Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran. (Photo: CWI)

Nicholas Pooran, the captain of the West Indies, emphasised his desire to triumph in the following match after his team lost the second ODI to India.

Team India defeated the West Indies by two wickets in the second One-Day International of the three-match series on Sunday at the Queen’s Park Oval venue in Port of Spain thanks to half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, and Axar Patel.

We Didn’t Hold Our Nerves In Last Few Overs: Nicholas Pooran

Nicholas Pooran. PC- Getty
Nicholas Pooran. PC- Getty

“Definitely, last couple of overs we didn’t hold our nerves. Last 6 overs, we lost the game. We felt a spinner was easier to hit. We just needed one wicket to seal the game but Axar played really well,” said Pooran in a postmatch presentation.

“His (Hope’s) 100th ODI, he was exceptional to get a hundred. We did an exceptional job with the batting group. We tried to compete really hard. We want to win really bad,” he added. 

With a 2-0 victory, India currently leads the series. A 99-run partnership between Iyer (63) and Samson (54) stabilized their innings when they were struggling at 79/3. In the end, Deepak Hooda’s (33) and Axar Patel‘s (64*) efforts were crucial in helping the visitors prevail.

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West Indies Strikes Back After Strong Start By Indian Openers

Shubman Gill, India (Image Credits: Twitter)
Shubman Gill (Image Credits: Twitter)

Despite sending back the top order in the match’s early going and amassing a massive total themselves, West Indies lost control of the game. India got off to a strong start in its pursuit of 312. Shubman Gill started off with a lot of purposes and broke some excellent barriers. 

Shikhar Dhawan, his teammate, was the least aggressive of the two. India had a score of 42/0 after 10 over, including Gill’s (30*) and Dhawan’s (12*) runs. Before bowler Romario Shepherd intervened to remove a faltering Dhawan for 13 off 31 balls, the pair had put up a partnership of 48 runs.

The next player on the crease was Shreyas Iyer. Gill was comfortably seated at the wicket and appeared to be on pace to get his second consecutive fifty when Kyle Mayers caught and bowled him for 43 off 49 balls. India was now 65/2 and Suryakumar Yadav was the next player to take the field. 

When he was at nine, Suryakumar showed some purpose by hitting a big six, but the ball rocked his stumps after hitting the inside edge of his bat. For the visitors, Mayers struck once more, and after taking three wickets in quick succession, the Windies appeared to be in command.

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Shreyas Iyer And Sanju Samson Keep Winning Hopes Alive For Visitors

At this moment, India was at 79/3 and in dire need of a partnership. The chase was picked up again by Iyer with wicketkeeper Sanju Samson, who was next in line. The pair consistently ran well between the wickets and occasionally attempted huge shots. The pair mentioned their 50-run partnership in 52 balls. 

IND vs WI 2nd ODI, India
Shreyas Iyer – Sanju Samson Photo Credit: (Twitter)

Shreyas was in excellent form as he reached his 11th half-century in the format with a four through the deep middle that also helped India pass the 150-run threshold. Mayers’ 30th over, which cost 16 runs, was by far his most expensive one.

After raising their 50-run stand, the pair accelerated. After Iyer was caught leg before wicket by bowler Alzarri Joseph for 63 off 71 balls, the pair came one run shy of putting together a 100-run partnership. 

Deepak Hooda took the stage after him. For India, Hooda-Samson maintained the scoreboard. Samson hit a four-through fine leg to get his first fifty off 47 balls.

Only 27 runs had been added to the total when Samson was struck out for 54 off 51 balls. India has 205 runs remaining and was at a score of 5. The next person on the crease was Axar Patel. India had 212/5 after 40 overs, with Axar (4*) and Hooda (18*).

Axar Patel Takes Men In Blue Over The Line

In the last ten overs, Men in Blue required 100 runs. With the duo attempting some powerful hits, India’s score continued to rise. They helped India reach 250 runs.

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In just 31 balls, Axar-Hooda reached their 50-run stand. It came down to 56 runs being needed in the last six overs. After being caught by Hayden Walsh at backward point, Hooda was out for 33 off 36 after being removed by the spinner Akeal Hosein. Next on the crease was Shardul Thakur. 

Axar Patel (Image Credits: Twitter)
Axar Patel (Image Credits: Twitter)

Patel’s performance with the bat persisted. Alzarri Joseph’s costly 46th over of the match relieved a lot of the load from India’s hitters. When it appeared that India would keep winning, Thakur was struck out for 3 runs by Joseph after being caught by Brooks at deep cover. 

The next player on the field was Avesh Khan. It was down to 32 off of 24 balls in the equation. As the final recognised batsman, Patel single-handedly continued the chase while reaching his first fifty in just 27 balls. Overs three through nine need 19 runs. 

In order to keep their wickets and lead India to victory, Patel and Khan had a duty. Jayden Seales dismissed Khan for 10 runs. On the crease next was Mohammed Siraj. India had eight to get in the last over. Patel, who finished with a score of 64* off 35 balls with three fours and five sixes, gave India the victory with a huge six on the fourth ball of the last over. 

Also Read: IND vs WI: Axar Patel Breaks MS Dhoni’s 17-year-old Record In 2nd ODI Against West Indies