India A Vs Windies A: Men in Blue Thrash Caribbeans to Storm into the Final

India A stormed their way into the final of the ongoing Tri-Nation series by defeating Windies A by a whopping margin of 203 runs. The victory was largely built around two magnificent centuries from the blade of Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari.

The Men in Blue posted a huge score of 354 in their allotted 50 overs and it was always going to be a tough ask for the Caribbean team. Axar Patel bowled a sensational spell bagging four wickets as Windies were skittled out for just 151 runs in 37.4 overs.

Prithvi and Hanuma Vihari set a solid foundation:

Shaw got off to a brisk start but the start for the Men in Blue wasn’t the ideal one. They lost Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer in quick time as they were reduced to 28 for two.

From there on, it was a brilliant partnership between Shaw and Vihari which got India back into the game big time. Shaw struck some gorgeous shots through the cover region. He also executed the flick shots to perfection. He eventually struck 16 fours during his knock of 102 off just 90 deliveries.

Vihari on the other end slowly built on his innings. He didn’t go after the bowlers from the outset but paced his innings to perfection. He started flexing his muscles in the last 15 overs. Vihari was eventually dismissed in the final delivery after he had made 147 off 131 deliveries. His innings was decorated with 13 fours and five sixes.

Quickfire knocks from Vijay Shankar and Ishan Kishan eventually helped India post a commendable score of 354 on the board.

For the Windies, Chemar Holder was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets. However, he conceded 70 runs in his quota of 10 overs. Windies needed to get off to a brilliant start to harbour hopes of chasing the total down.

Bowling was quite spectacular from the Men in Blue:

However, it was just the opposite as Deepak Chahar removed Jermaine Blackwood in the first delivery of the innings with a stunning inswinging delivery.

Andre MacHarty and Chanderpaul Hemraj also fell in quick succession. Windies never managed to get going and lost a wicket whenever they looked set for a partnership.

There was no substantial knock from any of the batsmen which eventually led to their downfall. Patel produced a magnificent spell of bowling in the middle overs while sealing his figures with four for 34 runs.

Windies were eventually bowled out for a paltry 151 runs thus handing India a huge victory. The win will definitely keep the Men in Blue in a perfect state of mind ahead of the final against England A.

Brief Scores:

India A 354/6 in 50 overs (Hanumana Vihari 147, Prithvi Shaw 102, Chemar Holder 3/70)

Windies A 151 all-out in 37.4 overs (Chanderpaul Hemraj 43, Sunil Ambris 32, Axar Patel 4/34, Deepak Chahar 2/21)

India A won by 203 runs