The batting audition of India’s World Cup aspirants did not go as per plan on a bouncy monitor as West Indies levelled the three-match ODI collection with a snug six-wicket victory, using on very good bowling efforts from Romario Shepherd and Gudakesh Motie.
Indian workforce administration’s resolution to relaxation skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli badly backfired as not one of the middle-order batters may deal with tempo, bounce and switch, getting all-out for 181 in 40.5 overs within the rain-marred second ODI, right here on Saturday.
In reply, West Indies survived a energetic spell from Shardul Thakur (3/42 in 8 overs) earlier than skipper Shai Hope (63 not out, 80 balls) and younger Keacy Carty (48 not out, 65 balls) added 91 runs for the unbroken fifth wicket to shut the sport in 36.4 overs and break a sequence of 9 successive bilateral defeats since December, 2019.
Nonetheless it was a clumsy batting effort that grew to become India’s undoing.
Shedding 5 wickets for 23 runs in simply 7.2 overs after opening stand of 90 between Ishan Kishan (55 off 55 balls) and Shubman Gill (34 off 49 balls) harm India’s trigger after the West Indies skipper Shai Hope opted to bowl.
The rationale behind Rohit and Kohli’s pressured break with solely 10 months left earlier than the massive occasion, did not make a lot sense. To not overlook that the failures left extra questions than solutions.
There have been two rain delays however the West Indies bowlers by no means let their depth drop in a formidable show.
Whereas Kishan, who won’t open throughout World Cup, consolidated his case for choice as second wicket-keeper (offered KL Rahul will get match for World Cup) with a second successive half-century, the identical could not be stated about Sanju Samson (9 off 19 balls) and Axar Patel (1 off 8 balls).
Promoted as Nos 3 and 4 to maintain the left-right mixture going, each gamers struggled not solely in opposition to short-ball tactic employed by Jayden Seales (1/28 in 6 overs), Alzarri Joseph (2/35 from 7 overs) and Shepherd (3/37 in 8 overs) but in addition the grip, flip and bounce that spinners Motie (3/36 in 9.3 overs) and Yannic Cariah (1/25 in 5 overs) generated.
Identical to the primary recreation, the Kensington Oval pitch had quite a lot of spice and West Indies bowlers have been regular save a short interval when Kishan and Gill did rating runs at a brisk tempo.
Kishan gave Motie the cost and acquired a six whereas Gill’s on-drive was a deal with for the eyes though he by no means appeared utterly in rhythm.
As soon as Motie gave the ball extra air, a determined Gill tried to loft him however was holed at long-off boundary.
Kishan, who had by then accomplished his 50, tried to sq. reduce Shepherd when the ball bounced a tad extra and the width wasn’t large enough however Alick Athanaze took a high quality diving catch at level.
Stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya (7 off 14 balls) was peppered with brief balls and at last his endurance gave off as he tried to tug Seals and Brandon King had a straightforward catch at mid-wicket. Seals and Joseph had pried on the Pandya’s endurance for a good period.
Axar Patel (1), who’s now extra of a batter in white ball cricket than a bowler, was despatched in at No. 4, a slot which India have not but acquired a hold since they’re ready for Shreyas Iyer to get match. He acquired an unplayable one from Shepherd and it brushed his gloves earlier than touchdown safely into Shai Hope’s gloves.
Samson, who has a great probability of lacking out on the ultimate 15 berth, by no means appeared in sync, having final performed a aggressive match on Might 19 within the IPL.
He has by no means learn leg-spinners properly in his profession (living proof Wanindu Hasaranga in Sri Lanka in 2021) and by no means appeared comfy in opposition to Cariah’s leg-breaks. When he acquired out, it was a leg-break and additional bounce and Samson could not take away his bat from the road of the ball.
Nonetheless taking part in him at No. 3 the place he will not get an opportunity in World Cup did not do his trigger any good. Reasonably checking him at No. 4 the place he may exchange Iyer or No. 5 as a keeper-batter in case Rahul does not make it in the long run would have been a greater transfer.
So far as Suryakumar Yadav (24 of 25 balls) is worried, his die-hard followers will tear their hair in frustration after three boundaries, together with a crunchy pull-shot, raised hopes of revival.
The dismissal was a meek one when Motie bowled one large off off-stump and it had flip and bounce engaging him to play the reduce which landed into fielder’s fingers at backward level. With Surya’s departure, India’s hopes of crossing 200 evaporated.