. When we were losing games outside the subcontinent, that was the big problem, we were not able to take wickets in the middle overs. Now we are getting wickets with the new ball and the spinners are putting pressure in the middle overs. They have been a complete unit. And they have shown they can do it game after game.
Bhuvneshwar looked good. With the swing he is getting, it will be more useful if he touches that 130 kph. It was a good one for him and the team.
The guys have taken the extra-responsibility in ICC tournaments. The dressing room atmosphere is the key aspect. Let’s you come back to form. With a bit more support and people turning up – the Indian cricket team loves to play in front of a houseful crowd. To maintain the intensity at times is difficult.
R Ashwin is the Player of the Match.
Ashwin: I [normally] bowl at such times of the game where I am trying to buy wickets. Trying to stem the flow of runs. I am an attacking bowler, I love to have wickets at my back. But when it comes to this format, I am unselfish.Iit doesn’t matter if I get the numbers or not as long as I put in the effort required. I am able to vary my pace better now. And the breeze across the ground helped today.
Over 18.3: India 104/1 (Rohit 57, Kohli 33)
India win by 9 wickets with 31.1 overs to spare. Rohit finishes the game with one swing of the bat. Down the wicket and smacks Tauqir to the long-off boundary.
Between them, the two teams batted for 50 overs and two balls. Another comprehensive and clinical win for India.
Over 18: India 100/1 (Rohit 53, Kohli 33)
Kohli waits and cuts Chandran between the two fielders either side of point to bring up India’s 100. Just three needed now. Everyone must be glad they had that break. Would have been too taxing to play three more overs.
Over 17: India 94/1 (Rohit 52, Kohli 28)
Tauqir starts us off again. Rohit gets to his fifty by cutting a short and wide delivery behind point. It hasn’t been the most convincing innings but he will be glad to have some runs to his name.
http://www.firstpost.comOver 16: India 88/1 (Rohit 46, Kohli 27)
A quiet final over before the break. Two singles and a two. And now the players will go off with India needing only 15 runs to win the game. Why the ICC can’t be flexible enough to allow the game to finish is something I don’t understand.
Over 15: India 82/1 (Rohit 45, Kohli 24)
The umpires go upstairs after Rohit has a waft at Tauqir and misses everything and the keeper takes the bails off. Rohit isn’t worried and the replay tells us why – his foot was down well before the stumping.
Having learned from that shot, Rohit flails Tauqir through the covers off consecutive balls. Big stride with the front foot and drives through the ball. 11 from the over when you add in three singles.
Over 14: India 72/1 (Rohit 35, Kohli 23)
Chandran comes on to bowl his dibbly-dobblies. After a couple of singles, Chandran offers a half-volley that Kohli stretches forward and thrashes through the covers.
Over 13: India 66/1 (Rohit 34, Kohli 18)
Javed comes on. His first ball is too straight and Kohli does what Kohli does best – punch it through midwicket with his wrists. Kohli took a couple of steps down the track too. A single to the left of mid-off completes the scoring
Over 12: India 61/1 (Rohit 34, Kohli 13)
Tidy over from Guruge. Just two singles from it.
Over 11: India 59/1 (Rohit 33, Kohli 12)
Rohit drives a full delivery but the fielder at cover makes an acrobatic stop and keeps the damage down to one run. After a Kohli single, Rohit throws the bat at another full delivery. Doesn’t get hold of it but gets enough to loft if over mid-off to the boundary. The commentator points out it was hit with the wind. A single off the last ball will keep Rohit on strike.
Over 10: India 52/1 (Rohit 27, Kohli 11)
Width for Kohli and he cracks the ball through the offside to bring up India’s fifty. A punch behind point for two rounds out the scoring.
Over 9: India 46/1 (Rohit 27, Kohli 5)
Naveed gets carried away with the short ball. Rohit happy to pull him for back-to-back boundaries. Naveed overcompensates. Bowls it too full outside off and all Rohit has to do is present the full face of the bat. Three boundaries in the over.
Over 8: India 34/1 (Rohit 15, Kohli 5)
After three balls angled across Kohli that the batsman is forced to defend, Guruge makes the mistake of bowling on Kohli’s pads and gets driven through midwicket for his trouble. Kohli just turned those steel-like wrists on the ball. Guruge goes back to angling the ball across Kohli and two more dots ball are the result.
Over 8: India 34/1 (Rohit 15, Kohli 5)
After three balls angled across Kohli that the batsman is forced to defend, Guruge makes the mistake of bowling on Kohli’s pads and gets driven through midwicket for his trouble. Kohli just turned those steel-like wrists on the ball. Guruge goes back to angling the ball across Kohli and two more dots ball are the result.
Over 8: India 34/1 (Rohit 15, Kohli 5)
After three balls angled across Kohli that the batsman is forced to defend, Guruge makes the mistake of bowling on Kohli’s pads and gets driven through midwicket for his trouble. Kohli just turned those steel-like wrists on the ball. Guruge goes back to angling the ball across Kohli and two more dots ball are the result.
Over 7: India 30/1 (Rohit 15, Kohli 1)
A single to fine leg gets Kohli going.
Over 6.3: India 29/1 (Rohit 15)
Dhawan looking much the better batsman. Just a touch legside from Naveed and Dhawan turns his wrists over and works it past square leg. Waited on the ball and played it under his nose rather than reaching for it.
OUT! Stunning catch. Dhawan forced to slash uppishly towards point by the bounce and Mustafa leaps and sticks out his right hand to snatch the ball out of the air. Celebrations all round for the UAE.
S Dhawan c Rohan Mustafa b Mohammad Naveed 14 (17b 3×4 0x6)
Over 6: India 25/0 (Rohit 15, Dhawan 10)
Something has to be done about the bats. Rohit top-edges a pull shot but the ball flies and flies and flies over the rope for SIX! That shouldn’t happen. The next ball is pitched up and beats Rohit’s front foot defence. UAE go up in unison but the umpire is unmoved. Snicko shows the sound was bat hitting pad, not ball. That mishit six was the only scoring shot in the over.
Over 5: India 19/0 (Rohit 9, Dhawan 10)
Naveed too full and too straight and Rohit is able to flick him to long leg for a single. Nothing wrong with the next delivery – length ball seaming in – but Dhawan is able to punch it past mid-on to the boundary. A push more than anything else but he is in good form, is Dhawan. The final ball is crunched through the offside for another boundary.
India might be up and running now.
Tariq Engineer is a sports tragic who willingly forgoes sleep for the pleasure of watching live events around the globe on television. His dream is to attend all four tennis Grand Slams and all four golf Grand Slams in the same year, though he is prepared to settle for Wimbledon and the Masters.