West Indies contrive to tie after Hope, Hetmeyer heroics

ESPNcricinfo

This will hurt more than their three previous one-sided defeats. Shimron Hetmyer‘s sensational hitting and Shai Hope‘s near run-a-ball unbeaten hundred brought West Indies awfully close to their highest successful chase in ODIs, but they contrived to somehow fall behind and then hit a last-ball four to come away with a tie. When they lost Rovman Powell in the 38th over, West Indies needed just 69 at well under a-run-a-ball, but somehow failed to punish a spate of full tosses bowled with the wet ball and needed 14 off the last over.

Relieved was Virat Kohli, who had earlier almost single-handedly carried India to 321 with a century that took him past 10,000 ODI runs in record time. However, he will also be revisiting his decision at the toss, batting first despite knowing the dew in the evening would restrict their three spinners significantly. Kohli scored 157 of the 281 runs that came when he was at the wicket.

The final flourish from Kohli – 48 off the last 17 balls he faced – seemed bonus runs given the slow nature of the pitch, but soon it was apparent that India needed every last one of those. In typical scenes at an Indian ground, mild applause drowned in deafening funereal silence as Hetmyer first and Hope later stunned India in dewy conditions. It is usually hard to hear yourself think at an Indian ground except when India are at receiving end of an onslaught by a visiting batsman. Hetmyer seemed like he wanted to find out how quiet Vizag can be. He hit seven sixes in his 64-ball 94, got out trying to hit an eighth, but the more subdued Hope stayed back to make sure West Indies remained the favourites till the end.

The ball was wet, it skidded off the pitch, and spin was meat and drink for Hetmyer. Before that, Kuldeep had shown his party tricks to reduce West Indies to 78 for 3. Stock ball, stock ball, wrong’un, and it was enough to send back Chandrapul Hemraj and Marlon Samuels. But now the dew began to have an effect, and Hetmyer amplified it by putting the spinners under extreme pressure. All his seven sixes came against spin and into the leg side. Eventually Yuzvendra Chahal managed to start a long hop so wide that pulling instead of cutting proved to be a fatal error. Still, that partnership of 143 in under 20 overs had put West Indies well on their way.

Hope and Rovman continued to bat sensibly, happy with the odd boundary, keeping the asking rate under a-run-a-ball. Kuldeep, though, returned to get Rovman with another wrong’un, a panicked attempt to keep the ball out after reading it off the surface. India had no choice at that time but to have a slip in, where Rohit Sharma completed a sitter.

Summarized scores: India 321 for 6 (Kohli 157*, Rayudu 73) tied with West Indies 321 for 7 (Hope 123*, Hetmeyer 94, Kuldeep 3-67)

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