Pooran rues 'bittersweet' 3-run defeat to India

INDIA EARNED a narrow three-run win over the West Indies on Friday, in the first One Day International (ODI) at the Queen's Park Oval, St Clair on Friday.

India, who were sent into bat by West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran, made 308 runs for the loss of seven wickets, with skipper Shikhar Dhawan hitting 97 (99 balls, ten fours and three sixes), fellow opener Shubman Gill 64 (53 balls, six fours and two sixes) and Shreyas Iyer 54 (57 balls, five fours and two sixes).

The hosts, in their response, were only able to reach 305/6, courtesy of Kyle Mayers' 75, 54 from Brandon King and 44 from Shamarh Brooks.

Akeal Hosein (32) and Romario Shepherd (39) kept hopes alive with an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 53, off 5.3 overs, but India's fast bowler Mohammed Siraj conceded 11 off the final over, with the WI failing to get the required 15 runs to end a six-game losing streak in ODIs.

During the post-game media interview, Pooran said, "It feels like a win for us, bittersweet but we keep speaking about batting 50 overs and today we (did that), and made 300-plus. Hopefully we can grow from strength to strength as a team."

Shai Hope's struggles of late continued when he sliced an attempted pull shot to Shardul Thakur at third man for seven. But Mayers (68 balls, ten fours and a six) and Brooks (61 balls, four fours and a six) stabilised things with a second-wicket stand of 117, off 18.5 overs.

Thakur removed Brooks and Mayers in successive overs – Brooks pulled one to deep square leg and Mayers slashed one to be caught behind.

Pooran, hitting against the line, was held at mid-on off Siraj for 25, and when Rovman Powell (six) was caught at slip off leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, the West Indies were in trouble at 196/5 in the 37th over.

Brandon King made a patient 54 (66 balls, two fours and two sixes) but he skied one from Chahal to deep cover, when the score was on 252.

Hosein (32 balls, two fours) and Shepherd (25 balls, three fours and two sixes) tried in vain but the India bowlers held their nerves, in the final stages of the match.

Earlier in the day, India's opening pair of Dhawan and Gill feasted on some indifferent bowling to post a stand of 119, off 17.4 overs.

However, Gill, against the run of play, flicked a ball from fast bowler Alzarri Joseph to Pooran at midwicket, and failed to beat the direct throw the non-striker's end.

Iyer joined Dhawan and they kept the run-rate hovering at six-per-over. Together, they produced a second-wicket partnership of 94, off 16 overs, but the left-arm spin pair of Gudakesh Motie and Hosein pegged things back with three quick wickets, in the space of five overs.

Dhawan's sliced drive was well held by Brooks at point, with the captain three runs short of an 18th ODI century; Iyer was snapped up by a leaping Pooran at point off Motie, and Hosein forced Suryakumar Yadav (13) to chop one onto his stumps.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Sanju Samson was leg-before to Shepherd for 12, while Joseph knocked back the stumps twice, to remove Axar Patel (21) and Deepak Hooda (27). Thakur (seven) and Siraj (one) were the not-out batsmen.

Motie took 2/54 and Joseph 2/61 for the West Indies

The hosts brought back Mayers and Jayden Seales for Keacy Carty and the injured Keemo Paul, while all-rounder Jason Holder missed out due to a positive covid19 test.

India, who are without regular captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul and Kuldeep Yadav (rest and injury reasons), were forced to leave out experienced all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja due to injury.

The second ODI will take place at the Queen's Park Oval on Sunday, and the third and final match, of the three-game series, will be contested on Wednesday.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES vs INDIA

India inns:

S Dhawan c Brooks b Motie*97

S Gill run out (Pooran)*64

S Iyer c Pooran b Motie*54

S Yadav b Hosein*13

S Samson LBW b Shepherd*12

D Hooda b Joseph*27

A Patel b Joseph*21

S Thakur not out*7

M Siraj not out*1

EXTRAS (LB5, W6, NB1)*12

Total for seven wickets (50 overs)*308

Did not bat: Y Chahal, P Krishna.

Fall of wickets: 119; 213; 230; 247; 252; 294; 299.

BOWLING: Joseph 10-0-61-2 (W1); Seales 9-1-54-0 (W1); Shepherd 7-0-43-1 (W1); Mayers 2-0-17-0 (W1); Motie 10-0-54-2; Hosein 10-0-51-1 (W1); Pooran 2-0-23-0 (W1, NB1).

West Indies inns:

S Hope c Thakur b Siraj*7

K Mayers c Samson b Thakur*75

S Brooks c Iyer b Thakur*46

B King c Iyer b Chahal*54

N Pooran c Krishna b Sira* 25

R Powell c Hooda b Chahal*6

A Hosein not out*32

R Shepherd not out*39

EXTRAS (B2, LB97, W9, NB3)*21

Total for six wickets (50 overs)*305

Did not bat: A Joseph, J Seales, G Motie.

Fall of wickets: 16; 133; 138; 189; 196; 252.

BOWLING: Siraj 10-0-56-2 (W3); Krishna 10-1-62-0 (W2); Thakur 8-0-54-2 (W1, NB3); Patel 7-0-43-0; Hooda 5-0-22-0 (W3); Chahal 10-0-58-2.

Result: India won by three runs.

Series: India lead three-match series 1-0.

Man-of-the-Series: Shikhar Dhawan (India).