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New Zealand have lost to Pakistan last night, leaving India as the only unbeaten team at this 2019 ICC World Cup. Looking to end that run today at the Old Trafford will be a Russell-less West Indies side.
After coming out with a commanding performances in their first three World Cup games, the Men in Blue had to toil hard against Afghanistan to earn their fourth victory of the ongoing tournament.
West Indies, on the other hand, come into the match in what is a must-win position for them, following a close five-run loss to New Zealand. The Jason Holder-led side has been quite inconsistent in the tournament so far. They have had moments of brilliance from individuals like Carlos Brathwaite and Sheldon Cottrell but what they have lacked is the team performance.
Lots of talk around Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his innings against Afghanistan and today the focus will be on the former skipper’s batting approach and position in the middle order.
Dhoni's painfully slow approach against the Afghanistan yielded 28 off 52 balls and he was roundly criticised, even by the normally restrained Sachin Tendulkar. "There was no positive intent," Sachin told a TV channel.
Indian bowling coach Bharat Arun was asked yesterday if anyone in the coaching staff spoke to MSD about his innings last Saturday and here’s what he said.
"There is a constant dialogue between all the batsmen, the support staff, the batting coach, the head coach -- Ravi Shastri has a constant dialogue with all the coaches. I can't really get into the brass tacks of what we discuss, but yes if I have to answer your question, there is a constant dialogue for us to improve," the former India medium pacer said.
Many years ago, West Indies were a fearsome side; before the calendar turned over to the 1990s, the West Indies had a 27-6 win-loss record against India.
But the story’s changed since and Team India have pulled ahead and now have a 53-35 win-loss record against the West Indies.
So far in this decade, India lead the head to head 21-8.
Virat Kohli has won another toss and the Indian skipper has elected to bat first at Manchester.
No changes in the playing XI so that’s Shami picked ahead of Bhuvi.
The Windies have two changes - Sunil Ambris and Fabian Allen have come in in place of shley Nurse and Evin Lewis.
India XI: Virat Kohli (C), KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhon, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Jasprit Bumrah.
West Indies XI: Jason Holder (C), Chris Gayle, Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell and Oshane Thomas.
Sheldon Cottrell with the first over of the match the new-look Indian opening pair of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma have both opened their accounts.
4 runs coming off it.
3 overs down and the Roach-Cottrell duo have managed to not concede any boundaries. Rohit and Rahul too treading it carefully keeping in mind Cottrell’s reputation of taking early wickets.
Fun fact: The team that has batted first in Manchester in the previous three World Cup games has successfully defended its total.
India: 7/0 After 3 overs
A four in the fifth over bowled by Cottrell and with that Rohit Sharma starts exploring the boundary lines around the ground.
Kemar Roach then is hit for a six and a four in the sixth over but the Windies win that mini-showdown as Rohit is given out off the last ball - caught-behind on 18. Not at the first go though as they have to ask for the DRS.
The ball slips in between the bat and the pad and the on-field umpire says ‘not out’. The third umpire though sees a spike on the ‘ultra edge’ review and overturns the decision. Could it be for the connection between bat and pad instead? Well, it’s still the wicket and Rohit is walking back to the pavilion.
India: 29/1 after 6 overs.
It’s the Indian skipper out in the middle and with the fall of Rohit’s wicket, West Indies also have introduced Oshane Thomas to the attack.
Virat opens his account with a boundary.
India 38/1 after 8 overs.
Virat Kohli is starting to flex his bat now and the 11th over bowled by Oshane Thomas’ sees two boundaries. 9 runs off the over.
India: 56/1 after 11 overs
Spoke too soon about those boundaries because West Indies have pulled it back.
Jason Holder has bowled two straight maiden overs as India manage just 11 just in 4 overs.
India 67/1 after 15 overs
Not many big hits but Virat and KL Rahul have managed to score 50 runs together so far. Rahul adding 30 and the skipper had contributed 21 runs to the partnership.
10 runs from the 18th over.
India 87/1 after 18 overs
2 short of a half century, KL Rahul has lost his wicket to Jason Holder. The Windies skipper knocks off Rahul’s stumps off-stump and that’s the second Indian wicket.
India 98/2 after 20.4 overs
Vijay Shankar joins his captain Virat Kohli at the crease. And the all-rounder has hit the Windies skipper Holder for two boundaries in the 23rd over.
India 112/2 after 23 overs
Holder and Cottrell to Virat and Vijay and this mini-battle has been won by the Windies as they get the wicket of India’s new number 4.
Vijay has been caught-behind on 14.
