Indian hand behind Kenya's upset win
As Kenya upset all
calculations to humble India by 70 runs, flamboyant former
Indian batsman and Kenya's coach Sandeep Patil said they had
planned out how Joseph Angara should bowl on the wicket on the
eve of the match.
"These (South African) wickets are the kind of wickets
where the ball comes nicely on to the bat and we wanted to
avoid the scenario. Hence we were looking for someone who
could hold the ball back.
"Actually, practicing under lights here on Tuesday was a
great help. We were able to judge the conditions and see the
wind blowing from the west could be a help in holding the ball
up," he said.
Indian captain Sourav Ganguly was philosophical in defeat
and said it "was the kind of kick we needed on our backside"
for the remaining matches of the series.
He admitted his team could have been a bit complacent
going into the game after demolishing Kenya at Bloemfontein
last week.
"More than them, it was a very surprising display by us.
We were found wanting in both batting and bowling. We were
never able to build a partnership.
"We played poor cricket for the whole part of 100 overs
and they (Kenyan bowlers) were able to hit the right length.
"I would ask the team to just forget about it and carry
on with our game... We have a match in hand against the South
Africans (tomorrow) and we'd better concentrate on that.. We
know this (such poor performance) is not going to happen
again," Ganguly said.
Kenyan captain Steve Tikolo put his side's win right on
top.
"It is the greatest moment in my country's cricket, on
par with win over the West Indies during the 1996 World Cup."
The stand-in captain and the mainstay of Kenyan batting
said he was "over the moon with joy " and dedicated the
win to "Maurice (Odumbe) and our manager."
Odumbe was given a two-match suspension by match referee
Ahmed Ebrahim for his outburst against umpire Dave Orchard in
the match against South Africa at Bloemfontein on Sunday. The
Kenyan manager Mahmood Querishy had suffered a heart-attack on
Tuesday and underwent a byepass surgery.
Man-of-the-match Joseph Angara made the most of the first
opportunity he got in the tournament with figures of 3 for 30,
including the prize-wicket of Sachin Tendulkar.
India's tour of South Africa : Complete coverage
Mail Cricket Editor