India labour, concern over Dhoni
July 01, 2013
However a bigger concern for the ODI world champions in defence of the total and for the rest of the competition could be the fitness of their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
He sustained an injury to his right leg in scampering a sharp single
nearing the end of the innings, and despite lengthy treatment on the field, was clearly significantly limited in his mobility before his dismissal shortly after.
Opening batsman Rohit Sharma top scored with 60 and featured in a 58-run fifth-wicket partnership with the experienced left-hander Suresh Raina, whose knock of 44 was the next best effort among an Indian batting line-up that generally struggled to come to terms with the two-paced nature of the pitch.
That was much in the same manner as experienced by Sri Lanka on the way to a six-wicket defeat at the hands of the West Indies in the tournament's opening fixture on Friday at the same venue.
West Indies had their own injury problems before a ball was bowled as regular captain Dwayne Bravo and fast-medium bowler Ravi Rampaul were ruled out with groin and ankle ailments respectively.
Kieron Pollard took over the reins of leadership while Devon Smith and Tino Best were drafted into the final eleven.
Opening bowler Kemar Roach and former captain Darren Sammy had identical bowling figures of two for 41 while Best also claimed two victims in his final spell after being expensive and wayward in his earlier effort with the new white ball.
Unusually, spinner Sunil Narine proved the most expensive, conceding 56 runs off ten wicketless overs, including 17 off the last over of the innings.
In what may have been a miscalculation by Pollard, Marlon Samuels was not allowed a full allotment despite conceding just 20 runs off nine overs in which he claimed the wicket of Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik may now be called upon to deputise for Dhoni behind the stumps in the second half of the match due to the Indian captain's on-field injury. (AFP)
