West Indies vs India, 2nd ODI: Shikhar Dhawan-led India look to seal series in Port of Spain
India Today
India tour of West Indies: Shikhar Dhawan-led touring side will look to seal an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the 2nd ODI in Port of Spain on Sunday. However, Nicholas Pooran's men will be heading into the contest with added confidence after a strong batting show on Friday.
India will look to seal the ODI series when they take on West Indies in the 2nd ODI of the 3-match series on Sunday, July 24 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The visitors held their nerve to seal a 3-run victory after posting 308 in the first ODI on Friday.
Shikhar Dhawan roared back to form as India's stand-in captain made a statement with 97, missing his 18th ODI hundred and a first since the 2019 World Cup by just 3 runs. Dhawan and his new opening partner Shubman Gill made merry with a 119-run stand in the first ODI after West Indies won the toss and opted to bowl, setting the platform for a huge total.
Shreyas Iyer, who walked in at No. 3, proved his naysayers wrong with a stroke-filled fifty. Iyer has been under pressure in the recent past after having to deal with short deliveries but the Kolkata Knight Riders captain managed it well, taking his time to settle into the innings.
However, India will be a little concerned about the middle-order failure that robbed them off 20-30 runs in the first ODI. Suryakumar Yadav suffered a rare failure while Sanju Samson failed to make use of an opportunity to contribute big for the team.
Deepak Hooda, who got an opportunity to bat in the lower-middle order, managed 27 off 32 balls while Axar Patel chipped in with a crucial run-a-ball 21. However, India would have been disappointed with their finish as they managed just 73 runs in the last 15 overs.
Shikhar Dhawan and head coach Rahul Dravid will be backing their young guns in the middle-order to step and come up with a better showing as India prevailed only in a last-over thriller in the first ODI.
On the bowling front, India looked more assured despite the absence of spearheads, including Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Ravindra Jadeja. Dhawan used the part-time off-spin of Deepak Hooda in the first 20 overs and brought on Yuzvendra Chahal late but the leg-spinner delivered with 2 crucial wickets.
