Sport

India rides on Raina’s century

— PHOTO: AFP

GOOD GOING: Alok Kapali lofts one of his five sixes during the course of his maiden ODI century on Saturday.

Karachi: On a day when fielders seemed to have dabbed their hands in butter and dropped catches, Man-of-the-Match Suresh Raina ensured that the winning spirit stayed glued to the Indian team.

Chasing Bangladesh’s 283 for six in 50 overs, Raina’s unbeaten 116 helped India register a seven-wicket victory in the STAR Cricket Asia Cup semifinal league match at the National Stadium here on Saturday. India scored 284 for three in 43.2 overs.

A series of stutters marred the chase as Robin Uthappa missed the line completely and Rohit Sharma promised much but was out for 22 off 23 balls.

At 56 for two, southpaws Gautam Gambhir (90, 84b, 10x4, 1x6) and Raina (116 not out, 107b, 11x4, 3x6) set about repairing the damage. The duo chanced its arms but the resultant errors scraped through Bangladeshi palms as Mahmudullah dropped Raina on 16 and Farhad Reza grassed Gambhir on 56.

The freebies were gratefully accepted as Gambhir and Raina built a 139-run third-wicket partnership in 133 deliveries. Gambhir, who has enhanced his stature over the last year and Raina, on the comeback trail, farmed the strike and found the fence to ease the chase.

Gambhir danced down and lofted Mahmudullah to the long-off ropes and seemed set for a hundred when an uppish on-drive off Reza was held by Mortaza. Raina meanwhile cruised to his second ODI hundred, a six off Abdur Razzak was followed by a four to fine-leg and he was soon sprinting towards Yuvraj Singh for the embrace. Later, Yuvraj too kept propelling the ball into the Karachi sky and fittingly Raina got the winning run with a single to fine-leg.

Earlier Alok Kapali, with a blend of irreverence and instinctive strokeplay, scored his maiden ODI hundred and also found surprise-allies in an errant attack and struggling fielders.

Kapali (115, 96b, 10x4, 5x6) walked in at 120 for four in 23.2 overs after Mohammad Ashraful elected to bat and found an early impetus through southpaw Tamim Iqbal’s bat (55).

Kapali slog swept over the mid-wicket ropes twice to usher in his fifty and then his side’s 200-run mark and also enjoyed his reprieves as Manpreet Gony grassed him early on and Gambhir dropped him after he had just notched up his hundred.

Eventually Kapali perished in the deep with Ojha holding on and lending some belated sheen to an otherwise forgettable day for the fielders.

SCOREBOARD

  Bangladesh: T. Iqbal c Dhoni b Ishant 55, Nazimuddin c Ojha b R.P. Singh 6, Mohd. Ashraful c Ojha b Gony 20, R. Hasan b Ojha 25, Mushfiqur Rahim c Dhoni b Ojha 22, A. Kapali c Ojha b Gony 115, Mahmudullah (not out) 26, Farhad (not out) 0; Extras (lb-5, w-9): 14; Total (for six wkts. in 50 overs): 283.

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-66, 3-102, 4-120, 5-169, 6-281.

India bowling: R.P. Singh 10-1-65-1, Gony 8-0-65-2, Ishant 10-0-48-1, Ojha 10-0-43-2, Y. Pathan 10-0-44-0, Yuvraj 2-0-13-0.

India: G. Gambhir c Mortaza b Reza 90, R. Uthappa b Shahadat 2, R. Sharma c Reza b Shahadat 22, S. Raina (not out) 116, Yuvraj (not out) 36; Extras: (lb-11, w-7): 18; Total: (for three wkts. in 43.2 overs): 284.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-56, 3-195.

Bangladesh bowling: Mortaza 9-0-55-0, Shahadat 9-0-60-2, Mahmudullah 6-0-35-0, Reza 6-0-38-1, Razzak 9.2-0-59-0, Kapali 4-0-26-0.

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