2nd ODI: Rahane, Kohli steer India to a comprehensive victory

Bhuvi
Skipper Virat Kohli with Bhuvneshwar Kumar during the 2nd ODI against the Windies. Image Source: ICC

Internet Desk: Virat Kohli led Indian cricket team registered their first win against the West Indies as they registered a 105-run victory over the hosts to take a 1-0 lead in the five match ODI series. The first match between the two was called-off due to heavy rain.

Chasing a big target of 311 runs in a contest reduced to 43 overs per side at Queen’s Park Oval, the Caribbean side were restricted to 205 for six. Wicket-keeper batsman Shai Hope was the top scorer for his side as he scored 81 runs in 88 deliveries.

Roston Chase chipped in with an unbeaten 33 while skipper Jason Holder made 29, but West Indies’ task was made more difficult after they slumped to four runs for two wickets in the third over and failed to find mount a significant enough recovery effort.

Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav was key for the Indians with three for 50 including the wicket of Hope while seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed two for nine in an early burst with the new ball.

Earlier, asked to bat first, a ton from opener Ajinkya Rahane and half-centuries by skipper Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan helped India post a huge total of 310/5.

Rahane faced 104 deliveries and  10 fours and two sixes, adding 114 runs for the first wicket with Dhawan whose 59-ball knock also included 10 boundaries.

Rahane showed his intent from as early as the opening over when he pulled fast bowler Alzarri Joseph to the square leg boundary.

The left-handed Dhawan joined in the run-spree with two sweetly-timed off-side boundaries off seamer Holder in the fourth over, as India sped to 63 after the first 10 overs.

Dhawan raised his second half-century in three days in the 14th over of 49 balls before departing in the 19th over, drawn from his crease by off-spinner Ashley Nurse and stumped.

Rahane then combined with Kohli in a 97-run stand to further bury the hosts. He raised his fifty off 56 balls in the 20th over but then accelerated to reach his third ODI hundred off another 46 deliveries – raising the landmark with a scintillating cover drive off seamer Miguel Cummins in the 34th over.

When he departed two balls later bowled by one that clipped off-stump, Kohli took charge of the innings, smashing four fours and four sixes in a 66-ball innings.

Holder conceded 22 runs off the final over, while sending down three no-balls – two of which were high full tosses and resulted in him barred from bowling the last delivery of the innings.

West Indies were up against it from the third ball of their reply when left-hander Kieran Powell was caught at the wicket without scoring off Kumar on review, without a run on the board.

Jason Mohammed followed in the third over, also without scoring, driving Kumar to backward point where Hardik Pandya snaffled a low chance.

With the innings wobbling, opener Hope then led the Windies recovery, putting on 89 for the third wicket with Evin Lewis who made a pedestrian 21 off 37 balls.

Hope raised his second ODI half-century off 65 balls in the 19th over and then upped the anti with leg-side sixes in successive overs from Kuldeep and off-spinner Ravi Ashwin.

Lewis perished in the 20th over at 93 for three, missing a charge at Kuldeep and going stumped and Hope was finally prised out, lbw on review to Kuldeep in the 26th over – one delivery after clearing extra cover for this third six.

All told, he counted five fours and three sixes and when he departed at 112 for four, the required run rate had risen to 11.5 runs an over.

Jonathan Carter’s dour 31-ball 13 helped precious little and Chase and Holder’s 42-run, sixth wicket stand off 44 deliveries was well short of the torrent of runs required to threaten India.

Brief scores:

India: 310/5 in 43 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 103, Virat Kohli 87, Shikhar Dhawan 63; Alzarri Joseph 2/73 ) vs West Indies: 205/6 (Shai Hope 81; Kuldeep Yadav 3/50, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/9).