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Stuart Binny said he got the opportunity to spend some time in the middle against Zimbabwe, something he had not had in his previous ten ODIs

Liam Brickhill10-Jul-2015Stuart Binny has been a professional cricketer for more than a decade, and an international one for 18 months. Yet in 10 one-day internationals before this one he’d never really had the chance to show what he’s capable of with the bat. In the first ODI against Zimbabwe, Binny walked out with his side in deep trouble at 87 for 5 – but importantly there was still half the innings to be played, and he had time to express himself fully with a career-best 77 at better than a run a ball.”I’ve played 10 ODIs and I haven’t had the opportunity to bat more than five or six overs,” Binny said. “It was a great opportunity for me to go and spend some time in the middle and try and get as much as we could.”Binny didn’t have it all his way at the start of his innings. With Chamu Chibhabha in the middle of a parsimonious spell of medium pace, Binny suppressed his attacking instincts for a good half hour before biffing legspinner Graeme Cremer over long-on for six. Slowly but surely Binny and his partner, centurion Ambati Rayudu, eased India back into the game.”We didn’t set any totals when we went into bat, we just wanted to bat the next 10 overs and try not to lose any more wickets. It was a bit tough, but the wicket started to ease out a bit. Once you were set you could rotate the strike a bit more and play a few shots. But we just wanted to bat the first ten overs.”The pair eventually added 160 for the sixth wicket – a record for India – and combined to help India reap 90 runs from the last 10 overs as the hosts’ attack grew increasingly ragged. The match was ultimately a close one, with India winning by just four runs, and Binny stressed upon the advantage of having set batsmen in the crease at the death.”The difference was when we were batting it was me and Rayudu both set at that point of time, but [Zimbabwe] had one batsman set and the other one was trying to rotate the strike so two didn’t go hard at the same time. But when we were batting we set the platform. We had batsmen in the shed who could go, and we were both set on 60-plus. If you’re set you’ve got to take it as far as you can.”With all of the matches on this tour being played at Harare Sports Club, it’s likely that India will have to overcome bowler-friendly conditions again, and Binny suggested that a healthy respect for the new ball was needed.”If we get a chance to bat up front again early in the morning it’s crucial, with the Dukes ball that does swing and seam a bit, that we’ve got to give the bowlers a lot more respect, compared to playing with the Kookaburra ball in other ODIs. If you can get through the first 15 overs without losing more than a wicket or two, then we’ve got the firepower to get 300 in an ODI.”

On a day when Australia and India each had a dominant opener – Rohit Sharma made 138 and Aaron Finch 96 – the difference between the sides was Mitchell Starc

The Report by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG18-Jan-2015
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:28

