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DURBAN, March 20: Saurav Ganguly’s fourth World Cup century spurred India to an imposing 270 for four from 50 overs in their semifinal against Kenya on Thursday.
The India captain’s century, his 22nd in one-day internationals, took him alongside Australia’s Mark Waugh and team mate Sachin Tendulkar at the top of the list of World Cup centurions.
It was also his third hundred in the tournament and his second against the Kenyans, an achievement matched only by Waugh in 1996.
Ganguly moved to three figures with a six smashed over mid on from a Martin Suji full toss in the 49th over as the India innings finished with a flourish, 18 runs coming off the penultimate over.
He was undefeated at the close, his 111 runs coming off 114 balls with five fours and five sixes.
Under grey Durban skies which promised rain but delivered only an intermittent misty sprinkling, India openers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag got off to a solid start, largely kept in check by some accurate Kenyan bowling.
Thomas Odoyo’s tidy opening spell of six overs cost just 19 runs and he was well supported by Martin Suji and Peter Ongondo. All the Kenya bowlers disciplined themselves with a tight off stump line as India reached a relatively modest 56 without loss from 15 overs.
Their control was finally rewarded when Sehwag played loosely at Ongondo and skied a catch to Maurice Odumbe at cover to depart for 33.
Tendulkar batted well within himself, passing his 50 off 64 balls and looking well set to notch his 35th one-day hundred when he pulled Steve Tikolo straight to deep midwicket.
His 83 runs came off 101 balls with five fours and took his tournament record tally to 669 from 10 innings.
Ganguly played himself in before looking to accelerate, targeting young leg-spinner Collins Obuya as he did in Cape Town in the Super Six match between the two sides.
Twice in the same over, Ganguly slog swept Obuya for towering sixes over midwicket and he continued to improvise throughout his innings, several times charging down the wicket to the Kenyan medium pacers.
The Kenyan bowling effort was rewarded with two further wickets.
Mohammad Kaif was run out after a fine piece of work by Collins Obuya for 15 and Odoyo got his own reward when Yuvraj Singh was caught in the deep for 16 in the final over.
Scoreboard
INDIA:
V. Sehwag c Odumbe b Ongondo 33
S.R. Tendulkar c D.Obuya b Tikolo 83
S.C. Ganguly not out 111
Mohammad Kaif run out 15
Yuvraj Singh c D. Obuya b Odoyo 16
R.S. Dravid not out 1
EXTRAS (W-9, NB-2) 11
TOTAL (for four wkts, 50 overs) 270
FALL OF WKTS: 1-74, 2-177, 3-233, 4-267.
DID NOT BAT: D. Mongia, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, J. Srinath, A. Nehra.
BOWLING: Suji 10-1-62-0; Odoyo 10-1-45-1; Ongondo 10-1-38-1; Karim 4-0-25-0; Tikolo 10-0-60-1; C.O. Obuya 6-0-40-0.
KENYA: K.O. Obuya, R.D. Shah, S.O. Tikolo, T.M. Odoyo, M.O. Odumbe, H.S. Modi, D.O. Obuya, C.O. Obuya, P.J. Ongondo, M.A. Suji, Asif Karim.
UMPIRES: S.A. Bucknor (West Indies) and D.J. Harper (Australia).
TV UMPIRE: S.J.A. Taufel (Australia).
MATCH REFEREE: M.J. Procter (South Africa).—Reuters
