Krishna, Shardul sparkle as India beat West Indies

Indian players celebrate after the dismissal of West Indies’ Fabian Allen (not pictured) during the second One-Day International (ODI) in Motera, Ahmedabad, yesterday. (AFP)

• Hosts take unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series with 44-run win Fast bowler Prasidh Krishna led India’s inspired bowling to outplay West Indies by 44 runs in the second one-day international and clinch the series yesterday. West Indies faltered in their chase of 238 to be bowled out for 193 in 46 overs as India took an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series in Ahmedabad. Krishna returned career-best figures of 4-12 and fellow pace bowler Shardul Thakur took two wickets as India extended their successive ODI series win record over West Indies to 11. Suryakumar Yadav’s 64 remained key as India posted 237 for nine, a total that looked below par but proved enough for the tourists who came into the match without injured skipper Kieron Pollard. In reply, West Indies lost opener Brandon King for 18 and Darren Bravo for one with Krishna taking down both the batsmen in his first two overs. Krishna struck again in his second spell to send back stand-in-skipper Nicholas Pooran, for nine, as West indies slipped to 66-4. Shamarh Brooks raised hopes of a fightback with a 41-run partnership with Akeil Hosein who attempted to keep up the chase after his partners’ departure in another gritty stand with Fabien Allen. Odean Smith also gave India a scare with 20-ball 24 but Washington Sundar got him out and Krishna took the final wicket. Earlier Yadav and KL Rahul, who made 49, put on 90 runs for the fourth wicket after West Indies fast bowlers struck early to reduce India to 43-3. Pace spearhead Kemar Roach drew first blood after getting skipper Rohit Sharma caught behind for five in the third over of the innings. Pollard’s replacement Smith rattled the hosts with his double strike in one over to send back Rishabh Pant, who opened the batting, out for 18 and Kohli also walked back on 18. Rahul, who survived a dropped catch on four by wicketkeeper Shai Hope off Roach, made use of the reprieve to rebuild the innings with Yadav. But he fell short of his fifty after being run out while attempting a second run with Yadav. Yadav, who made an unbeaten 34 in the previous match, went on to complete his second ODI fifty and surpassed his previous best of 53 in his sixth match since his debut last year. Yadav fell to Fabian Allen’s left-arm spin and the Indian middle and lower order stumbled apart from Deepak Hooda who hit 29 off 25 deliveries.SCOREBOARD India R. Sharma c Hope b Roach 5 R. Pant c Holder b Smith 18 V. Kohli c Hope b Smith 18 KL Rahul run out (Hosein/Hope) 49 S. Yadav c Joseph b Allen 64 W. Sundar c Joseph b Hosein 24 D. Hooda c Hosein b Holder 29 S. Thakur c Brooks b Joseph 8 M. Siraj c Hope b Joseph 3 Y. Chahal not out 11 P. Krishna not out 0 Extras (b2, lb2, nb2, w2) 8 Total (9 wickets, 50 overs) 237 Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Rohit), 2-39 (Pant), 3-43 (Kohli), 4-134 (Rahul), 5-177 (Yadav), 6-192 (Sundar), 7-212 (Thakur), 8-224 (Siraj), 9-226 (Hooda) Bowing: Roach 8-0-42-1 (w1, nb1), Joseph 10-0-36-2, Smith 7-0-29-2 (w1), Holder 9-2-37-1, Hosein 6-0-39-1 (nb1), Allen 10-0-50-1

West Indies (target 238) S. Hope c Yadav b Chahal 27 B. King c Pant b Krishna 18 D. Bravo c Pant b Krishna 1 S. Brooks c Yadav b Hooda 44 N. Pooran c Rohit b Krishna 9 J. Holder c Hooda b Thakur 2 A. Hosein c Pant b Thakur 34 F. Allen c Pant b Siraj 13 O. Smith c Kohli b Sundar 24 A. Joseph not out 7 K. Roach lbw b Krishna 0 Extras (lb5, nb3, w6) 14 Total (all out, 46 overs) 193 Fall of wickets: 1-32 (King), 2-38 (Bravo), 3-52 (Hope), 4-66 (Pooran), 5-76 (Holder), 6-117 (Brooks), 7-159 (Allen), 8-159 (Hosein), 9-193 (Smith), 10-193 (Roach) Bowling: Siraj 9-1-38-1 (w3), Thakur 9-1-41-2, Krishna 9-3-12-4, Chahal 10-0-45-1 (nb2), Washington 5-0-28-1 (nb1), Sundar 4-0-24-1 (w3)