Table of Contents
West Indies 2023
Securing the lead
Motie and Shepherd each took three wickets, establishing a favorable position for the West Indies 2023 team. Subsequently, Hope and Carty efficiently fulfilled their batting responsibilities to secure the victory.
West Indies secured a significant victory over India in an ODI, marking their first win against India since December 2019. This remarkable achievement came in the second match of the three-game series, breaking their streak of nine consecutive defeats. The victory enabled West Indies to level the series 1-1 after suffering a loss in the first ODI held on Thursday.
After Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd claimed three wickets apiece, and Alzarri Joseph secured two, the Indian team, with Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli sitting out, was bowled out for a total of 181. Captain Shai Hope, alongside the relatively inexperienced Keacy Carty, successfully managed the chase, wrapping up the game with over 13 overs remaining.
In the end, the West Indies 2023 managed to secure a comfortable victory, although they encountered a few obstacles along the way. Despite starting strong at 53 runs without losing any wickets in the ninth over, they stumbled to 91 for 4 by the seventeenth over, primarily due to the efforts of Shardul Thakur. This setback may have given India some hope, but with Hope and Carty at the helm, the West Indies 2023 smoothly sailed to victory. Hope displayed an impressive performance with an unbeaten score of 63, while he and Carty formed an unbroken partnership of 91 runs for the fifth wicket.
The pitch at Bridgetown provided consistent grip and turn throughout the match, resulting in the spinners maintaining an economical economy rate of 3.89 across two innings, compared to the pace bowlers’ rate of 5.20. However, prior to Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja putting pressure on the West Indies’ middle order with their different styles of spin – Jadeja opting for a faster and flatter delivery while Kuldeep focused on slower deliveries with increased turn – it was Thakur who made a significant impact by dismissing the top three batsmen in just 25 balls, thereby creating an opening in the game.
After Kuldeep skillfully dismissed Shimron Hetmyer by delivering a fast and low delivery that struck the off stump, Hope and Carty decided to take turns batting individually, displaying their contentment with this arrangement.
In the game, Carty achieved a score of 48 runs from 65 deliveries. He only started accelerating towards the end of the match, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Hardik Pandya to seal the victory. However, it was thanks to a collective effort from the bowlers and the fielders’ agility, combined with a favorable pitch, that West Indies had a modest target of 182 to chase
India, given the opportunity to bat first after winning the toss, experienced two collapses during their innings. Firstly, they went from a promising start of 90 runs without loss to a shaky position of 113 for 5. The second collapse occurred when they were at 146 for 5, resulting in them being bundled out for a total of 181 runs.
These collapses happened with a long rain break in between. The West Indies 2023 team capitalized on the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli and seized the opportunity. The turning point came in the 17th over when Shubman Gill, after scoring his highest total in seven international innings across different formats since June, was caught at long-off while attempting to loft a full, tossed-up delivery from Motie.
In response to the early dismissal of Ishan Kishan, Alick Athanaze made a remarkable diving catch at point in the 18th over. This marked the second consecutive half-century for Kishan in the series. Shortly after, Shepherd delivered a rising delivery from around the wicket to Axar Patel, who was batting at No. 4. The delivery cramped Patel for space, causing him to attempt to drop his gloves, but unfortunately, he ended up tickling the ball to the wicketkeeper.
Jayden Seales managed to secure a single wicket for the day as he delivered a bouncer that reached shoulder height, causing Hardik to pull it directly towards midwicket. Yannic Cariah, on the other hand, outsmarted Sanju Samson with a delivery that spun and bounced unexpectedly. Cariah skillfully placed a delivery of good length around the off stump, making the leg-break jump and significantly deviate from the batter. As a result, Samson ended up edging the ball to slip.
India was experiencing a decline in performance when heavy rain interrupted the game. Following the rain delay, Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja managed to add 33 runs, providing a temporary revival. However, West Indies quickly regained dominance by taking the final five wickets, resulting in a mere 35-run addition to India’s score.
In the 32nd over, Shepherd bowled a short delivery to Jadeja, resulting in a top-edged pull that went to the fine leg. In an entertaining turn of events, Motie’s bowling caused Suryakumar to slash the ball towards point, where he was caught. The West Indies team displayed another incredible feat of fielding in the 38th over, as Carty swiftly rushed in from the deep square leg position and dived forward to dismiss Umran Malik.
What concluded the game?
Motie concluded the innings by dismissing Mukesh Kumar in the 41st over, capping off his performance with figures of 3 for 36. Consequently, the West Indies cricket team now stands a chance to secure their first One Day International (ODI) bilateral series victory against India since May 2006.
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