It took just over four hours for India to deliver one of its most brutal blows to West Indies in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Player-of-the-Match Kuldeep Yadav and his spinning counterpart Ravindra Jadeja spun a web around the home side’s batsmen to help set up a devastating five-wicket victory in the first ODI at Kensington Oval on Thursday.
Yadav ended with the impressive figures of 4-6 from three overs, while Jadeja claimed 3-37 to help rout the Windies for just 114 in 23 overs – their lowest ever ODI score at Kensington Oval.
The Indians then romped to victory, scoring 118-5 in 22.5 overs, to record their second largest margin of victory against them in terms of balls remaining.
The win gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series, with the second ODI scheduled for Saturday at the same venue.
The result was hardly in doubt after another spectacular batting collapse by the West Indies saw them shockingly lose their last seven wickets for just 26 runs in the space of seven overs.
Patrons were still lining up outside the venue when makeshift opener Kyle Mayers after scoring just two, miscued a pull off pacer Hardik Panya to gift Rohit Sharma an easy catch at mid-on to leave the West Indies 7-1 in the third over.
Both Brandon King and Alick Athanaze looked positive in a 38-run second wicket partnership, in which they scored at over seven runs an over.
King took a liking to Mukesh Kumar, first slapping him through point for four and then clobbering him over long off for another boundary to help the score to 44-1 in the seventh over.
But just when they were building momentum, Athanaze, who struck three fours in a score of 22 from 18 balls, guided a wide, short ball outside the off stump from Kumar into the hands of Jadeja who took a good leaping catch to leave the home side on 45-2 in the eighth over.
Four balls later and without a run being added, King was cleanbowled through the gate by the pacy Shardul Thakur for 17.
The recalled Shimron Hetmyer entered the fray, and together with his skipper Shai Hope set about rebuilding the innings in a 43-run partnership, their highest of the match.
But yet again, when it looked as though the West Indies were growing in confidence, Hetmyer became the first of Jadeja’s three wickets when he missed an ill-advised leg scoop and was bowled around his back for 11.
His dismissal sparked a stunning slide, with Rovman Powell edging Jadeja to slip where Shubman Gill took a comfortable catch low to his left, before Romario Shepherd was brilliantly caught by Virat Kohli at second slip for a two-ball duck to leave the Windies wobbling on 96-6 in the 18th over.
Dominic Drakes and Yannic Cariah each scored three runs before Yadav trapped them plumb in front to make matters worse at 107-8, and the end came soon after.
Hope, who had batted solidly in scoring 43 runs from 45 balls, inclusive of four boundaries and one six, eventually perished, adjudged lbw after he was hit straight in front by Yadav.
Yadav then wrapped up the innings by having Jadon Seales caught at leg slip for a duck.
India endured some nervous moments before registering a comfortable victory at 1:45 p.m.
Opener Shubman Gill was caught low down at second slip by Brandon King off Seales for seven and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie trapped Yadav lbw for 19, to restrict India to 54-2 in the 11th over.
All the while, wicketkeeper-opener Ishan Kishan was on the go as he attempted to end the contest in swift fashion.
But shortly after he reached his half-century and with 21 more runs needed, he picked out Powell at deep-midwicket, to be dismissed for 52 from 46 balls, with seven fours and one six.
Rohit Sharma, who dropped himself down to number seven, duly ended the contest by sweeping Motie over midwicket for four to end the lopsided contest.
randybennett@barbadostoday.bb ]]>
