Patel dominates after Kenya collapse for 97
A rampant India A took charge with both bat and ball on the opening day of their three-day match against Kenya at Mombasa
Cricinfo staff
05-Aug-2007
India A 205 for 4 (Patel 100*) lead Kenya 97 (Mahesh 4-21) by 108 runs
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A rampant India A took charge with both bat and ball on the opening day of their three-day match against Kenya at Mombasa. Led by a four-wicket haul by Yo Mahesh, the right-arm fast bowler, the Indians dismissed Kenya for a paltry 97 in less than 38 overs. Parthiv Patel then starred with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 100 as India A finished on 205 for 4, already 108 in front.
Steve Tikolo won the toss and chose to bat, but the decision backfired spectacularly as only four batsmen made it into double digits, with Tikolo's 28 being the highest score.
The slide started early, as Irfan Pathan got one through Maurice Ouma's defences off the fifth ball of the match. When Mahesh trapped Alex Obanda in front in the fourth over, Kenya had lost two wickets with just one run on the board. Tikolo and David Obuya added 38 for the second wicket, the highest partnership of the innings, but once Pankaj Singh broke through, the rest of the Kenyan batsmen hardly offered any resistance. Tanmay Mishra's 27 was the only other significant contribution, but Mahesh dismissed him and then wrapped up the tail to finish with 4 for 21.
The Indians didn't start smoothly, losing both openers with only 14 on the board. However, Patel, first in the company of Mohammad Kaif and then Rohit Sharma, got the innings back on track. The third-wicket stand yielded 68 before Kaif was dimissed, while Sharma helped Patel add 76 for the fourth.
Patel was aggressive right from the beginning, and got to his century off just 126 balls, with 15 fours. He offered one chance, on 67, but Collins Obuya spilled the chance off Jimmy Kamande. Patel didn't need a further invitation to score, and with S Badrinath giving him company on 29, India were well placed to build a massive first-innings lead and then look for an innings win.
Kenya, meanwhile, were hampered by a hamstring injury to Elijah Otieno, which ensured he only bowled six overs. That was the second fitness problem for them in the day: Thomas Odoyo had withdrawn from the game due to a groin injury during practice.