March 29, 2024

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Shami and company turn it around for India to level series 1-1

Shami and company turn it around for India to level series 1-1

MS Dhoni played a captain's innings to help India level the five-match series  1-1. Image Credit: Pal Pillai/ Sportzpics / BCCI
MS Dhoni played a captain’s innings to help India level the five-match series 1-1. Image Credit: Pal Pillai/ Sportzpics / BCCI

When the match seemed to be going West Indies way at one point of time, Mohammad Shami and spinners turned the tide for Team India, as the hosts clinched the second ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to level the five-match ODI series 1-1.

The touring party was cruising with Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard, but as they were dismissed, the maroon-brigade crumbled like a cookie and bundled for a mere 215 in 46.3 overs. Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja tightened the screws in the middle overs to put Windies under pressure.

Indian bowlers ripped through the Windies middle-order as Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin, skipper Dwayne Bravo fell cheaply. They couldn’t manage to make a partnership in the middle and succumbed to a 48-run defeat in Delhi.

Leg-spinner Amit Mishra created pressure on the touring party that struggled against the moving ball. Mishra got the wickets of Pollard (40) and Ramdin (3) and only gave 40 runs in his 10 overs, while Jadeja was instrumental in dismissing the tail-enders.

Shami was the wrecker-in-chief for the men in blue and drew first blood by castling Darren Bravo (26) and ending a 64-run first wicket partnership. He then dismissed Dwayne Smith (97) and put the final nail in the coffin by skipper Bravo (10).

“Thought at one point we had it in the bag,” Bravo said. “Give credit to India. Jaddu. Mahi and the boys put pressure on us. Very small ground, we batted well upfront. Losing wickets at crucial times, lost our way in the middle. Definitely have to work on that.”

Earlier, powered by fifties from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, India posted a competitive 264 runs target for the Caribbean outfit. The target doesn’t look big initially, but Indian bowlers ensured that India walk away with a win.

Team India was not off to a perfect start, when they lost opener Shikhar Dhawan (1) but Ajinkya Rahane (12) and Ambati Rayudu (32) made a 46-run partnership for the second wicket to steady the innings.

West Indies’ bowlers knotted the Indian batsmen in the middle by picking the wickets of Raina (62) and Kohli (62) on quick successions. Jadeja struggled to put bat on ball and scored a 16-ball six innings, but Dhoni played a captain’s knock to put India well past 250 runs mark.

It was not easy for Dhoni either to dispatch the Windies bowlers, who were bowling quite well, but still he managed to hit few boundaries towards the end and made an unbeaten 40-ball 51, featuring five fours and one mighty six in the final over.

“Quite difficult (to get 263), but quite a few batsmen got off to a decent start (and got out), we lost two wickets close to the 40th over,” Dhoni said. “That was very crucial. We were short by 20 runs because of that.”

“Virat is an important character in our team the way he bats, he got runs today which will definitely help him,” he added. “Raina batted excellently, has carried his form from the Champions League. They have to convert these starts into bigger innings.”

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