Umesh, Kuldeep restrict Windies
NORTH SOUND (ANTIGUA): The 50-over format, once dominated by West Indies, seems to have become a mystery to them. The current batsmen are not even attempting to match the standard their predecessors had set years ago.
A score of 250-plus was considered a winning one back then, but not enough now. The current lot is struggling to get to even 200 these days.
On a day when their women’s team was shot out for 48 in the Women’s World Cup, the men barely put up a better show, restricted to 189/9 in 50 overs by India in the fourth ODI.
The top five batsmen got starts but couldn’t go on, and it didn’t look like they were mentally up to it, to building an innings.
It shows why they languish at the ninth spot in ODI rankings.
The Windies won the toss and elected to bat, hoping to put pressure on India, after bowling first in the last two games and losing.
The start was cautious as they put on 57 runs in 17 overs, well below acceptable standards but with wickets in hand, they fancied giving themselves a chance of putting up a decent total.
However, the Indians struck through Hardik Pandya as Kyle Hope, trying to hit out, holing out.
Soon, Kuldeep Yadav effected twin blows. As Darren Ganga, the former West Indies batsman, said, “They are struggling to read the line. They are playing inside the line when they need to cover it. The fact that there aren’t many chinaman bowlers in the Caribbean playing domestic cricket adds to the mystery.