Monday, March 19, 2007

400 Hundred Something..!

So it's the lunch break of the India - Bermuda group B match of the cricket world cup 2007..! And India already has created a world record by hitting 413 runs for 5 wickets..! The highest in all the world cups so far by any team..!
It was a spectacular performance by the top order batsmen..! The ground was flooded with sixes and fours all over..! Especially Yuvraj Singh's 83 off just 46 balls, including 7 sixes..along with Sachin's 57 off just 29 balls. And of course earlier contributions from Sehwag and Ganguli..Sehwag was finally back in form after numerous failures...and hit 114..along with 89 by Ganguli..!

In all great team effort..! Poor Bermudians they had no choice but to resign to their fate today..!

This was badly needed to overcome the debacle by the team in an earlier game against Bangladesh and to stay in the tournament..! Hopefully India will make it to the Super 8 and beyond without not much trouble..!

Congratulations..!

Kaushal

P.S: Some more details on today's match posted below from here:

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50 OVERS: India set ICC Cricket World Cup record score

Yuvraj Singh hit a 46-ball 83 with seven 6s and Tendulkar smashed 57 from 29 balls as India hit a record 413 against Bermuda.

It was the highest score ever in ICC Cricket World Cup history.

It took only 17 balls for Yuvraj and Sachin to go from 350 to 400 as two sixers came off almost each over.

Rahul Dravid hit the last ball for 6, bring the sixer total to 18 as India wiped away the memory of their Bangladesh debacle.

Sachin Tendulkar hit two sixes in the 46th over to make a score of 400 possible for India.

In the next over, Yuvraj brought up his 50 with a six that was caught brilliantly one-handed at the boundary and then the fielder went over the rope.

At that stage India were 357/5 and with 18 balls left. Though Yuvraj fell after that, caught trying to hit another six, India's momentum took them through.

Now the need to restrict Bermuda to less than 120 to stay in the hunt for the Super Eights on run-rate.

45 OVER BULLETIN: Yuvraj reigns

Yuvraj Singh cut loose and clattered big Dwayne Leverock for 16 runs in three balls as India began to look beyond 350.

At the end of 44 India were 318/4.

Yuvraj swung Leverock twice into mid-wicket and then hit a lofted drive over his head to take India past 350.

Sachin at the other end kept conceding the strike to Yuvraj as the leftie went after the bowling.

Earlier, it seemed India were posed to hit 350 but struggling to get anything above that. The new batsmen at the crease had to accelerate an already high run rate.

Sachin Tendulkar came in at No 6 and was dealing in singles as India had 10 overs in which to add the 77 that would take them to 350.

With Dravid still to come, India had the batting to take them there. Yuvraj was batting on 16, almost all coming in ones, and the big hitting had not yet started for India.

Yuvraj survived a hairy moment in over 42, when he had his foot in millimetres behind the crease to a stumping chance.

40 OVER BULLETIN: Target 350

Mahinder Singh Dhoni went trying to force the pace as India looked to pull itself beyond the 7/over rate at which they were hitting Bermuda in the 38th over.

He and new man Yuvraj were unable to hit many boundaries as the slow bowlers gave away mostly singles to India.

With Sachin at No 6 joining Yuvraj, and Dravid yet to come at No 7, the Indians had deployed a strange batting line-up.

Dhoni fell to a great catch, Tucker running it down from long-off and diving full length to hold on. Dhoni hit 29 from 25

35 OVER BULLETIN: Ganguly goes

India were flying at 7 runs as over as Bermuda tried to stop the rampaging batsmen.

They had some success when they got Virender Sehwag out, but with Dhoni taking his place India made its intent clear.

Ganguly at the other end was approaching his century and looking in great form.

One dark spot in India's horizon was the rain clouds that had gathered over the stadium and rain at some stage looks likely.

30 OVER BULLETIN: Sehwag goes after hundred

Virender Sehwag roared back into form with a century in 81 balls, studded with 14 4s and three 6s, before falling for 114.

India went past 200 as the final power play was deployed by Bermuda from overs 26-30 and were 210/2 at the end of it.

Gangly on the other side was beginning to accelerate as he went past his 50, hitting 62 in 88 balls with two 4s and 2 6s.

Bermuda's bowlers were able to put little pressure on the Indian batters and were engaged in an exercise to stop runs going at express pace. With 150 coming around the 25th over, 350 was possible.

25 OVER BULLETIN: Ganguly joins the party

India's old opening firm of Ganguly and Sehwag bashed the Bermuda bowlers around as rain started falling on the Queen's Park Oval.

