Ever since landing in India, the West Indies team management has been harping on the fact that the top batters need to stay at the crease for 50 overs. However, those words seem to have fallen on deaf ears.
After a debacle in the opening fixture, West Indies once again witnessed a middle-order collapse as India defeated the touring party by 44 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.
After Suryakumar Yadav’s 64 and KL Rahul’s 49 lifed India to 237-9, West Indies required a steady start. But at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Wednesday, Prasidh Krishna came up with his best ODI bowling show (9-2-12-4) to crush their approach.
The lanky pacer from Karnataka removed the Caribbean top-order, tilting the game India’s way.
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After forging a 32-run opening stand with Shai Hope, Brandon King (18) slashed at a Krishna delivery and nicked it behind to stumper Rishabh Pant. With the extra bounce helping Krishna, King had to walk back to the dugout.
Within the next couple of overs, Krishna removed Darren Bravo for a solitary run. Even though there was an outside edge which saw a sharp reaction from Pant, on-field umpire Nitin Menon was unmoved. India captain Rohit Sharma reviewed the call to earn the wicket.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who had grabbed four wickets in the opening game, struck with Hope (27 off 54) holing out to Suryakumar Yadav at long-on. With three wickets down, Krishna returned to action to remove stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran for nine.
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Jason Holder, who had scored a half-century in the first game, too fell cheaply for just two runs, after being caught by Deepak Hooda off Shardul Thakur. Reeling at 76-5, West Indies found a ray of hope in Shamarh Brooks, who scored a gritty 44. At a time when Brooks managed to stitch a 41-run stand with Akeal Hosein, India introduced Hooda into the attack and he struck in the fifth delivery of his first over. Aiming to go for a big shot, Brooks hit it in the air, only to be caught by Suryakumar at long-on.
Hosein (52-ball-34) and Odean Smith (24), who replaced Kieron Pollard, tried to develop a partnership but they left it too late. India restricted them to 193.
Pant, the opener
Earlier, put in to bat, India sent Rishabh Pant as the opener, along with captain Rohit. This was the first time Pant opened an innings in an international match since the U-19 World Cup final in 2016. But that move did not reap dividends as he could only contribute 18 runs before being caught by Holder at square leg off a Smith delivery.
Rohit fell for five, trying to chase a delivery off Kemar Roach and edged to Hope.
Virat Kohli (18) was nabbed with a fuller ball by Thomas, forcing the star batter to drive away from his body, and he could only snick it behind the stumps.
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With top-three falling for just 43, Suryakumar and Rahul stepped up and forged a 91-run stand. Rahul made the most of an early reprieve and hammered four boundaries and a couple of sixes, before a mix-up saw him being run out.
Playing his sixth ODI, Suryakumar notched up his second fifty, on a track, which proved challenging for the batters. He stitched a 43-run stand for the fifth wicket with Washington Sundar (24).
After Suryakumar’s exit, Deepak Hooda chipped in with 29 off 25 but India could only score 54 runs in the last 10 overs.
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