BBC SPORT | Cricket | India handed win as fans erupt

Third ODI, Rajkot. West Indies 300-5 (50 overs) v India 200-1 (27.1 overs). India granted win by D/L method.

India have been awarded the third one-day international against West Indies after their own fans prevented the game finishing naturally.

With the home side requiring 101 to win off 22.5 overs and with nine wickets in hand, India were granted the win under Duckworth-Lewis regulations.

The format usually only decides a contest when rain prevents play. India once had to concede a World Cup semi-final against Sri Lanka in similar circumstances.

But match-referee Mike Procter declared India the winner by 81 runs even after police vacated the section of stadium from which a bottle was thrown at Windies fielder Vasbert Drakes.

Your say: Should venues be axed?

Out-of-control fans had also marred the first two games won by the visitors.

This time Virender Sehwag was in the middle of an immense innings but when Drakes was hit on the leg by the projectile, the touring side marched off the pitch.

Procter immediately rushed to the field and then tried to negotiate with the massed police ranks in an effort to quell the disturbance.

R Sarwan
Sarwan batted with great style to hit 84

The first Jamshedpur game was stopped in the final stages of a last-ball West Indies victory after disappointed fans flung water bottles on to the playing area.

Similar incidents also affected play in the second match in Nagpur on Saturday, with Ramnaresh Sarwan hit on the back by a stone.

Procter has been asked by the ICC to submit a report on the incidents.

West Indies got off to a superb start as opener Chris Gayle hit 72 including 12 fours and two sixes.

Sarwan hit a career-best 84, putting on 149 for the fourth wicket with fellow Guyanese batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul (74).

But India were excellent in reply, with Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly putting on 196 for the first wicket in less than 27 overs of mayhem.

Sehwag was on 114, compiled off just 82 balls, but had no chance to continue his merciless assault.

The West Indies were being captained by wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs after skipper Carl Hooper decided to skip this game to rest his troublesome right knee.

India: Sourav Ganguly (captain), Virender Sehwag, Ajit Agarkar, Vangipurappu Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammed Kaif, Harbhajan Singh, Jai Prakash Yadav, Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra.

West Indies: Ridley Jacobs (captain), Wavell Hinds, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Ricardo Powell, Mahendra Nagamootoo, Vasbert Drakes, Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy.

Umpires: Asoka de Silva (Sri Lanka) and A.V. Jayaprakash (India). Third umpire: K. Hariharan (India).

Match referee: Mike Proctor (South Africa).


	Links to more Cricket stories