Agarkar: Starc just kept attacking

On a day when Australia and India each had a dominant opener – Rohit Sharma made 138 and Aaron Finch 96 – the difference between the sides was Mitchell Starc. For the second consecutive game, Starc broke through in the first over of the match. For the second straight time he was Man of the Match in an Australian win. In Sydney he took four wickets against England; here it was six against India.Starc’s 6 for 43 was the second-best return ever in an ODI in Australia, and his efforts cannot be underestimated. Both of Australia’s wins to begin this tri-series have occurred in good conditions for batting. At the MCG, India chose to bat first and Rohit’s 138 could have been the catalyst for a huge total, but Starc ensured that Suresh Raina’s 51 was the only other contribution of significance.India finished on 8 for 267, leaving Australia to chase exactly the amount they successfully pursued against South Africa at the same ground in November. That win came with exactly six balls to spare, and James Faulkner at the crease. Remarkably, this victory also came with exactly six balls to spare and Faulkner at the crease. His finishing ability was again on display as he and Brad Haddin took 16 off the 49th over.Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the bowler, and had just delivered a wicket-maiden. But in the 49th, Haddin struck one boundary and Faulkner two, including the winning runs, a sweep past fine leg for four. Australia’s four-wicket win was complete. India’s problem had been a lack of incision from their bowlers earlier, allowing Finch to compile half-century stands with David Warner and Shane Watson, and a 101-run partnership with Steven Smith.The wickets for India came sporadically. Warner skied a catch off Umesh Yadav for 24, Watson entertained with 41 from 39 balls before he was bowled trying to sweep Akshar Patel, and Smith struck a slower bouncer from Mohammed Shami to midwicket on 47. There was no sense of momentum from India in the field, and Australia easily milked runs through the middle of the chase.Finch was not required to play the ultra-aggressive game he sometimes does, striking his 96 from 127 deliveries with five fours and two sixes. He did not always get the ball out of the middle of the bat, but worked it around adequately enough to cause India problems. He edged behind off Yadav with 49 still required off 59 balls, but it would have taken a collapse for Australia to muff their lines.There nearly was one, as George Bailey was stumped off R Ashwin for 5 and Glenn Maxwell caught and bowled for 20 in Bhuvneshwar’s wicket maiden. But Faulkner and Haddin were good enough to get Australia home from a position of 20 runs needed from 17 balls.The day had started perfectly for Australia after MS Dhoni chose to bat. Starc had broken through twice in the first over of the match against England in Sydney on Friday and here he again struck in the opening over, albeit only once, when Shikhar Dhawan edged to slip. The total became 2 for 33 when debutant Gurinder Sandhu’s extra bounce had Ajinkya Rahane caught behind.Virat Kohli was unable to immediately transfer his Test form to the ODI series and top-edged a catch off Faulkner, which left India at 3 for 59. But Rohit and Raina then steadied the innings with a 126-run partnership that carried India out of danger and into a position from which they could have pressed on to a hefty total. Then came Starc’s second wind.He had Raina caught at mid-on for 51 off 63 deliveries, Dhoni chopped on for 19 and two balls later Patel was lbw for a duck. Starc completed his five-for by picking up Rohit, caught off a full toss searching for some quick runs in the dying overs, and it was the fourth time Starc had taken an ODI five-for. Only Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath have done that more times for Australia, even though Starc has played only 30 games.By bowling Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a golden duck next ball, Starc also became the sixth Australian to take at least six wickets in an ODI, and the first to do it in Australia. His red-ball work over the past year might have been mixed, but with the white ball Starc is approaching unplayable levels. Only Ajit Agarkar has ended an ODI in Australia with better figures than Starc, and then by only one run.By comparison, Pat Cummins, Faulkner and Sandhu struggled to contain India in quite the same way. Sandhu, who became Australia’s 206th ODI cricketer, bowled with tight lines early but later in the innings was wayward. Rohit enjoyed batting against Sandhu, Faulkner and Cummins, and continued his habit of taking the Australians apart in limited-overs cricket.His third ODI century against them, and his sixth in total, should confirm his place as India’s opener of choice for the World Cup, a position for which he was preferred in this game to Rahane, who batted at No.3. Rohit was keen to score from the word go, and clubbed Cummins back over the bowler’s head for six in the fourth over, one of four sixes he struck during his innings.He also picked up nine fours and brought up his century from his 109th delivery; notably Warner at third man was clapping as Rohit celebrated by raising his bat to the crowd. Rohit and Warner had a heated exchange earlier when it appeared the Australians were annoyed that India had taken an overthrow, believing the throw had deflected off Rohit.Replays could not verify whether the ball had struck Rohit, but could confirm that he was on the end of some angry-looking words from Warner, and the umpire John Ward had to step in. It could not detract from a fine innings from Rohit, who had struggled during the recent Test series.He scored plenty of runs behind the wicket on both sides and frustrated the Australians by picking the gaps, and every run was cheered by a huge contingent of Indian fans in the crowd of 34,253. Those fans went home unhappy with the result, but pleased with what they saw from Rohit ahead of the World Cup.

Some of the world's top players are into the final year of their deals, meaning they could leave at the end of the season – Goal takes a look at them

Check out the football players out of contract in 2020 in this updated article!Getty ImagesMario Balotelli | FW | Marseille

Mario Balotelli has enjoyed a career resurgence in Ligue 1 and has recently completed a move to Marseille from Nice until the end of the season.

The Italy international will see out the second half of the campaign at the French side – but where he goes afterwards will depend on how he performs during the season. He has been pictured attending games in Serie A, most recently the encounter between Inter and Atalanta. Make of that what you will.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesHatem Ben Arfa | MF | Rennes

Former Newcastle United, Paris Saint-German and Lyon star Hatem Ben Arfa is often considered one of football's 'nearly men'. Blessed with oodles of ability, the France international's career never quite took off as many would have hoped.

He has shone since joining Rennes in 2018 and his exploits will not have gone unnoticed, nor will the fact that his contract expires this summer. However, it must be noted that there is an option to extend.

