Captain Shai Hope’s 50 powers West Indies to 6-wicket victory against India in 2nd ODI

BRIDGTOWN (Barbados) : Indian bowlers failed to defend a low target of 182 as West Indies Captain Shai Hope’s 50 provided a 6-wicket victory to the Caribbeans in the second ODI of the three-match series in Barbados on Sunday.

With this win, the West Indies levelled the series at 1-1.

Hope led from the front with 63* off 80 balls, with the support of Keacy Carty, who scored 48* off 65 balls.

Shardul Thakur picked up three wickets, conceding 42 runs. Apart from him, Kuldeep Yadav took one wicket.

Chasing a low total of 182 runs, the West Indies openers Brandon King and Kyle Mayers gave a solid start as they added 50 runs to the board in 8.1 overs.

Shardul Thakur brought India back to the game after his exceptional ninth over, in which he took two wickets. He cleared up Kyle Mayers at 36 with his back-of-the-length ball. Then, in the same over, Thakur dismissed Brandon King at 15 with his unplayable full-length ball.

Thakur again got a breakthrough, this time with Alick Athanaze (6) dismissed after a failed pull shot caught by Ishan Kishan.

Kuldeep Yadav, who was the ‘Player of the Match’ in the previous match, took his first wicket as he dismissed Shimron Hetmyer (9) with his googly.
West Indies reached 100 run mark in 22 overs.

West Indies captain Hope then steered the innings with Keacy Carty. Hope brought his fifty in 70 balls in the 33th over.

India used seven bowling options but non where able to break Hope and Keacy’s partnership.

With Carty’s two consecutive sixes, WI chased down 182 run target in 36.4 overs.

Ishan Kishan was the only half-centurion for India in the second ODI at the Kensington Oval on Saturday to guide the visitors to 181 in 40.5 overs with Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd picking up three wickets each.

Put into bat Indian openers Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan gave the team a flying start as the visitors reached the 50-run mark in 10.3 overs. Southpaw Kishan was the more aggressive of the two notching up his half-century in just 51 balls.

The 90-run partnership was broken as Gill was caught in the deep by Alzarri Joseph off slow left-arm orthodox bowler Gudakesh Motie for 34.
In the next over his opening partner Kishan was also sent back to the pavilion by Romario Shepherd for 55 as India lost their second wicket for 95.

Axar Patel was promoted up the order but the all-rounder failed to make an impact as he was dismissed by Romario Shepherd caught behind by wicket-keeper Shai Hope for 1 to leave India in a spot of bother at 97.

Sanju Samson along with skipper Hardik Pandya walked out to bat and took the team’s total beyond the triple-figure mark.

India was dealt with another blow when Pandya was dismissed by Jayden Seales for 7 to leave India tottering at 113/4Samson followed his skipper as he was dismissed for 9 by leg-break bowler Yannic Cariah. India lost half of its side for 113.

Rain interrupted the play and the players were forced to leave the field.

After the rain break, Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja walked out to bat and looked like taking India to respectable total but their 23-run partnership was broken as Jadeja was caught by Cariah off Shepherd’s bowling with India losing their sixth wicket for 146.

In the next over Surya was also sent packing for 24 as India lost their seventh wicket for 148. Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav took India’s total beyond 150-run mark. The 19-run partnership between the two was broken when Joseph dismissed Shardul leg before wicket for 16 to put India in further trouble at 167/8. Rain once again stopped the play and players had to leave the field.

After the play resumed things did not change much for India as immediately after the rain break Umran Malik was dismissed for no score as India lost their ninth wicket for 167. Mukesh Kumar and Kuldeep showed some fight to take India’s total to 181 but he too was dismissed for 6 by Motie as the visitors were bowled out in 40.5 overs.

Motie and Shepherd were pick of the West Indies bowlers bagging three wickets each.

Brief scores: India: 181/10 in 40.5 overs (Ishan Kishan 55, Shubman Gill 34; Gudakesh Motie 3/36, Romario Shepherd 3/37) vs West Indies 182/4 (Shai Hope 63*, Keacy Carty 48*, Shardul Thakur 3-42). (ANI)