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Journalism of Courage
It was one of those moments that invariably gain entry into the sporting bloopers collection and stay there for years. If there was a provision for netting an own goal in cricket,this was it: Darren Bravo holding onto a catch in the deep and kicking the ball away,oblivious to the fact that the delivery Tino Best had sent down was a free hit.
Not only had he cost his team two runs,the junior Bravo also received an earful from his fellow Trinidadian Kieron Pollard,who if anything was already under plenty of stress in his first outing as West Indies captain. This was in the second over of India8217;s innings,in which they scrapped their way to 229/7 from 50 overs. In reply,at the time of going to print,the West Indies were 44 for three after nine overs.
soft dismissal
You could say it8217;s the curse of being Rohit Sharma. He8217;s usually a treat to the eye when he8217;s at the crease 8212; until the soft dismissal. This was the case on Sunday at Sabina Park,on a pitch not really designed for artistic strokeplay of the sort he specializes in.
It was instead one that demanded that batsmen graft and grind for their runs. Grafting and grinding for runs has seldom looked prettier than when Rohit was at it. Chris Gayle had produced a blistering ton on the same wicket a couple of days ago. That was manic. This was altogether different.
While he did allow himself to indulge in a risky T20esque swipe over third man for six off Best in the fourth over of the day,Rohit8217;s innings was all about keeping his head down and trying to make the most of any ball that was pitched slightly short or gave him some room. In Kemar Roach,Best and Sammy,he had quite a variety of challenges on his hands. Roach almost always darted the ball in from an angle at good pace,Best tested the bounce of the wicket relentlessly and Sammy plugged away at a nagging line and length.
Best Ok,Sammy hardest
Against Best,Rohit kept out anything that was pitched on a length with a dead bat,never closing or opening the face of his bat to avoid any indiscretions. But the Bajan did provide him with plenty of width,and he cashed in each time.
Sammy was the hardest to get away on this slow wicket,and Rohit preferred to play him off the back foot,rarely committing to any delivery and nudging him behind square for singles and fours. Roach was mainly picked off for singles on the on side by using his natural angle. It wasn8217;t a wicket where too many boundaries could be scored straight down the wicket but as he brought up his half-century,Rohit seemed to have got the measure of conditions and looked well set for more. That is when he decided to attempt something he had not done throughout his innings,and swiped at Sammy to hole out at long off.
Though Rohit8217;s dismissal left India slightly in the wobbles,Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni provided them some respite,with the left-hander scoring 44 aggressive runs.