Getty ImagesYacine Brahimi | FW | PortoYacine Brahimi has been a key member of the Porto team for the past five seasons since joining from Granada, but he could potentially decide to move on next summer. The Algeria international has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs, including Wolves, Everton and West Ham.ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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GettyGary Cahill | DF | Chelsea

No longer considered first-choice at Chelsea, Gary Cahill is weighing up his options as his career with the Blues approaches an end.

Derby County have been heavily linked with the 32-year-old, who recently retired from international duty as part of an effort to prolong his club career, but his vast experience means he would also be an attractive acquisition for a number of Premier League teams too.

Real Madrid have reportedly made their decision on Toni Kroos' future as his contract nears its expiry in the summer.

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German midfielder nearing the end of his contractMadrid mulling to hand him a one-year extensionContinues to be a cornerstone in their midfieldWHAT HAPPENED?

With Carlo Ancelotti's contract already extended until 2026, the likelihood of Kroos staying for another year has increased, reports German media outlet . The Italian manager highly values Kroos for his strategic prowess at the centre of the park and is advocating his extension, especially with fellow midfielder Luka Modric's diminished importance at the club.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite the emergence of younger talents like Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni, Kroos remains a key figure in Real Madrid's midfield as he continues to impress consistently in crunch matches for Los Blancos. His recent performances have convinced the Madrid hierarchy of his enduring quality and it has been reported that talks over his contract extension are expected to commence at the end of March, with both parties keen on reaching an agreement.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kroos has allegedly made it clear to his entourage that he intends to either continue with the Spanish giants or retire from professional football at the end of the current campaign. If he chooses to try his luck for more silverware beyond the summer, Madrid are ready to offer him a new one-year contract, similar to the arrangement in 2023.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

It is believed that Kroos is also mulling over a return from international retirement and play a part for Julian Nagelsmann's Germany in the upcoming European Championship if he is indeed called up. Nonetheless, Madrid will remain a significant part of his life post-retirement as his family including his wife and children have found comfort in Spain.

Rob McElhenney claims prolific Wrexham striker Paul Mullin has “inspired millions all over the world” and will help to make the club even “bigger”.

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Star striker closing in on 100 goalsLeading another promotion pushCo-owner remains a big fanWHAT HAPPENED?

The 29-year-old frontman was a marquee addition for the Red Dragons back in 2021 – a matter of months after McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds completed their stunning takeover. Mullin is closing in on 100 goals for the Welsh outfit and was a talismanic presence as they secured promotion back into the Football League last season.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Mullin has become a star of the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series, helping to raise his profile in America and beyond, with the promise of much more to come from him. His latest outing saw another match ball collected after netting a hat-trick against Accrington Stanley.

WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID ABOUT MULLIN

McElhenney was at that game and has been quick to sing the praises of Mullin as he continues to make an impressive contribution on and off the field. The Wrexham co-chairman told : “When you put in the work like Paul does, good things happen. The man you see in the documentary is the man who he is. He’s inspired millions of people all over the world, for so many different reasons, and I’m so proud that’s he’s part of this organisation. Not just because he scores hat-tricks every once in a while. The more games that this man plays for this club, the bigger this club is going to continue to get.”

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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR MULLIN?

Wrexham remain in the hunt for automatic promotion out of League Two this season, with Mullin helping to fire them back into the top three of that division. Phil Parkinson’s side have 11 games remaining in which to try and steer clear of the fourth-tier play-off lottery.

Adam Wheater has bought himself out of his contract with Essex and will move to Hampshire with immediate effect.

George Dobell01-Mar-2013Adam Wheater, the highly-rated wicketkeeper batsman, has bought himself out of the final year of his contract with Essex and will move to Hampshire with immediate effect on a two-year deal.Wheater, 23, has been looking for other opportunities for some time. ESPNcricinfo revealed in September that he was in talks with Hampshire, among other clubs, but Essex were refusing to let him leave before the end of the 2013 season.He was expected to start the season in Essex’s side as a batsman but had become the county’s third choice wicketkeeper behind long-standing James Foster and England Lions’ keeper Ben Foakes.Wheater feels he will have a much greater opportunity to take the gloves at Hampshire and is expected to displace Michael Bates.If that is the case, Bates, 22, may consider himself unfortunate. While the 22-year-old is a batsman of modest ability – first-class average of 19.66 – he is an exceptional wicketkeeper. He played a pivotal part in Hampshire’s CB40 success last season, taking the final ball stood up to the stumps against the pace of Kabir Ali. He has taken 102 catches in 33 first-class games.But Hampshire manager Giles White insisted Wheater would have to earn his place: “No assurances or promises have been made to Adam but we are delighted that he has chosen to pursue his career at Hampshire.”He will add competition with the gloves and comes with an impressive first-class batting average. We have experienced, first-hand, that he is a young player with great ability and we hope that he is able to fulfil his potential and build on what has been a bright start to his career.”Wheater, who attended Millfield School in Somerset, scored 462 first-class runs from the middle order at 35.35 in 2012.”Over the winter months, Adam made it very clear that he would like to progress his wicketkeeping,” Essex head coach, Paul Grayson, said. “It is always sad to lose a player you have nurtured from a young age but we understand that to progress his career in his preferred role in the team he will need to change club.”

