Israel stutter to defeat against India in opening game

Israel made a disappointing start to their 19th Maccabiah campaign, losing a tight game by two wickets to a motivated, organised and disciplined Indian team on Friday. In front of a sizable crowd at the picturesque Ashdod ground, a 47-run 9th wicket partnership for the visitors took them over the line after Israel would have fancied their chances having reduced India to 110 for eight chasing 157 for victory.

Whatever is said about low scoring limited overs games being as exciting as ones in which batsmen dominate never held true for this game. The newly-laid astro turf pitch was slow and low, and if that didn't make run scoring difficult enough, a lush (polite for uncut) outfield meant boundaries were few and far between. At one stage of the Israel innings it seemed as if the ball never left the inner circle. When number 10 batsmen Itamar Kehimkar found the cover fence with a sweet drive in the penultimate over of the innings the crowd finally had something to cheer; it was only the fourth boundary of the whole innings.

Batting first having won the toss, Israel stuttered their way along to what was probably well below what they would have wanted, but certainly a fair score given the pitch and outfield conditions. Danny Malyankar (27) gave the innings some impetus up front, but he was just one of three batsmen to have reached the 20's but failed to go on to a fifty plus score the innings required. Eshkol Solomon (24) threatened to get going, whilst Herschel Gutman (25), batting at number seven, was in his element pushing and nudging singles and two's, but ran himself out just when a swing of the willow was required in the closing overs.

Israel would have been well pleased to remove the Indian danger man Bension Sogawker early on; a thick edge off Yaniv Razpurker well held by Gutman in the gully. A beautiful cover drive for four shortly before getting out was a clear reminder of what the former Ranji Trophy player, star of the previous Maccabiah, is capable of. Three wickets a piece for Solomon and Raymond Aston kept the home side well on top; three dropped catches going unpunished. But the old saying 'catches win matches' is always eventually right. With 40 still required, a ball slipped through Aston's hands in the cover region. India went on to win the game by two wickets, leaving Israel with plenty to ponder ahead of the rest of the tournament.