India A vs West Indies, Warm-Up Match 2 | West Indies Tour India 2014

India A won the second practice game by 16 runs against the touring West Indies side at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.  (Also Read: Report: India A vs West Indies, warm-up match 1)

Electing to bat first, India A were lifted to 282 courtesy the 149-run stand for third-wicket between Unmukt Chand (101) and Karun Nair (64) in the day/night game. After the departure of Nair the scoring rate dipped and India A lost wickets at regular intervals resulting in the hosts getting bowled out with 11 balls remaining in their quota of 50 overs. 

Chasing the total, the West Indies were kept in the fray by the Denesh Ramdin-Darren Sammy pair after losing their top four wickets for 65 runs. The wicket-keeper batsmen continued to anchor the innings until he was sent back for 102. Although Jason Holder continued to put up a fight he couldn’t take the team across the line. He made a valiant 54 before being caught by Jasprit Bumrah off his own bowling with two balls remaining in their innings.

Earlier, carrying forward from their unbroken match-winning partnership in the first practice match, Chand and Nair laid the foundation after Murali Vijay departed early in the innings. The senior opener scored 21 of the 26 runs in the opening stand before nicking Jason Holder to the wicketkeeper.

Nair who then joined Chand in the middle was the more aggressive partner as they pilfered runs of the West Indies bowlers. The No 3 batsman clobbered the visitors preferring the square-leg region to clear the ropes as they kept the scoreboard ticking. Chand after playing himself in steadily milked the opposition as the partnership grew. 

However, the flourishing stand ended with Nair hitting Kemar Roach to Jermaine Blackwood at point. 

The India A captain who then came to the crease departed edging Jerome Taylor to the wicketkeeper after adding just seven runs to the total. 

Sanju Samson followed him back after taking India past the 200-run mark with Chand. With wickets falling at the other end and the rate of scoring slowed down the hosts innings plodded on. Chand who had reached 91 with a six, bided his time at the crease and inched towards his 100 surviving a scare en route. The opener then glided Taylor to square-leg to reach his ton. However, later in the over he was yorked by the bowler. 

The West Indies line-up, which folded for 148 in the first practice game, had two changes in their side. Blackwood and coach Stuart Williams had come in for Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo respectively. 

Opening the innings with Leon Johnson, Blackwood was the first to return to the pavilion with just 13 runs on the board. Attempting a lofted shot over mid-off, he was caught in covers by Mann for seven.

13 runs later Johnson departed giving a catch to Murali Vijay at second slip off Bumrah. He was followed back by Samuels, bowled by Karn Sharma. With three wickets gone for 47 runs, captain Pollard joined Ramdin in the middle. 

After adding nine runs to the tally, Pollard’s woodwork too was disrupted by the leg-spinner. With the team struggling on 65/4, Sammy made his way to the middle and with Ramdin looked to avert a collapse like in the previous game. 

Ramdin struck Binny to the fence to bring up his half-century. Kulkarni brought back into the attack gave the hosts a much-needed breakthrough with the wicket of Sammy. The batsman who had reached his fifty off the previous delivery was caught by Samson as the mistimed pull went high in the air and ended the fifth wicket partnership for 101. 

With the team precariously placed on 166/5 Holder came to the crease and supported Ramdin who continued to hold the innings together. The wicket-keeper batsman brought up his century off 99 balls but while taking the aerial route he was caught by Bumrah near the fence off Nair for 102 off as many balls. 

With 55 runs required off 33 balls, Taylor then joined the tall all-rounder in an effort to attain the target. The pair put up a fight to keep themselves in the game but Kulkarni castled Taylor in the pen-ultimate over to end the stand for 32. 

Facing an improbable task of 23 runs in the last over the West Indies lost both Rampaul and Holder in the last over and ended up with a second successive role. 

Brief scores: India A 282 all out in 48.1 overs (U Chand 101, K Nair 64, J Taylor 3/51) beat West Indies 266/9 in 50 overs (D Ramdin 102, J Holder 54, D Kulkarni 3/39 ) by 16 runs.

source: bcci.tv