It’s a sign of the times that India not pressing for a Test win and settling for the series victory becomes raging news. Not long ago Indians would have lapped up the series victory with glee. Times they are changing. Of course, not long ago, India weren’

Sriram Veera at Windsor Park11-Jul-2011It is a sign of the times that India not pressing for a Test win and remaining content with a 1-0 series victory becomes raging news. Not long ago, India’s supporters would have lapped up the series win with glee. The times, they are a-changing. Of course, not long ago, India weren’t the No.1 team in the world. On Sunday, ESPNcricinfo’s commentary feedback was filled with angry emails, raging against the decision to give up the chase in Dominica. “Shame on India. Black day for cricket,” screamed one. “Calling off a Test match needing 86 runs off 90 balls looks crazy to me,” said another. Fire was raging in India. Peace and joy in Babylon.And so curiosity prevailed at the press conference to see the Indian team’s reply to that criticism. Duncan Fletcher, India’s coach, turned up. And he decided to counterattack. He got increasingly irritated with the constant questioning. Surely he expected it?Two minutes into the conference, Fletcher was beginning to steam. “I said it before. It [run-scoring on that pitch] was difficult. Once it got to four or five runs per over we were struggling to score. We were struggling to score three runs per over. The side decided it was difficult to get those runs and thought what’s the point in going there and ending up maybe with just one side able to win it.”Three and half minutes into it, he was fed up. “Huh … I have covered it. I have been repeating myself the whole time. I have told you it was difficult to score runs. If a man on 40 is struggling to score at three runs an over, how can you expect someone to go in there and knock five or six runs an over?”His reaction wouldn’t have surprised many. When he coached England, the local press called him Mr. Grumpy. How he manages the media shouldn’t be an issue; how he manages the Indian team is the real deal, and by the perception you get from talking to players, he has started off on a fine note. Still, the abandoned chase rankled many.Duncan Fletcher: “How is someone who goes in there meant to suddenly start scoring five runs per over?”•Associated PressHe offered explanations for giving up. The chief reason according to him was the pitch. It was a difficult track to score runs on. It wasn’t hard to stay in there but apparently it was tough to get moving, especially for the new batsmen. The fall of Suresh Raina sealed it for the team. “Once Raina was sent in he found it very difficult. He had gone there as the left-hander to take on the legspin bowler. But it was turning straightaway; they block off one side and it’s always difficult to chase four runs an over in a Test match because you can do what you like with the field; there are no fielding limitations, and the most important thing was the wicket was very slow. Once it’s so slow you can’t play your shots, and that’s a huge advantage for the bowling side. Unless there was some real bad bowling it was difficult to score.”Raina played 18 deliveries and scored eight runs. There were no boundaries. Fletcher said that more than his dismissal, the fact that he was unable to score during his stay was what decided the matter for them. “If he had gone in there and hit a couple of boundaries and then got out we would have said let’s keep going because it’s easy to score runs. Even Rahul [Dravid] said it wasn’t easy to score runs.”The feeling one got was that perhaps someone like Virat Kohli could have been sent in ahead of VVS Laxman and asked to have a go. Kohli had had a poor series and there was nothing to lose. He would, perhaps, have cherished the opportunity to get out there, make a name for himself and get some confidence.There is this other thought that’s prevalent in the Indian fans’ minds. Shouldn’t the world’s No.1 team go out there and make a statement? Wouldn’t Australia at their prime have gone for it? “Well, you don’t think we made a statement here?”, Fletcher responded when the question was put to him. “I think we made a statement. We came here with four top players missing – Sehwag, Gambhir, Tendulkar and Zaheer – and we have won 1-0; I think that’s quite a statement. We are not sitting back on it, because at the end of the day we would have liked to have won 4-1 in the ODIs and 2-0 in the Tests. And that could have happened in Barbados. We have to look at this one and say this was a tough one to win. In Barbados, with another half an hour, if the bad light hadn’t come in I think we could have won.”I just think that when you look back at the pessimism with which people reacted when this side was selected, winning three series is great achievement.”Fletcher said he was happy with the series as a whole and there were many positives to emerge. “This series has been very good. Some youngsters were given an opportunity and especially the bowlers. Ishant Sharma winning the Man of the Series has shown a lot of promise. Unfortunately for Munaf, he had to sit out the first two Tests and it was very hard to ask him to come here, and a bloke like PK would have obviously found it very difficult with this very slow wicket and it didn’t really swing. From a bowling point of view they should have learnt a lot and hopefully they have.”Only thing is, it would have been nice if some of the batsmen had got some runs but it was good at the end of the day that all the batsmen got runs at some stage and that is very good for the England series.”Fletcher said the experience would be immensely beneficial to the young batsmen. “Just to be involved with the legends like Rahul Dravid and Laxman will only do them good. It was very difficult for them.”He turned avuncular for a moment and showed great understanding and sympathy for the likes of Virat Kohli, M Vijay, S Badrinath. “It’s more difficult for young Indian cricketers than anyone else because they are given such limited opportunity and they have to try and replace these great players. They just put pressure on themselves and you can’t stop putting that kind of pressure on yourself. You know you just get one or two opportunities and it will affect you. Hopefully they have learnt the mental side of things and it will do them some good.”Just don’t ask him about the chase, though.

