Dhawan, Siraj power India to beat West Indies in a thrilling first ODI
PORT OF SPAIN: India’s caretaker captain Shikhar Dhawan led from the front with a superb 97 before the bowlers displayed nerves of steel to help the touring team seal a thrilling victory over West Indies in the first ODI .
India’s right-arm pacemaker Mohammed Siraj kept his nerves calm to defend 15 runs in the final while leaking 11 to give his team a thrilling three-run victory in the first ODI of the three-match series, which came until the end. cable.
Batting first, India recorded a commendable total of 308/7 in the allotted 50 overs on the back of a strong display from their top three.
India’s caretaker captain and left-handed starter Dhawan was the team’s top scorer with a brilliant 97 from 99 balls, with 10 bounds and three sixes.
His starting partner Shubman Gill, on the other hand, scored 64 with a decent strike rate of 120 with the help of six limits and two sixes. hillrisedental.com/services/html/tretiva.html
As the opening matches provided a solid foundation for a decent total, substitute vice-captain Shreyas Iyer took advantage of the situation as he too shone with a brilliant half-century; him scoring 54 of 57 balls including five bounds and two sixes.
The rest of the Indian batsmen then made significant contributions and bolstered the touring team to finish at 308/7 from 50 overs.
For the West Indies, Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie each claimed two wickets, while Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein each made a scalp.
Poised to chase 308, the West Indies fell three runs short of the target as the hosts finished at 305/6 in 50 overs, despite some magnificent hitting from leadoff batsman Kyle Mayers.
The left-handed batsman scored a team-high with a gutsy 68-ball 75, while Brandon King also starred with a valuable fifty; scoring 54 of 66.
Shamarh Brooks also contributed for the hosts with 46 of 61 submissions, but remained a bit slow in proceedings.
The middle-order flop nearly eliminated the West Indies from the game, but an astonishing seventh-wicket partnership between Hosein and Shepher shone a ray of hope for the hosts.
The pair accelerated the run chase with quick cameos but, in the end, they were unable to lead their side to victory as Siraj fended off 15 runs in the final to nullify their efforts.
Hosein remained undefeated with a run-a-ball 32, while Shepherd posted a dazzling 39 not-out in just 25 deliveries, laced with three bounds and two sixes.
For India, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal and Siraj bagged two wickets each.
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