West Indies 182 for 4 (Hope 63*, Carty 48*, Thakur 3-42) beat India 181 (Kishan 55, Motie 3-36, Shepherd 3-37, Joseph 2-35) by six wickets
West Indies defeated India in an ODI for the first time since December 2019, claiming a six-wicket victory in the second of three games after nine consecutive losses.
After losing the first ODI on Thursday, the triumph helped West Indies even the series 1-1.
After Gudakesh Motie, Romario Shepherd, and Alzarri Joseph each took three wickets to bowl India out for 181 (they rested Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli), captain Shai Hope and the inexperienced Keacy Carty completed the chase with more than 13 overs remaining.
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Shardul Thakur was primarily responsible for West Indies’ decline from 53 without loss in the ninth over to 91 for four after 17 overs, ultimately a comfortable victory.
This must have raised India’s aspirations, but Hope and Carty ensured a straightforward voyage. Hope scored 63 and shared a 91-run partnership with Carty (48 runs not out) for the fifth wicket.
The pitch in Bridgetown provided traction and turn for the match, with the spinners’ economy rate over two innings being 3.89 compared to the pace bowlers’ rate of 5.20.
Before Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja tested West Indies’ middle order – Jadav was fast and flat; Kuldeep was slow while gaining more turns – Thakur removed the top three batters in 25 deliveries to begin the game.
After Kuldeep had dismissed Shimron Hetmyer with a quicker delivery that slid through to strike off stump, Hope and Carty were content to bat in singles.
Carty scored a patient 48 off 65 balls, opening up only when the task was nearly complete and finishing the game with consecutive fours off Hardik Pandya.
But the fact that West Indies had only 182 runs to pursue was due to a collective bowling effort, a beneficial pitch, and the fielders’ refreshing athleticism.
India, who were asked to bat after winning the toss, experienced two collapses. First, from 90 for 0 to 113 for 5, then from 146 for 5 to 181.
These occurred on either side of an extended rain respite. In the absence of Rohit and Kohli, West Indies recognized an opening and seized it. In the 17th over, Shubman Gill lofted a full, tossed-up delivery from Motie to long-off for 34, his highest score in seven international innings across all formats since June.
Alick Athanaze dived to his right at the point in the 18th over to dismiss Ishan Kishan for 55. This was Kishan’s second consecutive fifty in the series.
Two overs later, Shepherd got one to ascend abruptly at No. 4 batsman Axar Patel, and with the ball angling in around the wicket, he was pressed for space. Axar attempted to remove his gloves but wound up tripping the wicketkeeper.
Hardik pulled a shoulder-height bouncer from Jayden Seales direct to mid-wicket before Yannic Cariah foxed the comeback man Sanju Samson with a turn and spin.
Cariah caused the leg break to jump and travel significantly away from the batsman, who edged it to slip after a decent length delivery around the off stump.
India was drifting, and then it began to rain heavily. When Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja added 33 runs to indicate a temporary recovery after the interruption, the pause appeared to be a boon for them.
However, the West Indies regained control by taking the final five wickets for only 35 runs.
In the 32nd over, Shepherd pitched short to Jadeja, who edged a draw to fine leg. Motie, utilizing spin and bounce, reduced Suryakumar to a point after scoring 24 runs.
Carty raced in and dove forward from deep square leg to send back Umran Malik in the 38th over, displaying yet another magnificent moment of fielding from the West Indies.
Motie concluded the innings with 3 for 36 after dismissing Mukesh Kumar in the 41st over. West Indies have a chance to win their first bilateral ODI series against India since May 2006.
