WI set India 316 to seal series scorecard
THIRD ODI Big half-centuries from Pooran, Pollard help visitors finish on a strong note at Barabati
CUTTACK: With felicity of feet movement that would do a dancer proud, Nicholas Pooran gave India’s bowling a roundhouse whack. Assisting ably was West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard. Together, they sent the white ball streaking into the Cuttack sky and to all corners of the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday to get West Indies to 315/5 in the final ODI.
Joining forces after Roston Chase fell in the third ball of the 32nd over, they added 135 runs in 98 balls before Pooran fell in the 48th over trying to swing Shardul Thakur and not beating Ravindra Jadeja, running in from deep point. Pooran had hit two fours and a six in the over in which Thakur leaked 21 runs. This, after the 45th over bowled by him fetched just four.
Pollard continued the mayhem, staying unbeaten on 74 (51b, 3x4, 7x6) with West Indies adding 36 in 13 balls. Even the reliable Mohammed Shami, who along with Thakur ensured West Indies didn’t start in fifth gear, wasn’t spared. He went for 26 in his last two overs. West Indies took 118 off the last 10 overs, 77 coming off the last five.
Dropped on 52 and 72 by Rishabh Pant—the wicket-keeper also spilled an easy chance off Chase and a sharp one from Shimron Hetmyer—pooran made 89 from 64 deliveries (10x4, 3x6).
Pollard and Pooran changed what till the 46th over looked like an impressive debut by Navdeep Saini to a good one. Saini went for 14 in his ninth over; Pooran hitting him for three boundaries the pick of which was the last when he walked across to swing one past midwicket.
Saini went for 16 in his last over, Pollard’s brute strength fetching a four and six after Jason Holder had opened the 49th over with a boundary off a full toss.
The dew may have led to Saini having trouble gripping the ball for in his second spell he had taken two wickets. That Saini still finished with 2/58 after going for eight in his first ODI over showed the strength in depth of India’s fast bowling department.
SAINI SHINES
The wiry bowler with a whippy action showed he can be dangerous with bouncers and yorkers— the first got Hetmyer and the next Chase. A yorker left Pollard needing treatment on his left leg.
Saini’s first ball was straightdriven for four by opener Evin Lewis. Three balls later, he overpitched and was cover-driven for a boundary by Lewis. Baptism of fire alright but Saini ended the over wit h a well - di r e c t e d bouncer showing he has the stomach for a fight.
Quite like his T20I debut in
August against West Indies, when Saini finished with 3/17.
Saini’s ability to hit the toes and the nose and get the length right in between stood out till West Indies jetted past 300. Not long ago, he was bowling at nets without a proper pair of shoes. Gautam Gambhir had liked what he saw of the bowler who has said he doesn’t want to bulk up because it would reduce his arm speed.
Hetmyer couldn’t control his pull shot and holed out to Kuldeep Yadav at fine-leg—saini striking when West Indies, put into bat, were looking to accelerate after a cautious start.
They had scored 35 runs in three overs between the 26th and 28th, Hetmyer getting 24. Like in Chennai, Hetmyer hi t t he innings’ first six, over deep midwicket off Yadav, in the 26th over. Next over, Jadeja teased him outside off-stump and Hetmyer s macked i t o ver t he bowler’s head. When Thakur bounced him in the 28th over,
E Lewis c Saini b Jadeja 21 (50) S Hope b Shami 42 (50) R Chase b Saini 38 (48) Hetmyer c Kuldeep b Saini 37 (33) Pooran c Jadeja b Thakur 89 (64) K Pollard not out 74 (51) J Holder not out 7 (4) Extras (lb 4, w 3) 7 Total (for 5 wkts, 50 ovs) 315 FOW: 1-57, 2-70, 3-132, 4-144, 5-279.
Bowling: Thakur 10-0-66-1, Shami 10-2-66-1, Saini 10-0-58-2, Kuldeep 10-0-67-0, Jadeja 10-0-54-1.
SAINI WENT FOR 16 IN HIS LAST OVER, POLLARD’S BRUTE STRENGTH FETCHING A FOUR AND SIX AFTER JASON HOLDER HAD OPENED THE 49TH OVER WITH A BOUNDARY
Hetmyer pulled, and though he wasn’t in control, it fetched a six despite KL Rahul’s spectacular effort to catch it and stay inside the boundary line. A streaky four over Pant followed and Hetmyer showed that unlike Lewis and Shai Hope, he was unfazed by chin music.
Yet, backing his ability to deliver the short ball, Saini won this battle. In his next over, Saini, 27, fired a sand-shoe crusher that disturbed Chase’s furniture. After going for eight in his first over, Saini’s first spell read 4-0-12-0; his second 3-0-10-2.
Hetmeyer (37) and Chase (38) weren’t the first time West Indies lost wickets in pairs.
After putting on 57 for the first wicket, Lewis couldn’t time a slog off Jadeja in the 15th over and Hope followed in the 20th, bowled by Shami while trying to whip an off-cutter. Between the 15th and the 20th overs, West Indies added 13 runs and lost the openers. Chase could have gone on zero had Pant pouched him off Yadav. Pant also dropped a stiff chance off Hetmyer when he was on nine, the inside edge going low to his right.
For Pooran’s first chance, Pant had moved early to his right and couldn’t get enough glove on the edge, off Shami. For the second, in the 48th over, he jumped and got a glove but not enough of it to complete what would have been a remarkable catch. In the ninth over, Jadeja had dropped Lewis on 14.