It took Surrey six games last season to record their first Championship victory. When Northamptonshire slid to 163 for 7 on the second day at The Oval, Surrey looked on the way to winning at the first attempt this time round but Andrew Hall and James Midd

Sahil Dutta at the Oval09-Apr-2011Stumps
Scorecard
It took Surrey six games to record their first Championship victory last season. When Northamptonshire slid to 163 for 7 on the second day at The Oval, Surrey looked on the way to winning at the first attempt this time round but Andrew Hall and James Middlebrook fought back with an unbroken 120-run stand to leave the game intriguingly poised.After the first day rattled along, proceedings were more meandering on another heady afternoon of London sunshine. The patience on show from both sides was in stark contrast to the flamboyance of Surrey’s batsmen but Tim Linley’s four wickets and Northamptonshire’s eighth-wicket pair demonstrated all the merits that dour discipline can still have.Linley found the perfect rhythm early on with his unflashy wicket-to-wicket medium-pace, barely venturing from back-of-a-length on off stump, to ensure Surrey might yet come away with a first-innings lead.It was his morning spell that set the tone. Nine splice-jarring overs for 11 runs and the key scalp of Steven Peters, pinned on the crease lbw for 19. Though Yasir Arafat was below his best Stuart Meaker provided useful support and – but for overstepping – would have had Rob White, who eventually top-scored with 78, out for a duck. A ball that nipped back on a lowish-surface struck White plush in front only for the no-ball to be signalled. Having grimly resisted all morning, Mal Loye suddenly ran down on at Gareth Batty on the stroke of lunch, only for a quicker ball to slide past him onto middle stump.After lunch, White made use of his no-ball reprieve by picking off the few loose offerings and when he swung an Arafat half-tracker over deep square to bring up his half-century Northamptonshire were looking comfortable. Linley then returned, this time from the Vauxhall End, with another nip-backer which, thanks to Alex Wakely’s generous leave, uprooted off stump.That sparked a mini-collapse as Northamptonshire lost three further wickets for six runs in 15 balls. First Meaker found David Sales’ edge, to make it four ducks in five Championship innings against Surrey, then Niall O’Brien squeezed a full, wide Linley delivery low to Steve Davies to fall for a duck. O’Brien felt he had jammed into the ground though and was disgusted with the decision.Chaminda Vaas fell soon after, missing an ill-advised and ambitious sweep to give Batty a second wicket and leave Northants wobbling at 163 for 7.It needed captain Hall to shore his side up. Together with Middlebrook he scrapped in the lengthening shadows and made use of a tiring attack. Hall and his Surrey counterpart, Rory Hamilton-Brown, could hardly appear more contrasting but his rugged, sensible 55 not out was every bit as crucial to Northamptonshire’s innings as Hamilton-Brown’s polished 74 was to Surrey’s.Middlebrook, ending the day unbeaten on 49, was equally accomplished and the pair batted through the entire evening session to surpass Rob Bailey and Paul Taylor’s Northamptonshire record for the highest eighth-wicket stand against Surrey. With the pitch dusting anything around 300 will be difficult to chase on the final day which leaves the game resting on Surrey’s inconsistent batsmen on day three.

