PORT OF SPAIN: India interim captain Shikhar Dhawan led from the front with a magnificent 97 before the bowlers displayed nerves of steel to aid the touring side seal a thrilling victory over the West Indies in the first ODI.
India’s right-arm pacer Mohammed Siraj held his nerves calm to defend 15 runs in the final over as he leaked 11 to hand his side a thrilling three-run victory in the first ODI of the three-match series, which went right down to the wire.
Batting first, India posted a commendable total of 308/7 in the allotted 50 overs at the back of a strong display from their top three.
India’s interim captain and left-handed opener Dhawan top-scored for the side as he scored a brilliant 97 off 99 balls, laced with 10 boundaries and three sixes. His opening partner Shubman Gill, on the other hand, scored 64 at a decent strike rate of 120 with the help of six boundaries and two sixes.
As the openers provided a solid foundation for a decent total, the stand-in vice-captain Shreyas Iyer capitalized on the situation as he too, shone with a brilliant half-century; scoring 54 off 57 balls including five boundaries and two sixes.
The rest of the Indian batters then made important contributions and bolstered the touring side to finish at 308/7 in 50 overs.
For West Indies, Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie claimed two wickets each, while Romario Shepherd and Akeal Hosein made one scalp apiece.
Set to chase 308, West Indies fell three runs short of the target as the hosts finished at 305/6 in 50 overs, despite a magnificent knock of opening batter Kyle Mayers.
The left-handed batter top-scored for the side with a valiant 75 off 68 balls, while Brandon King also starred with a valuable fifty; scoring 54 off 66.
Shamarh Brooks also chipped in for the hosts with a gritty 46 off 61 deliveries but remained a touch too slow in the proceedings.
The middle-order failure then almost wrote out the West Indies from the game but an astounding seventh-wicket partnership between Hosein and Shepher glimmered a ray of hope for the hosts.
The pair accelerated the run chase with quickfire cameos, but, in the end, remained unable to steer their side to the victory as Siraj defended 15 runs in the final over to nullify their efforts.
Hosein remained unbeaten with a run-a-ball 32, while Shepherd scored blistering 39 not-out off a mere 25 deliveries, laced with three boundaries and two sixes.
For India, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Siraj bagged two wickets each.
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