Ahmedabad. After Suryakumar Yadav’s half-century, fast bowler Prasidh Krishna (4 for 12) stunned West Indies by 44 runs in the second one-day international here on Wednesday. took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Suryakumar played an innings of 64 runs but West Indies allowed India to score 237 runs for nine wickets due to the better performance of the bowlers.
The hosts were 43 for three after the top-order collapsed, but Suryakumar and vice-captain KL Rahul (49) put on a 91-run stand for the fourth wicket to get the team back on track. After this, the West Indies team could not recover from Krishna’s blows and was reduced to 193 runs in 46 overs. For him, Shamrah Brooks was the top scorer with 44 runs while Akil Hossain scored 34 runs in the end.
Krishna of tall stature took four wickets for 12 runs from three maidens in nine overs. Apart from them, Shardul Thakur took two wickets for 41 runs while Mohammad Siraj took one wicket. Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar and Deepak Hooda also got a wicket each. Apart from India’s scintillating bowling, West Indies lost the series due to poor shot selection. Siraj started with the new ball and conceded five runs in the first over.
At the other end, Shardul Thakur started with a maiden with the new ball. Siraj’s second over was Maiden. Brandon King (18 runs) hit a brilliant six over his head in the last ball of his third over. Opener Shai Hope (27) hit Thakur for a boundary in the sixth over, after which King hit two fours in successive deliveries to add 13 runs in the over.
West Indies thus got off to a good start by scoring 31 runs in seven overs. The tall bowler Krishna did wonders as soon as he came and took two wickets in his first and second overs in a row. Krishna took full advantage of the extra bounce and in the eighth over, King was caught by wicketkeeper Pant. West Indies lost the first wicket for 32 runs.
India (237/9) beat West Indies by 44 runs in second ODI of three-match series
(Photo: BCCI) pic.twitter.com/3QkMKm2ah7
— ANI (@ANI) February 9, 2022
Then in the 10th over, senior West Indies player Darren Bravo touched Krishna’s ball with the bat and it ended up in the hands of the wicketkeeper. But the umpire gave not out. Indian captain Rohit Sharma took the review and the umpire had to change his decision. In this way India got the second wicket. Krishna took two wickets for two runs in two overs. In the 11th over, India brought in spinner Chahal, who conceded just two runs.
The West Indies batsmen were now playing a bit on the defensive and got their third blow too soon when Chahal dismissed opener Hope. Now the caretaker captain Pooran was at the crease, but he too could not last long and became Krishna’s third victim and West Indies scored 66 runs for four wickets. West Indies team could add only 10 runs that Thakur dismissed Jason Holder. With Brooks batting well and heading towards a good partnership with Hussain, India were under pressure and were looking for wickets. Deepak Hooda, reducing this pressure, took his first wicket in international cricket by dismissing Brooks (two fours and two sixes in 64 balls) in his very first over.
West Indies’ score was 117 for six in the 31st over. Hussain then got good support from Fabian Allen (13). Both were engaged in putting pressure on India by making good partnerships. But Siraj broke the 42-run partnership by dismissing Allen. Hossain also became Thakur’s second victim in the next over and West Indies lost the eighth wicket.
West Indies regular captain Kieron Pollard did not play due to injury. He was replaced in the team by Odeon Smith, who took two wickets while bowling first and then batted in the end, hitting two lofty sixes off Thakur’s ball. Smith was looking dangerous, but Kohli ended his innings of 24 runs with a brilliant catch off Sundar, which included two sixes and a four in 20 balls.
Krishna then dismissed Kemar Roach to end West Indies’ innings, which was his fourth wicket. Before Suryakumar scored his second half-century, he played aggressively and patiently on a pitch that was not easy to bat on. During this he faced 83 balls and hit five fours. West Indies’ stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran won the toss and elected to bowl, after which India cheaply lost the wicket of captain Rohit Sharma (05) when he tried to hit the outgoing delivery of paceman Kemar Roach (1 for 42). Touched the bat in the effort and Shai Hope caught it behind the wicket. Virat Kohli (18), playing his 100th ODI in India, was again with Rishabh Pant (18). Pant was opened for the first time in the 50-over format.
Kohli hit the first boundary in the fifth over with a beautiful cover drive off Roach and then hit the same bowler for the second boundary through a square cut. Roach and Alzarri Joseph (2 for 36) bowled tightly as India could hit only two boundaries in the first seven overs and were at 22 for one.
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Pant hit his first boundary with his ‘trademark’ pull shot over deep mid-wicket and then hit two more boundaries. But fast bowler Odeon Smith (2 for 29) gave a double blow to the hosts in the 12th over by picking up the wickets of both Pant and Kohli, taking India’s score to 43 for three. Smith first dismissed Pant, who could not time the ball and gave a simple catch to Jason Holder. Then he forced the frozen Kohli to touch the bat and got it out to wicketkeeper Hope.
Suryakumar was looking aggressive first, hitting the first boundary with a drive, then Rahul also opened his hand and hit left-arm spinner Hussain (1 for 39) for a big six with a pull shot. Both kept the scoreboard moving as India were 91 for three after 25 overs. Rahul looked to be heading towards a big score, but was run out in the 30th over. He hit four fours and two sixes in his 48-ball innings.
Suryakumar found good support from Washington Sundar (24) as the two put on 43 runs for the fifth wicket. But in the 39th over, Suryakumar gave an easy catch to Joseph off Fabian Allen (1 for 50). Even Sundar could not convert a good start into a big score. Then Deepak Hooda’s 29 off 25 balls helped India cross the 225-run mark. The hosts could only add 54 runs in the last 10 overs. (agency)