Rain has final say in first one-dayer

Ajinkya Rahane, in his first One-Day International in five months, and Shikhar Dhawan made breezy half-centuries before rain cut short India’s march in the first game of a five-match series against Windies in Port of Spain on Friday (June 23).

The openers put on 132, their third century stand in their last five innings, to lay the foundation for a big total before rain arrived for a second time to decisively halt India’s innings at 199 for 3 in 39.2 overs when it was primed for a final push. At the interruption, Virat Kohli, the skipper, was unbeaten on 32 and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, his predecessor, was not out on nine.

Windies was set a revised target of 194 off 26 overs on the DLS Method if there was no further interruption, but right on cue, the rain arrived again to force the match to be abandoned without Windies getting the opportunity to begin its chase.

In its first game since Anil Kumble stepped down as head coach, India handed a debut to Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm wrist spinner, after Jason Holder won the toss and opted to bowl first. If Holder had expected that his bowlers would make the most of early moisture, he was in for a rude shock as Rahane and Dhawan looked untroubled against the Windies attack.

Rahane took his time playing himself in while Dhawan, the top-scorer at the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 where India lost the final to Pakistan at The Oval last Sunday, continued from where he left off. The left-hand batsman unleashed a flurry of strokes either side of the wicket to race off the blocks as India maintained a steady run-rate.

With time spent in the middle, Rahane too opened up and held his own while making a 78-ball 62 when he holed out to mid-on off Alzarri Joseph, the paceman. By then, 132 had been raised in 150 deliveries, with the last five partnerships between this largely makeshift pair now reading 83, 125, 56, 112 and this 132.

Kohli looked unhurried as he and Dhawan raised a further 36 for the second wicket. Dhawan looked set for a second century in his last five innings when he was trapped in front by Devendra Bishoo, the leg-spinner. His 87 came off just 92 deliveries, and contained eight fours and two sixes.

Yuvraj Singh picked out mid-wicket to give Holder his only success of the innings, but Kohli and Dhoni had just set themselves in for the final charge when the rain first arrived with India on 189 for 3 off 38 overs. After a break of just under an hour, the players came on for a few more minutes and India kicked on to 199 for 3 when the rain came back stronger to eventually bring an end to its innings. That was to be the last slice of action for the day.