Sehwag - useful contribution (Getty Images)
India v Kenya
By Myles Hodgson, PA Sport, Durban
Click here for scorecard
India completed a one-sided victory over outsiders Kenya in the second
World Cup semi-final after wrapping up a 91-run triumph with 3.4 overs to spare
under the lights at Kingsmead tonight.
Having posted a formidable 270 for four with captain Sourav Ganguly hitting an
unbeaten 111, the surprise team of the tournament were never capable of
remaining competitive and slumped to 179 all out as India set up a final meeting
with Australia on Sunday.
Kenya, the first non-Test playing nation to reach the last four of the World
Cup, had not previously scored more than 225 in the tournament and their hopes
of eclipsing that total were undermined from an early stage when they lost four
wickets inside the first 15 overs.
Once again Indian seam trio Javagal Srinath, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan did
the damage with four wickets falling inside six overs and although captain Steve
Tikolo contributed a determined 56, Kenya never looked capable of delivering one
final upset.
Captain Ganguly had earlier provided the impetus for India's commanding total,
hitting a five sixes and five other boundaries during his 114-ball innings,
after India had struggled to make early progess on a slow pitch with a damp
outfield.
He arrived at the crease in vastly different circumstances to his previous
innings against Kenya when he hit a superb unbeaten 107 after his side had
slipped to 24 for three in Cape Town during their Super Sixes encounter.
This time he was called upon following a 74-run opening stand which was only
ended when Virender Sehwag, who has scored only one previous half-century in the
tournament, once again failed to build a big innings having got a start.
Opener Sehwag had progressed to 33 from 56 deliveries, which included three
boundaries, when he became frustrated at his inability to score quicker and
tried to hit seamer Peter Ondongo over the top and instead got a top edge to
Maurice Odumbe at cover.
That brought Ganguly to the crease and he immediately set about Kenya's
limited attack, hitting a straight six off Steve Tikolo's off-spin before
pulling leg spinner Collins Obuya for another six.
Ganguly's aggressive intent had followed Tendulkar's progression to his
seventh half-century in 10 innings during the tournament having already claimed
an aggregate of 586 runs - a record for any previous World Cup.
They added 103 off only 120 balls before Tendulkar fell pulling Tikolo
straight to David Obuya at the mid-wicket boundary, who took the catch above his
head and prevented a six, before Ganguly took command of a useful 46-run stand
spanning only eight overs with Mohammed Kaif.
He fell risking a quick single to Collins Obuya's direct throw but Ganguly
progressed to his 22nd one-day international century and eclipsed Herschelle
Gibbs' aggregate of 384 to become the tournament's second highest run-scorer
behind Tendulkar with 441 runs.

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