WI vs IND: 2nd ODI Review – West Indies hand India a shock defeat
West Indies staged a brilliant comeback in the second ODI of the three-match series and levelled the series 1-1. Shai Hope’s brilliance followed by Keacy Carty’s knock helped the hosts chase down the paltry target of 182 runs set by India and win the game.
The Men in Blue, after winning the first ODI, lost the second game by six wickets as the series moved to the decider.India took a major risk by resting regular skipper Rohit Sharma and senior batter Virat Kohli for the game. The team was led by stand-in captain Hardik Pandya as India were put to bat first by the hosts. The Windies bowlers struggled to get going in the first innings as Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill shared a 90-run opening partnership before the latter was dismissed.
The first wicket led to India’s momentum being broken, as the batting unit fell like dominoes. After Kishan’s half-century, no other batter could put up an impressive performance. West Indies bowlers Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd picked up three wickets each, while Alzarri Joseph picked up two wickets.
Brilliance by the bowlers saw the Indian batting unit being dismantled in the 41st over with 181 runs on board. Windies openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers got off to a decent start before Shardul Thakur dismissed them. Alick Athanaze too was dismissed cheaply off Thakur’s bowling as India had three wickets in their bag.
Windies skipper Shai Hope then took matters into his own hands and notched up an unbeaten 80-ball 63. Athanaze’s wicket brought Shimron Hetmyer into the game, but the power-hitter could not do well with the bat and was dismissed scoring mere nine runs. Keacy Carty then joined hands with Hope and the duo took their team over the finish line as West Indies won the game by six wickets.
Top Performers of the Match:
Shai Hope: The captain of the Caribbean side, Shai Hope played an unbeaten knock as he scored 63* runs off 80 deliveries. His knock included two maximums and as many fours as he batted steadily at a strike rate of 78.75. After the early wickets of the openers, Shai Hope led the team from the front as West Indies clinched a victory.
Ishan Kishan:The young Indian opener continued from where he had left off in the previous game, and notched up his second consecutive half-century in the series. Riding high on confidence, the wicketkeeper-batter registered a run-a-ball 55 before being dismissed by Romario Shepherd. Notably, Ishan’s knock included six fours and a six.
What’s next for both teams?
The two sides will now face each other in the third and final ODI of the series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on August 1, Tuesday.