India 126/3 after 26.1 overs
Some personal milestones for the skipper as he scores his 4th straight half-century of this World Cup.
Earlier in the innings he became the fastest cricketer to score 20,000 international runs, breaking the record held by Sachin and Brian Lara. Virat got to the mark in 417 innings while the stalwarts jointly got to the landmark in 453 innings.
For the second time in the match, West Indies appeal for a caught-behind and get an answer in the negative from the on-field umpire.
They go for the DRS and replays show there was a faint edge but that’s enough for Kedar Jadhav to be given his marching orders. Out on 7 off 10.
India 140/4 after 29 overs.
MS Dhoni is the new man in.
Dhoni survives a stumping and a run-out scare! A spinner comes to bowl and as Allen rolls his arm, Dhoni steps out of his crease to go for a big one. A comedy of errors from Windies’ keeper Shai Hope follows. He misses the stumps twice as the fumbles the ball and misses a stumping chance.
Dhoni then goes for a quick run and it’s Hope again who chases the ball and throws it to the non-strikers end. It’s not a direct hit and Dhoni lives to play another ball.
India 162/4 after 34 overs
‘That’s a big wicket... that’s a huge wicket,’ says Michael Holding in commentary and there’s no denying that it is.
The Indian skipper is walking back to the pavilion on 72, caught by substitute Bravo off skipper Jason Holder.
India 180/5 in 38.2 overs
Lots of talk around MS Dhoni’s innings against Afghanistan but once again the former skipper is batting at a slow rate. He’s made 20 off 40 balls but the question is… if he hits big and gets out, who’s next?
Mohammad Shami.
Is India ready to risk exposing the tail with 8 overs still left in the innings?
Good news though - India’s 200 is up.
India: 200/5 in 42 overs
10 and 4 runs from the last 2 overs and now may be time for Hardik and MS to change gears now. 2 boundaries in the last 3 overs. Just 1 four from Dhoni in this innings.
West Indies had to call a physio in the middle after Sheldon Cottrell injured his right leg while trying to save a run. He’s back up now and that’s 10 runs from the Brathwaite over.
Brathwaite is the bowler and off the second delivery, MS Dhoni hits his first boundary in 16 overs, and you know this is the business end of the innings.
The Windies manage to rein it in as just 6 more runs are conceded in the over.
India 229/5 after 46 overs
A single off the first ball and Hardik Pandya is at the crease. He hits it high but is lucky to not find a fielder and get 2 runs instead. 3 balls later, he gets another life when he hits it high past the cover fielder - 2 more runs.
The last ball of the over though finally get him the boundary that he’s been gunning for.
India: 249/5 after 48 overs
The duo bring up 250 for India but Pandya is walking back to the hut soon after.
The second ball of Cottrell’s over and Pandya once again hits high past the cover fielder but this time the Windies are prepared. Allen with the catch and India are 6 down.
Shami is the new man in and lasts just 2 balls as he’s caught-behind.
India 253/7 after 49 balls
MS Dhoni faces the first ball- an easy swing of the bat and the ball lands straight in the middle of the stands. Two balls later, he hits it down the ground and the fielder is beaten. 4 more runs and that’s MS Dhoni’s half century.
Last ball of the innings and Thomas serves Dhoni a short ball.
MSD says thank you with a six.
India 268/7 after 50 overs
And we’re back with the chase.
Chris Gayle and Sunil Ambris are opening for West Indies, and Mohammed Shami is handed the ball for the first over. Gayle manages to sneak in a four on the fourth delivery.
West Indies 4/0 after 1 over
Second over, and Jasprit Bumrah comes into the attack. And the fifth delivery of the over, a beautiful yorker, strikes Gayle on the shoe. After a brief discussion, India decide against a review.
West Indies 5/0 after 2 overs
Chris Gayle out! After struggling against the Indian pacers, the ‘Universe Boss’ gives an easy catch to Kedar Jadhav at mid on. Gayle walks back to the hut for 6.
The new batsman in is Shai Hope.
West Indies 10/1 after 4.5 overs
They are yet to bowl today, but former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh has backed the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal to win India this game at Manchester.
Shai Hope out!
After hitting a beautiful square drive for four, Hope is bowled by Shami for 5. The pressure is now on the West Indies camp. Nicholas Pooran is the new man in.
West Indies 16/2 after 6.5 overs
That’s the end of the powerplay, and West Indies have managed to score 29 runs for the loss of two wickets in their first 10 overs. Pooran and opener Ambris have added 13 runs in the 19 balls since the last wicket (Hope).
