Mohammed Siraj delivered a superb final over for India, saving the day for the tourists despite a spirited batting effort from the West Indies’ lower-order in the opening one-dayer of the three-match ODI series on July 22.
Defending 15 off the last over, Siraj kept the damage down to 11 runs and ensured a three-run win for the visitors in a high-scoring encounter. With five needed off the final ball, he bowled a perfect yorker past an in-form Romario Shepherd, giving away only a single off a bye which was collected safely by wicketkeeper Sanju Samson.
The Siraj-Samson duo combined brilliantly in the heat of the pressure to help India keep the resurgent Calypso Kings at bay on a flat batting surface, enabling a win that propelled the Indians to a critical 1-0 lead in the series.
Siraj’s end-overs spell saw him deliver perhaps his best in the final stage of an innings in the India jersey, as he finished with fine figures of 2 for 57 off his 10 overs and proved to be a saviour for his team.
The tourists may not have had to break so much sweat for their win had it not been for an inspiring lower-order stand between Shepherd (39*) and Akeal Hosein (32*), who took the Windies from 252 for 6 to within one big hit of an unlikely win.
Before that, the vulnerable West Indies kept themselves in the game via half-centuries from Kyle Mayers and Brandon King. The former top scored for the innings with 75 off 68 balls, featuring 10 fours and 1 six, while the latter struck 54 off 66 deliveries in a steady effort that didn’t allow India to build easy inroads into his team’s batting unit. Shamarh Brooks also contributed with a 61-ball 46.
It didn’t help, though, that none of them made a giant score which may have allowed the hosts to put greater pressure on an understrength Indian bowling attack, asserting its presence and quality only in bits without ever coming up with a consistent performance for the afternoon.
Apart from Siraj, Shardul Thakur (2/54) and Yuzvendra Chahal (2/58) delivered important breakthroughs. Thakur got the wickets of Mayers and Brooks when they were looking set for a long haul, while Chahal got rid of a well-set King and the dangerous Rovman Powell. Part-time spinner Deepak Hooda’s controlled five-over spell of 0/22 also made a difference in the end outcome.
India had the opportunity to take the game away from West Indies in the first half itself by posting a score in excess of 340-350, but stutters in the last 20 overs held them back. Holding a position of great strength at 1 for 205 off 33 overs, India managed to reach a score of 308, around 30 runs short of what they would’ve least wanted.
The visitors dominated the better part of the innings thanks to a solid opening act from stand-in captain Shikhar Dhawan, who made 97 off 99 deliveries before holding out caught near a well-deserved century. Dhawan shared a fantastic stand with fellow opening batter Shubman Gill, with the youngster making 64 off 53 at his end before getting run-out.
Amidst question marks on his spot in the line-up, middle-order batter Shreyas Iyer came up with a fifty as well, scoring 54 critical runs to keep his case going in an Indian set-up of unprecedented batting depth.
Brief scores
India 308/7 in 50 overs (Dhawan 97, Gill 64; Joseph 2/61) beat West Indies 305/6 in 50 overs (Mayers 75, King 54; Thakur 2/54) by 3 runs