England Lions pair James Taylor and James Harris were the stars of the third day of Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay

19-Aug-2011
Scorecard
England Lions pair James Taylor and James Harris were the stars of the third day of Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two clash against Leicestershire at Colwyn Bay.Taylor scored 127 not out, his first Championship century of the season, while Harris claimed 5 wickets for 45 runs from 27 overs – this third five-wicket haul of the summer. Leicestershire declared their first innings on 309 for 7 in a bid to force a positive result. And with an 83-run first innings advantage Glamorgan finished their second innings on 146 for 4 – an overall lead of 229.Glamorgan will probably leave Leicestershire a chase of something in the region of 320-330 runs from 60-70 overs. Leicestershire had resumed the third morning on 140 for 4 requiring a further 103 to avoid the follow-on.In a morning session relatively free of incident, Glamorgan managed to take just the one wicket when Harris claimed his fourth wicket accounting for Wayne White – who had reached his 50 from 80 balls. When Paul Dixey joined Taylor the east Midlands county still wanted 82 to save the the follow-on.Taylor had been very watchful throughout his innings until on 72 he played his first shot in anger -driving Robert Croft for six over long-on, a shot which should have been caught by Will Owen on the boundary but it went through his hands. Dixey went to his 50 from 95 balls, but in the next over he edged Harris into Wallace’s gloves to give the seamer his fifth victim – his third five-wicket haul of the summer.Taylor went to his first Championship century of the season. It was a marathon effort taking six hours 21 minutes. He faced 255 balls. Just before the declaration Nick James took his first Championship scalp with his second ball, bowling Jigar Naik.After Taylor saw Leicestershire to their third batting point Hoggard declared. Either side of tea Glamorgan lost a wicket – Petersen edged an attempted cut behind off Buck. From 25 for one the home side slumped to 29 for two when Rees was caught down the leg-side in the first over after tea off White.Will Bragg and Stewart Walters steadied the Glamorgan ship in a third wicket partnership of 76 to take the overall lead to 159 before Walters chipped off spinner Naik to midwicket. James became Naik’s second wicket, trapped lbw, before Bragg reached his half-century from 98 balls just before the close.

It took Darren Sammy and Andre Russell 5.4 overs of mayhem to undo an afternoon of impressive work from India, and plot their first defeat in 12 home ODIs

The Report by Nitin Sundar05-Dec-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe irrepressible Ravi Rampaul ensured West Indies pulled one back•AFPIt took Darren Sammy and Andre Russell 5.4 overs of mayhem to undo India’s impressive afternoon, and plot their first defeat in 12 home games. They came together after Ravindra Jadeja pulled off an outfield catch for the ages to remove Kieron Pollard, West Indies’ most dangerous batsman on paper. Sammy and Russell proceeded to test that assumption with an unbroken partnership of delightful ferocity that yielded 79, propelling West Indies to 260. The bowlers, led by the irrepressible Ravi Rampaul, then sliced through India’s top order and set up West Indies’ first win on tour.Two things have been constant in this series – Rohit Sharma’s pristine form, and the game-changing capabilities of the last wicket pair. Under lights, West Indies did enough to overcome both and finish on top. Rohit stroked a pleasing 95 as India crumbled around him, but ran himself out in a desperate effort to manipulate the strike to be the ninth man dismissed. Abhimanyu Mithun and Umesh Yadav then lashed 28 for the final wicket to keep West Indies on edge, before Rampaul yorked Mithun to close the game.Barring Rohit’s stunner, which puts him firmly in the frame for a Test debut in Australia, almost nothing went India’s way. Yadav and Vinay Kumar impressed with the new balls before being pounded at the death. Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir bagged first-ball ducks to extend their worrying runs of poor form, with Australia looming. To make matters worse, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina perished to umpiring errors that could have been reversed if the DRS had been in place.It was a stunning turnaround for India, who could scarcely put a foot wrong earlier after winning the toss. Seam and swing weren’t supposed to be part of the agenda on a sweltering afternoon, but Vinay produced away seamers, Yadav pace and swing, and Mithun a raft of indippers. India’s spinners backed them up well to ensure they kept winning the big moments. The half-centurion Marlon Samuels exited just as he was primed for assault. The man most likely to assist him, Darren Bravo, was forced to retire hurt with a hamstring strain. And then Pollard was caught spectacularly to leave the innings faltering. The Sammy-Russell show was only getting started, though.Smart stats

India’s 11-match winning streak in home ODIs came to an end with the 16-run defeat. Their previous loss at home came against South Africa in Nagpur during the World Cup.

