Early wickets were key - Rampaul
Published:Tuesday | December 6, 2011 | 12:00 AM
AHMEDABAD, India:
Ravi Rampaul said the key factor in the West Indies victory at the Sardar Patel Stadium yesterday was the early wickets, which put pressure on the Indian batting line-up. The 27-year-old right-arm pacer took 4-57 off 8.5 overs - his fourth haul of four or more wickets in ODIs this year - as West Indies won the third one-day international (ODI) by 16 runs to secure their first win on the tour and keep the five-match ODI series alive.
The home side fell for 244 in reply to West Indies' 260-5 off 50 overs.
"I would say getting those early breakthroughs proved to be the key point in the match when we bowled. We got up to a good score thanks to some great batting from Sammy and Russell, but we still had a big job to do with the ball. I am used to bowling on these slow, low wickets as they are similar to what I play on in Trinidad.
"Also, the experience ofplaying here (in India) for Trinidad and Tobago in the Champions League as well as in the World Cup has helped me a lot," said Rampaul, who won the Man-of-the-Match award.
"Early wickets were the key. My strategy was to bowl wicket-to-wicket and it was good that I got the ball to swing as well. We wanted to have a go at the Indian middle order early. Finally, we have a win on the tour and it means a lot to us as a team. We came close on quite a few occasions and tonight we got the reward. We will look for more in the coming matches."
International career
Rampaul was also full of praise for 23-year-old spinner Sunil Narine, who ended with two wickets for 34 off his full quota of 10 overs while bowling in the PowerPlay overs, in his first international match.
"He came in and did a very good job for the team. It was a great way to start your international career. He bowled early and got a key wicket and came back at the end, there, to pick up another vital wicket for us. He kept building the pressure on the Indian batsmen and it paid off for us," Rampaul said.
The two teams will travel to Indore today, where they will play the fourth match at the Holkar Cricket Stadium on Thursday. The final match will be in played at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.