Ind A vs WI A, 1st One Day Report

India A won the first one-day match against the West Indies A by 77 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. While attempting to scale the mountainous 313-run target set thanks to a scintillating century by Yuvraj Singh and a blistering 70 not-out by Yusuf Pathan, the visitors were bowled out for 235 in the reduced 42 overs-a-side opening game of the tour.
Earlier, when invited to bat first, the home team lost opener Unmukt Chand with just eight runs on the board, and 39 runs later, Robin Uthappa became Miguel Cummins’ second victim of the day. Skipper Yuvraj Singh then joined Mandeep Singh in the middle and shaped the India A innings. The all-rounder entertained onlookers with a ton. He was involved in two century partnerships – Mandeep Singh and Pathan.
Yuvraj’s 100-run stand with Mandeep Singh for the third wicket helped lay the platform for the fireworks that followed later in the innings. After Nikita Miller bowled Mandeep Singh to end the stand, the big-hitting Pathan joined Yuvraj in the middle. Scoring at over 13 runs per over, the pair took the game away from the visitors by notching a 125-run partnership. While the India A captain smashed seven sixes during his 89-ball 123, Pathan sent the ball over the ropes six times during his 32-ball blitz.
There was no respite for the tourists as the left-right combination dealt in boundaries and sixes. With a little over two overs left in the innings, Yuvraj Singh’s mistimed attempt of taking the aerial route off Nkrumah Bonner landed safely in the hands of Ronsford Bonner at long-on. But that afforded no relief for WI A as Pathan who was in destructive form helped collect 40 off 16 balls with Naman Ojha (10*) taking India past the 300-run mark.
Chasing the imposing target, the WI A openers garnered nine and 11 runs from the first two overs while smashing Jaydev Unadkat and Sumit Narwal for a couple of boundaries. But Vinay Kumar, who introduced into the attack in the fourth over, struck immediately to remove Bonner and give the hosts their first breakthrough. Wickets then fell at regular intervals. 23 runs after Bonner edged Kumar to the ‘keeper, skipper Kieran Powell handed a simple catch to Sumit Narwal at mid-off. Kirk Edwards was the next to return to the dressing room after edging Narwal to Ojha behind the stumps.
The India A bowlers continued striking at regular intervals and pushing WI A further into a corner. Although Narsing Deonarine rallied on and scored 57 off 63 balls, he could not find an able ally at the other end. While Andre Fletcher was caught by Chand at square leg off Pathan, the bowler claimed Devon Thomas leg-before a bit later. Andre Russell ran himself out while trying to sneak in a single, and Deonarine’s resistance ended 36 runs later. The middle-order bat’s pull off Rahul Sharma ended up in the hands of Mandeep Singh at mid-wicket. Sharma then caught Miller off his own bowling in his next over. Struggling at 181 for eight there was little that Ashley Nurse and Ronsford Beaton could do as they battled on to take their team past the 200-run mark. The duo had taken the team to 205 when Beaton was out hit-wicket for 15.
Facing an impossible task of getting 108 off 32 balls the last batsman, Miguel Cummins, joined Nurse who continued to take on the opposition bowlers. He hit two sixes and brought up his half-century. But in the next over, Nurse nicked Narwal to the wicketkeeper bringing the curtains down on his innings and the match.
Brief scores: India A 312/4 in 42 overs (Y Singh 123, YK Pathan 70*, M Singh 67, A Russell 1/17) beat West Indies A 235 all-out in 39.1 overs (N Deonarine 57, A Nurse 57, S Narwal 28/2, V Kumar 42/2, Y Pathan 2/47, R Sharma 2/57) by 77 runs[/img]