West Indies’ win is their fifth in seven ODIs at the venue. It is their most successful venue in India followed by Guwahati and Jaipur where they have won three matches each.

The stand of 79 between Darren Sammy and Andre Russell came off just 34 balls and is the fourth-highest sixth-wicket stand for West Indies against India. The partnership run-rate of 13.94 is the highest for a fifty-plus stand for West Indies against India.

The 73 runs scored by West Indies between overs 46 and 50 is third on the list of most runs scored by them in the last five overs of ODIs played since 2000. The highest is 79 against Canada in 2008.

Ravi Rampaul’s 4 for 57 is his sixth haul of four wickets or more in ODIs. It is also his third-best bowling performance against India after the 5 for 51 in Chennai in the World Cup and the 4 for 37 in Kingston in 2009.

Rohit Sharma scored his third consecutive half-century of the series and his fourth in four ODIs against West Indies. He now averages 75.57 in 12 ODIs against West Indies with six half-centuries.

The 91-run stand between Rohit and R Ashwin is the highest seventh-wicket stand for India against West Indies. It surpasses the previous best of 88 between Rohit and Harbhajan Singh in North Sound in 2011.

West Indies’ score of 44 is the second-lowest aggregate in the first 15 overs in Ahmedabad in ODIs since 2000. Sri Lanka had scored the fewest (37) against South Africa in 2006.

West Indies’ cause was aided by India’s inexperience, as Yadav and Mithun delivered despicable lengths in the slog. Sammy wound up for the fun by redirecting Vinay for two fours, before Russell carted Yadav for a monster six. Next, Sammy turned his attention towards Mithun, scything a wide ball, and hammering a length delivery for fours. He then unfurled two sixes dripping with typical Caribbean audacity on either side of the wicket – a slash over cover and a merry whiplash over midwicket. Russell then went ballistic in Yadav’s last over, drilling a near yorker down the ground and fore-handing a length ball for fours, before teeing off towards the press box.India seemed hung-over from the onslaught when they began their chase. Sehwag was yet to make a significant score since the World Cup, but still chased a short and wide first delivery from Rampaul without moving his feet. Gambhir followed immediately, shouldering arms after misreading an inswinger that straightened to catch him plumb on the crease. Parthiv Patel and Kohli responded with a slew of boundaries, but West Indies’ spinners, and a couple of umpiring errors were about to derail India.Kohli was struck in front as he looked to work the debutant offspinner Sunil Narine to leg, but the ball was sliding further down the leg side. The umpire Sudhir Asnani was convinced, though, and Kohli left the pitch spewing a litany of invective in his wake. Samuels then slipped a ripping offspinner past Parthiv’s forward prod to disturb his stumps. Suresh Raina exited soon after, when umpire Tony Hill wrongly ruled him caught behind as he hopped across to glance Rampaul. India were tottering at 105 for 6 when Jadeja was run out, but Rohit carried on with a sense of remarkable calm.He opened his account with a stunning inside-out lofted drive for six, and his shot-making through the covers and down the ground remained sublime all evening. But his rotation of strike, with an uncertain tail to shepherd, was equally exemplary. R Ashwin bottled up one end, West Indies backed away to allow the singles, and a 91-run stand was raised just like that. Sammy dropped both batsmen to aid India’s progress, and West Indies were sweating by the time the batting Powerplay came on. Rohit plundered boundaries at will, and India were back in the chase, but it was time for another twist.Narine, who displayed an ice-cool temperament for a debutant in front of a raucous crowd, gave Ashwin a taste of his own carrom ball to end the partnership, with India 65 runs away. Rohit stretched his luck decisively in the 44th over after pushing the ball to mid-on, and Sammy blasted the stumps out with a laser-sharp throw. The captain celebrated like a man relieved to finally pull a win back. Mithun slugged a couple of monster sixes to keep West Indies waiting, but they weren’t enough to extend India’s streak.