Spectators were treated to a rare display of batting masterclass as India took on West Indies in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.
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The audience got their money’s worth as Indian openers Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul made small work of the West Indian bowling lineup. Cricket enthusiasts marvelled at the opening duo’s contrasting styles of play — Rohit’s unhurried elegance versus Rahul’s magnificent strokeplay.
A late flourish from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer — who together added 73 in four overs — was icing on the cake for the audience.
“The way Shreyas and Rishabh accelerated the innings towards the end was fantastic. We rarely get to see such power hitting and we are glad that it happened in Vizag,” said L. Krishna, a cricket enthusiast from the city.
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Dressed in Team India jerseys, thousands of fans arrived at the stadium hours before start of play. Several stalls sprung up along the highway from Zoo Park all the way to the stadium, selling T-shirts, flags, caps and other memorabilia. Many children presumably gave school a miss, as was evident by their large turnout at the stadium.
A large number of people who did not get tickets were seen outside the stadium disappointed at not getting to witness the Indian batsmen in full flow.
“The match soon turned into a session of catching practice for us here in the stand. We were on our feet for most of the first innings hoping to take a catch, as Rohit and Rahul, and later Iyer and Pant, sent the ball to all corners of the stadium,” said Aravind, a college student.
While India triumphed in the must-win match by 107 runs, some spectators were disappointed at skipper Virat Kohli’s golden duck.
Skipper disappoints
“I was hoping to see Virat hit a few sixes, but today was not his day. However, Rohit’s innings made up for it,” said M. Vamsi Krishna, who came from Vizianagaram to see the match.
The second innings too had its moments, such as a brilliant run-out of Shimron Hetmyer by Shreyas Iyer, a hat-trick by Kuldeep Yadav and a catch by Kohli near the fence that got the crowd to its feet.
Sporting crowd
Vizagites cheered for both the Indian and West Indian teams during the match. Fans held posters supporting Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard. Both Pooran and Shai Hope, who hit fighting knocks, received a standing ovation when they walked back to the pavilion.