Cricket: India Cruise to Victory As Kenya Crash

The Indian economy is booming and by the middle of the century they are likely to be the most populous nation on Earth. Yet sporting success generally eludes them. Their all-time Olympic record is inferior to that of the Republic of Ireland, they don't do football, rugby union, boxing nor... pretty much any sports other than cricket and chess.

If there is only cricket and chess to play and watch then people will play and watch cricket. Yesterday, India started their campaign in the Champions Trophy against Kenya at the Rose Bowl. Many members of the press have overlooked the presence of all the world's best cricketers bar one playing in a tournament that will be completed in a refreshingly brisk fortnight.

The exception is Sachin Tendulkar, and his absence, and a trio of disappointing performances against England, have caused the Indian odds to go on the slide. It didn't affect the attendance which - once people realised it wasn't, as predicted, going to piss with rain all day - grew steadily during the morning so that the Rose Bowl was three-quarters full.

The game this Friday at the same venue between England and Sri Lanka is already a sell-out, but it is doubtful they will make half the noise. Chief among the contributors to the cacophony were nearly 100 members of Punjab Police Aztecs Cricket Club dressed in orange and sponsored by Sam Travels, Thames Building and JB Food. Sponsored police, surely a bad thing. Don't tell Blunkett or we'll have the Mitsubishi Met to contend with.

India's start was as sedate as the policemen were merry. Virender Sehwag was bowled by Thomas Odoyo attempting to land one on the Isle of Wight and after 10 overs there were only 31 runs on the board. Slowly, however, they became more fluent. VVS Laxman - who, on 12, had been caught at midwicket by captain Steve Tikolo off a no-ball from Ravindu Shah and then clouted the next delivery past mid-on - was quickly into his stride.

At the other end, Sourav Ganguly, who has scored more ODI centuries than anyone else present at the tournament, branched out after a patient start. They both reached fifties (Ganguly off 79 balls, Laxman off 72) and with Laxman motoring and the score passing 190 with more than 11 overs remaining, a total in excess of 300 looked a given. Then Ganguly, trying to flick a ball down to third man, was bowled by Martin Suji.

In swift succession Yuvraj Singh edged a ball from Odoyo to wicket-keeper Kennedy Otieno and Laxman, wafting away, was stumped off the bowling of Tikolo. With fewer than seven overs left, India were becalmed on 213. The best entertainment of the day followed as, to a rousing accompaniment, the grandmaster Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif put on an undefeated 77 at nearly two runs a ball.

The contrast in styles was almost total. Dravid, too perfectionist a player to compromise his style, scored a four from an exquisite reverse sweep and topped even that shot with a textbook six over mid-off. Kaif, meanwhile, stepped back to leg and edged and squeezed boundaries to every corner of the ground.

It is impossible to set a field against such an unpredictable performer, but a long-stop might have paid dividends. Kenya struggled manfully. Only 18 months ago they reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, but since then they have not been invited to play any one-day internationals against the world's top order.

A total of 290 was always likely to be beyond them. And a moribund opening didn't help. After three overs they had compiled nine runs, seven of them extras. In attempting to secure a third run, the portly Kennedy Otieno was run out by a direct hit from Kaif and by such a distance that the third umpire was not required.

All the while, Pathan was delivering some whippy left-arm pace from the pavilion end and he dispatched Tikolo and Hitesh Modi. Bamboozled by pace, the Kenyans were then baffled by spin as Harbhajan Singh had Ravindu Shah caught behind for a (relatively speaking) high-scoring 33 and Rageb Aga without scoring.

Long before the end, the Kenyans were hoping for the promised rain. They batted on, intent to see out their overs. Maurice Ouma made a solid 49 and Brijal Patel 40 not out as they finished on 192 for seven. But so swift is the competition they are already reliant on Pakistan beating India to have a chance of repeating last year's semi-final achievement.