Ganguly hit a 50 and Sehwag was moving towards a century and was only 10 runs away.

18th over: Sourav Ganguly played out a maiden from Tucker before stepping out to Leverock and clouting him over long-off for six, his first of the match. He has been playing slowly, and similarly to his last innings against Bangladesh.

Sehwag on the other hand has now changed tactic and stopped his big hitting. He took his last boundary in the 16th over and has since been doing it in singles to reach 75 off 56 balls.

15 OVER BULLETIN: Sehwag's in charge

Virender Sehwag found his mojo, flashed his bat and kept his head still as India galloped to 99/1.

In the 15th over, he hit a lofted drive to mid-off for six, the first of the innings, and then sent one over point for another six.

First change bowler Jeneiro Tucker was hammered for a lofted backfoot four over mid-off for Virender Sehwag as he brought up his 50 with 11 boundaries in 43 balls.

Next over, Ganguly stepped out to Hurdle and mis-hit to sent the ball towering into the air but Deloyne Borden, running towards the cover boundary was not able to hold on.

In the 14th over, Sehwag plonked his foot down and crashed Tucker through mid-on for a super boundary.

10 OVER BULLETIN: Sehwag's back

Virender Sehwag got going for India and was playing in the sort of manner that his name is associated with, as India went put up 63 for the loss of Uthappa.

Of these, Sehwag had 43, 16 coming in the 10th over.

In the 10th over, Sehwag clouted Jones through the off-side, then glided him delicately through fine leg, then cut him through point and then again cover drove him for four boundaries.

In the 9th over, he had blasted Kevin Hurdle through point uppishly for four.

in over No 6 bowled by Malachi Jones when he hit two balls through covers, both short and wide, for boundaries. In Jones's 8th Sehwag hit a glorious cover drive for 4.

Ganguly on the other end was carrying on from his last innings, though he charged Jones in the same over and missed.

Bermuda's bowlers were on the money most of the time and Hurdle, when he wasn't overstepping, troubled the batters around the good length area.

5 OVER BULLETIN: India start gingerly

India were put into bat by Bermuda and were tentative to post 23/1after 5 overs.

Robin Uthappa fell first ball of the 2nd over, caught brilliantly by Dwayne Leverock bringing Sehwag to join Sourav Ganguly. The Indians fluffed a couple of full tosses in their defensive frame, both from Kevin Hurdle.

Sehwag, who started with an appalling shot, seemed to settle in after that.

At the end of the 4th over, India were 20/1 with Ganguly scoring a streaky 4 off Malachi Jones, whose accurate off-side ball got an edge that went through what would have been second slip to the boundary.

3rd over: Kevin Hurdle, erratic in Bermuda's first match against Lanka, bowled within himself and with accuracy as a tense India struggled to find its feet.

Jones bowled a no-ball in the over, a short ball outside off stump but Sehwag couldn't do anything with it. The last ball of the over saw the Sehwag of old, one foot down, smashing it through extra cover.

India 14/1 after 3.

India got the start it didn't want when Robin Uthappa played one outside the off-stump without moving his feet and big Dwayne Leverock dived at slip to his right and held a stunning diving catch.

India 4/1 in the 2nd over; Malachi Jones (17-years-old) gets wicket first ball. Separate celebrations erupt on the ground. One end taken up by ecstatic Leverock around whom the team converges; the other has Jones by himself.

New man Virender Sehwag came and first ball flailed at it with no footwork and missed, blocked the next ball and then tried the exact same thing the ball after and missed again.

Showing more respect he shouldered arms the 5th ball and on the last ball he went back and slapped Jones through point for 4. India 8/1 after 1.

India started gingerly in the first over bowled by 6' 5" Kevin Hurdle (who made Jayasuriya bleed the other day).

Uthappa blocked a full-toss and then blocked a half-volley, which ran to long-on for 3. India are off: 3/0 after 1.

Bermuda won the toss and put India into bat at the Queen's Park Oval.

Both teams lined up for a moment of silence in memory of former England Test player and Pakistan Coach Bob Woolmer, who died on Sunday.

Indian captain Rahul Dravid brought back leggie Anil Kumble in place of off-spinner Harbhajan Singh.

Opener Virender Sehwag, in the middle of a bad patch, was played but demoted in the order. But this did not bring Sachin Tendulkar out to open; so at the start the line-up read: Uthappa, Ganguly, Sehwag.

Struggling pacer Irfan Pathan was also left out, with the same three pacemen -- Munaf, Zaheer and Agarkar -- remaining in the team.

India and Bermuda both lost their opening matches at ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, India to Bangladesh and Bermuda to Sri Lanka.