Pandya introduced into the attack with the 10 over and leaks four singles.
West Indies 29/2 after 10 overs
After posting the lowest Powerplay score of this World Cup, Windies have managed to add 13 runs in the last 12 deliveries. Pandya went for 5 runs in the 12th over, and then Kuldeep gave away just 3 in the next six balls.
West Indies 42/2 after 13 Overs
West Indies have crawled to the 50-run mark in 15 overs. Kuldeep Yadav is putting pressure on the two batsman at the crease – Pooran and Ambris – but to no avail so far. Bowling from the other end currently is Pandya, who has given away 11 runs in his 3 overs.
West Indies 50/2 after 15 overs
WICKET! Just as Pooran and Ambris get to the 50-run mark in their partnership, Pandya strikes. The all-rounder removes Ambris lbw for 31.
West Indies 71/3 after 18 overs
The on-field umpire gives Shimron Hetmyer out, but the young batsman is confident that the ball didn’t the bat. He goes up, and the TV review shows that Hetmyer was right!
The umpire reverses his decision.
West Indies 75/3 after 19 overs
Nicholas Pooran hits a big shot off Kuldeep, it goes super high in the air, but falls short. Shami takes an easy catch on the boundary.
West Indies lose another well-set batsman. Pooran out for 28.
West Indies 80/4 after 20.2 overs
We’re almost to the halfway mark in West Indies innings, and Chahal has been introduced into the attack. In the 22 over. He leaks 8 runs.
West Indies 92/4 after 22 overs.
Yuzi gets the big wicket! Captain Jason Holder tries to hit big but gets caught out in the covers by Jadhav. Are the Windies heading for a collapse!?
West Indies 98/5 in 23.5 overs
Bumrah gets rid of the danger man! MS Dhoni takes a stunner behind the stumps to remove Carlos Brathwaite for just 1 (off 5 balls).
West Indies 107/6 in 26.1 overs.
Right after removing Brathwaite, Bumrah removes Fabian Allen for a first ball duck. And that’s a hat-trick opportunity for the pacer!
West Indies 107/7 after 26.2 overs
After taking two wickets on the first two balls of the 27th over, Bumrah misses out on a hat-trick, even as Shami cheekily appeals for a wicket on the third delivery.
Nonetheless, the star pacer finishes the over without giving any runs.
West Indies 107/7 after 27 overs, need 162 runs from 23 overs
There just seems to be no hope left for the Windies! Hetmyer is out caught by KL Rahul off a delivery by Shami.
A dejected Shimron Hetmyer is walking back to the hut after a 29-ball 18.
West Indies 112/8 after 28.3 overs
After getting hit for a four and then a six on the first two balls of the over, Chahal traps Cottrell lbw for 10.
That leaves India needing just 1 wicket to win this game.
West Indies 124/9 in 29.5 overs, need 145 runs from 120 balls
Oshane Thomas edges the ball and Rohit Sharma dives to catch it. The Indian camp appeal, and the on-field umpire’s soft signal is out. However, the third umpire confirms that the ball had touched the ground before being caught.
West Indies 124/9 after 31.2 overs
Nervous last moments of the game.
And KL Rahul manages to drop a catch in the deep. So Oshane Thomas stays at the crease.
West Indies 129/9 after 32 overs, need 140 runs off 108 balls
Finally! Shami removes Oshane Thomas for 6, and that brings an end to West Indies’ innings.
The delivery seemed to have hit Oshane’s shoulder, but India are confident it touched his gloves. And the review shows Virat & co are right!
West Indies are all out for 143 in 34.2 overs. India win by 125 runs.
India captain Virat Kohli gets the Player of the Match award for his 82-ball 72.
“I look to play in my own way, happy to take the ones and twos which I think is a big factor in ODI cricket. Two difficult pitches, I'm happy with my contribution and look forward to doing more of the same in the future,” he adds.
Losing captain Jason Holder says, “I think the bowlers did a fantastic job on this surface and I couldn’t have asked them for more. We just let ourselves down with the bat”.
India continue its unbeaten streak with a 125-run victory at Old Trafford that ended any slight hope West Indies had of reaching the World Cup semifinals.
It was a fifth win for Virat Kohli's India lineup and a rebound in form following a close call against Afghanistan. It was a fifth loss in six games for the West Indians since a commanding opening win over Pakistan and it makes them the third team to drop out of playoffs contention.
India moved into second place with 11 points, one behind defending champion Australia, and travel to Birmingham to play England on Sunday, 30 June. Till then, it’s goodbye!