Tendulkar, Dravid power India to 300 for 9 against Netherlands

Jamaica, Mar 6 (UNI) Skipper Rahul Dravid (74) and Sachin Tendulkar (61) hit half centuries as India piled up an imposing 300 for nine in the warm-up match against the Netherlands at Trelawny stadium here today.

Put in to bat by the Netherlands captain Luke van Troost, Indian openers Virender Sehwag (28) and Sourav Ganguly (19) failed to utilise the opportunity for batting practice with both of them perishing to bad shots. But, Tendulkar and Dravid fluorished in the middle overs to put India in command.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (21) and Irfan Pathan (25) chipped in slog overs with uesful quick runs.

For the Netherlands, seamer Ryan ten Doeschate took five wickets for 55 runs, claiming the wickets of Sehwag, Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh.

Sehwag began with a fluorish with two fours in the first over bowled by young Dutch medium pacer Mark Jonkmann who sent down a flurry of no balls. Ganguly and Sehwag were scoring at six runs per over when the first wicket fell in the first ball of the 11th over when the team total was 60.

Doeschate sent down a short and wide ball and Ganguly, reaching far outside the off, only managed to chop the ball into the hands of Stelling at cover. Ganguly's 19 came from 37 balls and was studded with two fours.

Sehwag followed soon after playing the wrong line to an incoming ball from Doeschate with the ball sneaking past the gap between the bat and pad uprooting the middle stump. The Delhi batsman made 28 from 36 balls and India were 64 for two then.

Robin Uthappa, who came in at the fall of Ganguly's wicket, began well, clattering boundaries on both sides of the wicket. But he got carried away after hitting three consecutive fours off ten Doeschate in the 15th over and another one off Reekers and was out trying to play a cut shot to a straight ball only to drag it onto his stumps.

Reekers was the bowler and India were three down for 82 when Uthappa left after scoring 20.

Tendulkar and Dravid then put on 116 runs for the fourth wicket and the two seniormost players cut out the temptation to play the big shots, and against a Netherlands attack that was reasonably disciplined, and bowled wicket to wicket, just picked ones and twos.

Tendulkar, who played some good shots once he settled down, was particularly severe against Stelling and spinner Mohammad Kashif hitting both the bowlers for a six each. He was out off Tim de Leede trying to hit to the fence over extra-cover but failed to beat van Troost who took the catch.

His 61 came from 59 balls with the help of two sixes and five fours. After Tendulkar's departure Dravid, who had spent enough time at the crease, opened up to hit a huge six over midwicket off Mohammad Kashif but perished in an ambitious shot after hitting Borren for a six and a four in the 42nd over.

He mistimed a slower delivery from Borren which rose high in the air and Alexei Kervezee had enough time to take the catch at long on.

The Indian captain made 74 from 92 balls, which was studded with two sixes and five fours.

Netherlands then saw a couple of quick wickets coming their way with Indian batsmen trying to force the pace in the slog overs.

Yuvraj Singh (14) flicked a full ball that was slipping down leg side straight to short fine-leg for Kervezee to take the catch.

Dinesh Karthik (3) drove loosely to a Peter Borren delivery which was coming a bit low only to see the ball sneaked through the gap to crash into the off stump.

Dhoni then pummelled a couple of typically powerful hits, but after making 21 from 18 balls, failed to get hold of one properly and hit it straight up in the air for Darron Reekers to take a well-judged catch. Harbhajan Singh hit the first ball he faced inside out straight to cover to give Doeschate his fifth wicket.

Pathan remained unbeaten on 25 scoring more than run a ball as India ended on 300 for nine.

UNI