IND v WI: 1st ODI Review – Hetmyer, Hope score tons to give Windies 1-0 series lead
West Indies beat India convincingly with 8 wickets in hand in the 1st ODI in Chennai to take a 1-0 series lead. The bowlers first carried out a tidy job, using a flurry of cutters on a slow wicket to restrict the hosts on 287-8. Shimron Hetmyer brilliantly supported by Shai Hope then were simply sensational with the bat, leaving the hosts stunned. The pair scored contrasting centuries to give the visitors a deserved series victory as the Indian bowlers had no reply against their brilliance. The action now moves to Visakhapatnam on 18th December for the 2nd ODI. The pressure now will be firmly on the hosts to come up with a response in order to stay alive in the series.
Check out the full scorecard here
Pant, Iyer come of age
India’s top order could not contribute much in the contest, leaving the onus on Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant to rebuild the innings. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli could not continue their blistering form from the T20I series. Rohit Sharma also never appeared in his zone before being dismissed off a poor shot. Both Iyer and especially Pant have a lot to prove in the middle-order, with the latter seeing questions raised about his maturity. But their partnership of 114 set India up to post a competitive score on what was a sluggish wicket. Iyer (70 off 88) and Pant (71 off 69) pulled India out of what was a precarious situation.
Once Iyer was dismissed by Joseph, Kedar Jadhav walked onto the field and continued the momentum with some smart batting. Pant would soon follow his IPL captain back to the pavilion with Pollard getting the crucial scalp. But cameos from Jadhav (40 off 35) and Jadeja (21 off 21) allowed the hosts to post a decent total of 287-8 on the board.
Hetmyer blows India away
In reply, Deepak Chahar got India off to the perfect start. He generated some lovely swing under the lights troubling the Windies openers. This led to an early breakthrough with Sunil Ambris departing for only 9. The hosts had their tails up. But what followed completely took the game away from them. Hetmyer showed aggressive intent from the very start, playing with his trademark swagger. There were some swashbuckling shots off his willow, as he kept the required run-rate in check. Shai Hope was his usual calm and composed self on the other end, brilliantly anchoring the innings.
The pair had a marathon partnership of 218, as the Indian bowlers were left scratching their heads searching for answers. Dew was also slowly becoming a prominent factor, rendering the tweakers ineffective. Hetmyer brought up his ton in only 85 deliveries and then would up the tempo. By the time he was dismissed by Shami on 139, it was a tad too late to change the course of the contest. Pooran would then join Hope on the crease. Despite a few shaky moments, the pair ensured that there were no hiccups for the Windies in their chase. Hope too would bring up his ton to hand the visitors a deserved 1-0 series lead.
