Windies level ODI series after disciplined display
PUNE, India (CMC):
HE WEST Indies finally got their first win on the tour of India as they produced a disciplined batting and bowling performance on their way to a 43-run victory over the home side despite another Virat Kohli century in the third One, Day International at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here Saturday.
Kohli scored 107 to become the first Indian player to score hundreds in three successive ODIs, but it was not enough to prevent the Windies from levelling the five-match series at 1-1.
Buoyed by Shai Hope’s 95 and a late 22-ball cameo of 40 from Ashley Nurse, the West Indies got up to a competitive total of 283 for nine in their 50 overs.
Despite Kohli’s heroics, India’s batsmen mostly misfired as they were eventually dismissed for 240 in 47.4 overs, with Marlon Samuels grabbing three wickets.
The victory was only the Windies’ sixth in the last seven years against India and their fifth win overall in the last 26 ODIs dating back to January 2017.
Having scored over 320 runs in the two previous ODIs, India would have favoured their chances of chasing down 284.
Captain Jason Holder struck early on, though, uprooting Rohit Sharma’s middle stump for just eight, after the opener played down the wrong line of a delivery that just moved away from him to leave the score eight for one.
This brought Kohli to the crease and immediately, with
TShikhar Dhawan, sought to build a lasting partnership.
The two took a particular liking to left-arm seamer Obed McCoy, who Dhawan slapped for two consecutive boundaries through cover in his first over to bring up the 50-run partnership.
Kohli joined in on the action, too, first flicking McCoy to fine leg for four and then ruthlessly driving him straight back down the ground off successive deliveries as McCoy’s first two overs went for 20 runs.
But just as it seemed that the two were changing gear, Dhawan tried an ambitious sweep off Nurse from middle stump but missed and was given out leg before wicket for 35 to leave India 88 for two.
Kohli, however, continued his assault, launching Nurse over deep square leg for four to bring up his half-century off 63 balls and adding a six shortly after when he lifted debutant Fabian Allen over long off.
GOOD TOUCH
Ambati Rayudu had looked in good touch, sweeping Nurse to the boundary and then driving him over mid-off for another to quickly move to 22.
McCoy was reintroduced to the attack and got Rayudu to chop a close delivery into his stumps as he tried to run it down to third man as India fell to 135 for three in the 25th over.
At the other end, Kohli kept grinding on, with another boundary through midwicket moving him into the 80s.
Kohli eventually brought up his 38th ODI century off 110 balls, albeit a subdued celebration, with a single down to fine leg.
Following the dismissal of Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 10, Kohli’s attempt to go after Samuels cost him his wicket.
With the required run rate at over seven runs an over, Kohli completely missed his pull shot and was clean bowled by the part-time off-spinner to spark wild celebrations among the Windies’ players, with India slumping to 220 for seven in the 42nd over.
He faced 119 balls and struck 10 fours and one six.
Earlier, crucial knocks from Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nurse helped the Windies get up to their eventual target.
Hope narrowly missed out on his second hundred of the series but formed several crucial partnerships
SCOREBOARD
K. Powell c Sharma b Bumrah C. Hemraj c Dhoni b Bumrah
+S. Hope b Bumrah
M. Samuels c Dhoni b Ahmed S. Hetmyer st Dhoni b Yadav
R. Powell c Sharma b Yadav
*J. Holder c (sub Jadeja) b Kumar 32 F. Allen c Pant b Chahal 5 A. Nurse lbw b Bumrah 40 K. Roach not out 15 O. McCoy not out 0
(b1, lb4, w5) 10 (9 wkts, 50 overs) 283
1-25, 2-38, 3-55, 4-111, 5-121, 6-197, 7-217, 8-227, 9-283.
Kumar 10-0-70-1, Bumrah 10-1-35-4, Ahmed 10-0-65-1, Chahal 101-56-1, Yadav 10-0-52-2. R. Sharma b Holder 8 S. Dhawan lbw b Nurse 35 *V. Kohli b Samuels 107 A. Rayudu b McCoy 22 R. Pant c Hope b Nurse 24 +M.S. Dhoni c Hope b Holder 7 B. Kumar c Powell b McCoy 10 K. Yadav not out 15 Y. Chahal c (sub Paul) b Roach 3 K. Ahmed st Hope b Samuels 3 J. Bumrah c Holder b Samuels 0
(lb1, w5) 6 (all out, 47.4 overs) 240
1-9, 2-88, 3-135, 4-172, 5-194, 6-215, 7-220, 8-225, 9-237, 10240. Roach 10-0-48-1, Holder 9-046-2, McCoy 5-0-38-2, Nurse 10-0-43-2, Allen 10-0-52-0, Samuels 3.4-1-12-3. West Indies won by 43 runs. The five-match series is tied 1-1.
Shai Hope 21 15 95
9 37 4 India.
P Wilson, C Shamshuddin.
to help revive the innings.
He first shared a 56-run, fourth-wicket stand with Hetmyer and then in a 76-run, sixth-wicket partnership with Holder.
Hope eventually departed in the 44th over with triple figures in sight, and it was left to Nurse, batting at number nine, to propel the innings late with four fours and two sixes.