India thrashed hosts West Indies by nine wickets after bowling them out for 85 in their final warm-up game on Friday.
Updated at 1.37 am
FALMOUTH (Jamaica): India thrashed the West Indies by nine wickets in their final World Cup warm-up match here on Friday to serve a reminder that they would be a one of the major challengers at the quadrennial cricketing extravaganza.
The Indian bowlers, led by the impressive Munaf Patel (4-10), skittled out the Caribbeans for a paltry 85 before achieving the target for the loss of only one wicket with the minimum of fuss.
The hosts were dismissed in mere 25.5 overs while the Indians coasted home in 18.3 overs, meaning that the match lasted under 45 overs in total.
Youngsters Robin Uthappa (35 not out in 43 balls) and Dinesh Kaarthick (38 not out in 67 balls) shrugged off another disappointing outing from Virender Sehwag (0) and took the team home without further setbacks.
They played several delightful strokes on both sides of the wicket and after seeing off the opening spell of an impressive Darren Powell, took full advantage of the rest of the Caribbean bowling which was largely wayward.
However, the continuing poor form of Sehwag would be a worry for the team management after he was once again out to a loose stroke outside off-stump.
Earlier, Patel and fellow Baroda player Irfan Pathan picked up seven wickets between them to leave the home side with a lot of problems going into the opening match of the World Cup against Pakistan on March 13.
The two carried on the good work of opening bowlers Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan who got rid of the dangerous West Indian opening pair of Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chris Gayle.
The conditions were not suited to batting as dampness on the surface afforded swing to bowlers but home captain Brian Lara still went ahead and elected to bat, probably sensing that the pitch would only get slower as the day progressed.
But he probably had not bargained for the spineless home batting with he contributing the most with 22 runs.
Shivnaraine Chanderpaul (6) attempted a flick off Zaheer Khan and Chris Gayle (6) edged a defensive prod off Ajit Agarkar as West Indians lost its openers off successive balls at the total of 14 runs.
Ramnaresh Sarwan (13) and Brian Lara (22) seemed to have put things in order with a stand of 39 runs for the third wicket but it was not to be so.
The introduction of Irfan Pathan in the 14th over and Munaf Patel in the next really put the skids under the West Indian feet.
Lara started the slide when, seemingly confused, he offered a return catch to Pathan in his follow through. Lara's 22 off 34 balls were laced with four delectable boundaries.
Sarwan (13) departed at the other end when he drove a catch off Patel in the hands of second slip fielder Robin Uthappa to leave his team at 53 for four.
The bottom now came off with wickets falling in a heap, both Pathan and Patel making hay amidst some thoughtless home batting.
Scoreboard
West Indies
Chris Gayle c Dhoni b Agarkar 6
Shivnarine Chanderpaul c Dhoni b Khan 6
Ramnaresh Sarwan c Uthappa b Patel 13
Brian Lara c and b Pathan 22
Dwayne Bravo c Harbhajan Singh b Patel 0
Kieron Pollard c Dhoni b Pathan 2
Denesh Ramdin c Sehwag b Patel 3
Marlon Samuels lbw b Pathan 0
Lendl Simmons not out 9
Dwayne Smith c Karthik b Patel 13
Jerome Taylor lbw b Kumble 0
Extras: (2nb, 9w) 11
Total: (all out) 85.
Overs: 25.5.
Fall of wickets: 1 14, 2 14, 3 53, 4 53, 5 57, 6 61, 7 62, 8 62, 9 80, 10 85.
Bowling: Ajit Agarkar 7 1 27 1, Zaheer Khan 6 1 22 1 (3w),
Irfan Pathan 6 0 25 3 (1nb, 5w), Munaf Patel 6 2 10 4 (1w), Anil Kumble 0.5 0 1 1 (1nb).
India
Robin Uthappa not out 35
Virender Sehwag c Ramdin b Powell 0
Dinesh Karthik not out 38
Extras: (8lb,2nb,3w) 13
Total: (for 1 wicket) 86
Overs: 18.3.
Fall of wicket: 1 6.
Did not bat: Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh,
Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Anil Kumble,
Harbhajan Singh.
Bowling: Jerome Taylor 6 0 31 0 (3w), Daren Powell
7 0 21 3 (1nb), Corey Collymore 3 0 11 0, Dwayne Bravo
2.3 0 15 0 (1nb).
Umpires: Asoka de Silva, Sri Lanka, and Brian Jerling,
South Africa.
Toss: West Indies.
Result: India won by 9 wickets.
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