Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Live Scores-Tendulkar ensures series victory

One-day international, Vadodara: India 341-3 beat West Indies 181 by 160 runs
Here are the Live Scores.
Sachin Tendulkar scored his 41st century in one-day internationals as India beat West Indies by 160 runs in Vadodara to clinch the series 3-1.

The hosts smashed 341-3 in the final match before bowling out the Windies for 181 in the 42nd over.

Tendulkar's century, brought up with the final ball of the innings, took him 76 balls as he hit 10 fours and a six.

West Indies, who won the toss, were unable to mount a challenge, though Marlon Samuels top-scored with 55.

The match was an excellent work out for India's World Cup ambitions.

Both Sourav Ganguly (68) and captain Rahul Dravid (78) filled their boots, while Mahendra Dhoni clubbed an unbeaten 40.

The experiment to move Tendulkar into the middle order from his normal opening berth will surely be the World Cup tactic now.

Ganguly, fluent in his stroke-play as he notched up his second half-century of the series, added 101 for the second wicket with Dravid.

The former captain was eventually stumped charging Chris Gayle, but Tendulkar, who scored a fifty in the previous match, displayed pristine form.

He was particularly severe on left-arm paceman Ian Bradshaw, hitting him for three boundaries in a row.

He survived two dropped catches late in his innings, but even if they had been taken, India's total would barely have been reduced.

Captain Dravid, also finding form at the right time, notched up his second consecutive half-century with seven fours before being caught on the mid-wicket boundary.

The West Indies made three changes to the squad that won last Saturday by three wickets.

Opener Shivnarine Chanderpaul, all-rounder Dwayne Smith and Bradshaw were included in the new line-up, replacing the injured Dwayne Bravo, who has a sore left shoulder, Runako Morton and Jerome Taylor.

India made five changes with Ganguly, pace bowlers Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan, wicket-keeper Mahendra Dhoni and off-spinner Harbhajan Singh included in the team.

Pathan, playing for the first time in the series, was India's most expensive bowler.

Courtesy of a winderful Yuvraj Singh catch, however, he took the wicket of Devon Smith which left the tourists on 65-3 in the 15th over.

The position looked hopeless and the twin run outs of Lara and Lendl Simmons - the first fortunate, the second following a direct hit from substiture Suresh Raina - ended the match as a contest.

A 65-run stand between Samuels and Denesh Ramdin (40) saved some face but India's victory was wrapped up when Daren Powell was caught off an ambitious swipe against Yuvraj.

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