Dhoni and Dhawan lift India Seniors to victory

India Seniors 278 for 2 ((Dhawan 126, Dhoni 102*) beat India B 275 (Laxman 67, Sriram 52, Rayudu 45, Balaji 4-66) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Electrifying batting by Shikhar Dhawan and Mahendra Dhoni rendered the second game of the Challenger Series a no-contest, as India Seniors made short work of the target of 276 set by India B with eight wickets and more than three overs to spare. The bowlers received an absolute hiding as Dhawan and Dhoni put together an opening partnership of 187 in 26 overs, which was only broken when Dhoni retired hurt on 87. India B were left to regret the profligacy of their batsmen, most of whom threw their wickets away after they had got a start on a lovely true pitch that was perfect for strokeplay.

Since yesterday's game featured a run-chase of similar proportions which went down to the wire, it was assumed that India B's score of 275 - although 30 fewer than they should have made - would test the Seniors. Dhawan and Dhoni began cautiously against the Delhi pair of Amit Bhandari and Ashish Nehra, both of whom were sharp and on the spot; for a few overs singles were the only scoring strokes. But then Dhoni broke the shackles with a pull for four off Bhandari in the fifth over, and a gorgeous back-foot cover-drive in the next over off Nehra showed that he was beginning to hit his stride.

Dhawan was soon matching him shot for shot, at one point taking four boundaries off a Nehra over, and the two batsmen went neck-and-neck to half-centuries. What was praiseworthy was how they combined booming strokes with astute tip-and-run cricket, ensuring that the strike was rotating constantly and the bowlers were continuously making adjustments of line for the rightand left-handed batsman.

Dhawan revealed a marked preference for the off side reminiscent of Sourav Ganguly in his early days. Indeed, of the 14 fours he had struck by the time he reached his hundred, all but one came from strokes to the off. Dhoni batted with a shade more dash and flair, and his style brings to mind Virender Sehwag: he loves to carve the quick bowlers extravagantly over point, and displays the same disdain for spin bowling.

When Sehwag, India B's captain, introduced spin in the 11th over in the form of Sridharan Sriram, Dhoni struck the first ball so fiercely back at the bowler that he had to leave the field wringing his hand, and did not appear again. Another spinner, Ramesh Powar, was summoned to finish Sriram's over, and found his first ball swept for four and his second sent sailing over long-on for six, where it came within two feet of taking out one of the watching selectors and of smashing one of the windows of the press box just above him.

Dhoni hit three more sixes - two of them thrilling hook shots off Nehra and Joginder Sharma - until he got cramp and had to leave the field (187 for 0). There was a temporary lull in the game as Sourav Ganguly replaced him and was tied down by Sehwag's accurate offspin, but the game was as good was won; shortly afterwards Dhawan brought up his hundred off 90 balls. When Ganguly fell at 246, Dhoni re-emerged to see India Seniors home, bringing up his hundred and the winning runs with the same shot.

India B's total was made to look woefully inadequate, something which must have been all the more galling for the losers considering how comfortable they seemed for most part of the innings. After Sehwag won the toss, batting for the most part was absurdly easy against an attack of modest quality, and India B kept up a run rate of over five an over for all of the innings.

But VVS Laxman and Sriram gave up their wickets wastefully within three overs of each other in mid-innings when set and, from there, wickets fell so regularly that India B had only two wickets left with eight overs still remaining. Powar, at No. 9 far low too for a man of his skill, saw Nehra through a few quiet overs before pulling off some flamboyant strokes to take India B to a respectable score.

That India Seniors took so many wickets reflected more the profligacy of the batsmen than the penetration of the bowling. Lakshmipathy Balaji, who finished with four wickets, was especially culpable, bowling far too many short ones and at no stage looking like he could land three successive balls in the same spot. Nor did the quality of the bowling improve after the break, and Sehwag was left helpless by the toothlessness of his attack. Joginder Sharma, in particular, took some heavy stick from the two openers and went for 63 from his six overs.

It said much for the poverty of the bowling resources on view that the two most disciplined bowlers of the game were the rival captains, Ganguly and Sehwag. Of course, the pitch was a batting beauty, and gave very little help to the spinners, but even so it is a worrying sign that so little of the bowling seen over two days has been of above-average quality. The strokeplay for most part of the evening session was spectacular, however, and it seems that the future of Indian batting is in good hands.