Brief Score: West Indies 182 for 4 (Hope 63*, Carty 48*, Thakur 3-42) beat India 181 (Kishan 55, Motie 3-36, Shepherd 3-37, Joseph 2-35) by six wickets.
Player of the Match: Shai Hope
West Indies secured a notable victory against India in the second ODI, ending a nine-match losing streak against their opponents dating back to December 2019. This win allowed West Indies to level the series 1-1, following their loss in the first ODI.
In the match, Gudakesh Motie and Romario Shepherd each took three wickets, while Alzarri Joseph claimed two, helping to dismiss India, who had rested Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, for a total of 181 runs. Captain Shai Hope and the relatively inexperienced Keacy Carty successfully chased down this target with more than 13 overs to spare.
Although West Indies experienced a slight hiccup during their chase, slipping from 53 without loss to 91 for 4 due to Shardul Thakur’s contributions, Hope and Carty steadied the ship. Hope remained unbeaten with a score of 63, forming an unbroken partnership of 91 runs with Carty (48 not out) for the fifth wicket.
The Bridgetown pitch offered spin and turn throughout the game, with spinners maintaining an economy rate of 3.89, compared to the pace bowlers’ 5.20. Shardul Thakur initially removed the top three West Indies batters in just 25 balls, but once Hope and Carty joined forces, they focused on accumulating singles. Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja later tested West Indies’ middle order.
Carty played a patient innings, reaching 48 off 65 balls, and opened up towards the end to secure the win with consecutive boundaries off Hardik Pandya. The fact that West Indies only needed to chase 182 runs was due to a collective bowling effort and the advantageous pitch, supported by agile fielding.
India’s batting performance saw two collapses, first from a stable 90 for 0 to a precarious 113 for 5, and then from 146 for 5 to 181 all out. These downturns were interspersed with a lengthy rain break. West Indies, sensing an opportunity with Rohit and Kohli absent, capitalized on these situations. The turning point came in the 17th over when Motie’s delivery had Shubman Gill caught at long-off for 34.
Subsequently, Alick Athanaze took a brilliant catch at point to dismiss Ishan Kishan for 55 in the 18th over, and Shepherd claimed another wicket by inducing an edge from Axar Patel. Jayden Seales accounted for Hardik Pandya, while Yannic Cariah deceived Sanju Samson with spin and bounce.
Despite a brief recovery led by Suryakumar Yadav and Jadeja, West Indies regained control, securing the final five wickets for just 35 runs. Motie ended with figures of 3 for 36. Consequently, West Indies have an opportunity to secure their first bilateral ODI series victory against India since May 2006.
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