Did the stirring chase by West Indies overshadow the 10,000-run milestone achieved by Virat Kohli at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday? Or was it the other way round?
Whatever the case is, the second ODI between India and West Indies made for spectacular viewing. This was made possible primarily by three outstanding knocks from the two camps — Kohli, and the West Indian duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.
Batting first, batting second — it makes little difference to Kohli. The India skipper showed that he has an outstanding cricket mind, which allows him to change his game according to the conditions and the match-situation.
The pitch was not quite the batting beauty seen at Guwahati. The ball gripped the surface, which made it difficult to hit through the line. West Indies captain Jason Holder was wise to it, and brought on spinner Ashley Nurse in the seventh over.
Immediate effect
The move worked almost immediately, as Nurse took out Shikhar Dhawan early. Kohli, normally one to attack from the word go, took a more measured approach.
Percentage game: Virat Kohli’s canny ability to play according to the situation came to the fore.
He was happy to pick the singles and twos with Ambati Rayudu, though he didn’t hesitate to unleash his famous horizontal-bat slap-drive to anything full. A good 104 of his 157 runs came in front of square — the safe zone on a slow surface.
One aspect of Kohli’s game which cannot be underestimated is his fitness. On a hot and humid coastal afternoon, Kohli showed impressive stamina to stick around for 46.1 overs. Singles, twos and threes accounted for 81 of his runs, and even towards the end of his essay, he found the energy to make the desperate sprints.
Kohli stated later that the team had set a target of 270-280, and that the extra 40-odd runs came as a bonus.
Exceptional response
It was a fair assessment, but the home side did not bargain for the exceptional West Indian response to come. On the eve of the match, Hetmyer stated that it was a dream of his to compete in the IPL.
The hundred in the first ODI would have piqued the interest of T20 franchises around the world, and his exploits in the next game only strengthened his case for a lucrative contract.
After struggling to read chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav off the pitch in the early stages of his innings, Hetmyer resorted to what works best for him.
Two low full-tosses on the legs from Kuldeep were smashed into the stands. He gobbled up over-pitched deliveries with glee, peppering his favoured mid-wicket area. When it was full on off-stump, a straight punch took the ball over mid-off. The margin for error was small, and the Indian bowlers were feeling the heat.
Answers calls
While Hetmyer returned to the hut with about 18 overs to go, his partner Hope was intent on staying on until the job was done. Hope answered Holder’s repeated calls for his batsmen to be clinical in their approach.
His mates, Holder included, may have faltered in this regard, but Hope was in no mood to give away his wicket. In any case, the rollicking 64-ball 94 from Hetmyer brought the required run-rate to a comfortable six per over. However tempting it may have been, there was no need for Hope to take risks.
Hope’s smart approach saw him go the distance, until the very last ball of the match. Seeing third-man brought in gave Hope a strong feeling that Umesh Yadav would attempt a wide yorker.
He guessed right, and made sweet contact. The match ended in a tie — a fair result for two teams which had an equal share of ups and downs.
