India beat the West Indies by 107 runs to level their three match series.
For the second ODI in Visakhapatnam, and with the West Indies holding a one game lead in the three match series, both sides made two changes apiece from Sunday’s game in Chennai. India brought in Mohammed Shami and Shardul Thakar for Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube, whilst the West Indies replaced Sunil Ambris and Hayden Walsh with Evin Lewis and Khary Pierre.
The West Indies won the toss and invited India to bat first, a decision they quickly began to rue as the Indian openers, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul, set off at a blistering pace. The pair put on 227 for the first wicket in 37 overs, with the ball flying to all parts of the field before Rahul was the first man to go, caught by Roston Chase off Alzarri Joseph. He had made 102 off 104 balls, scoring 3 sixes and 8 fours. In the next over Virat Kohli fell for a rare first ball duck, caught by Chase off Kieron Pollard, but Sharma, who had overtaken Rahul in the run-scoring stakes, continued to build a big total with Shreyas Iyer. He reached his 150 before he fell in the forty-fourth over caught behind off Sheldon Cottrell, having hit 5 sixes and 17 fours in the 138 balls he faced.
Iyer and Risbabh Pant then put on a raid 67, before Pant became the fourth man to go, caught by Nicholas Pooran off Keemo Paul for 39, scored off just 16 balls, and including 4 sixes. Iyer then went for 50 in the next over, caught behind off Cottrell, having struck 4 sixes of his own. Kedar Jadhav then made 16 unbeaten, as India closed on the imposing score of 387 – 5 from their 50 overs.
In reply, the West Indies got off to a reasonable start of their own, with Shai Hope and Lewis putting on 61 for the first wicket, but their progress was then checked when they lost three men in quick succession. First to go was Lewis, at the end of the 11th over, caught by Iyer for 30, off the bowling of Thakur. Shimron Hetmyer was then run out by the same bowler, and Chase was bowled by Ravindra Jadeja. Hope and Nicholas Pooran shared a stand of 102, but then Pooran, who had made 75 from 47 balls, including 6 sixes and 6 fours was caught by Kuldeep Yadav off Shami. Next ball Shami had Kieron Pollard caught for a duck behind the stumps by Pant.
Then it was the turn of Yadav to shine as a bowler. First he had Hope, who had made 78, including 3 sixes and 7 fours, caught by Kohli. Then the next ball he had Jason Holder stumped for 11. He then completed his hat-track when he had Joseph caught by Jadhav.
Pollard and Pierre delayed the inevitable with a stand of 50 for the ninth wicket, but then Pierre was caught by Kohli off Jadeja for 21, and Paul was the last man out, bowled by Shami for 46, having hot three sixes. The West Indies were all out for 280 in the 44th over.
Yadav, courtesy of his hat-trick, took 3 for 52, whilst Shami finished with 3 for 39.
The two sides head now to Cuttack for the decider on Sunday.
