India Vs West Indies: 2nd ODI: India’s World Cup aspirants struggle as West Indies level series | Cricket News
The match was highlighted by excellent bowling performances from Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie, whereas the Indian middle-order struggled to deal with the tempo, bounce, and switch, resulting in a lacklustre complete of 181 in 40.5 overs on a rain-marred day.
As it happened: India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI
Chasing the modest goal, West Indies had their nervous moments as properly, dealing with a spirited spell from Shardul Thakur (3/42 in 8 overs). Nonetheless, skipper Shai Hope (63 not out, 80 balls) anchored the innings brilliantly and located an ready ally within the younger Keacy Carty (48 not out, 65 balls). The duo’s unbeaten fifth-wicket partnership of 91 runs ensured a snug victory for West Indies in simply 36.4 overs.
The Indian crew administration’s resolution to relaxation common skipper Rohit Sharma and batting stalwart Virat Kohli raised eyebrows, and it quickly backfired as their absence uncovered the frailties within the middle-order. Not one of the middle-order batters may face up to the relentless assault from the West Indies bowlers, leaving extra questions than solutions for the crew administration forward of the celebrated ICC ODI World Cup.
West Indies skipper Shai Hope opted to area first after successful the toss, anticipating the pitch to supply vital help to the bowlers. His resolution turned out to be a masterstroke as his bowlers maintained a relentless depth all through the innings. India received off to a promising begin with a gap stand of 90 runs between the explosive Ishan Kishan (55 off 55 balls) and the gifted Shubman Gill (34 off 49 balls). Nonetheless, the middle-order collapse that adopted shattered India’s hopes of posting a formidable complete.
The Indian middle-order, which was lacking the skilled duo of Sharma and Kohli, crumbled below stress when confronted with a fiery spell from the West Indies pacers. The likes of Jayden Seales (1/28 in 6 overs), Alzarri Joseph (2/35 from 7 overs), and Romario Shepherd (3/37 in 8 overs) utilised the bouncy pitch to nice impact, leaving the Indian batsmen in a tangle.
The turning level of India’s innings got here when Kishan, who seemed good throughout his half-century, tried to tackle Motie’s spin and ended up providing a catch to Alick Athanaze at level. Following Kishan’s dismissal, the Indian middle-order imploded, shedding 5 wickets for simply 23 runs in a mere 7.2 overs. Stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya (7 off 14 balls) struggled towards the short-ball ways and finally succumbed to a pull shot, handing a straightforward catch to Brandon King at mid-wicket.
To maintain the left-right mixture intact, Sanju Samson (9 off 19 balls) and Axar Patel (1 off 8 balls) have been promoted up the order. Nonetheless, each gamers discovered it difficult to counter the grip, flip, and bounce generated by the spinners Motie and Yannic Cariah (1/25 in 5 overs). Samson’s vulnerability towards leg-spin was as soon as once more uncovered when he edged one to the wicketkeeper whereas making an attempt a unfastened shot.
Axar, recognized extra for his white-ball batting prowess than his bowling, was anticipated to stabilise the innings. Nonetheless, he fell sufferer to a superb supply from Shepherd that brushed his gloves earlier than nestling into Shai Hope’s gloves.
The inept batting effort left the Indian crew in despair as they completed with a meagre complete of 181, properly beneath par on a difficult wicket.
Regardless of the intermittent rain delays, the West Indies bowlers showcased relentless willpower and self-discipline, guaranteeing there have been no lapses of their efforts. The victory marked an finish to West Indies’ chain of 9 successive bilateral defeats since December 2019, and it was a much-needed enhance for the Caribbean facet.
For India, this defeat has raised issues about their middle-order vulnerabilities and choice selections, significantly the rationale behind resting key gamers with just a few months remaining for the World Cup. The crew administration must reassess their methods and presumably take into account completely different combos within the upcoming matches to seek out the fitting steadiness earlier than the mega occasion.
(With inputs from PTI)
