India vs Windies, 1st ODI Review: Twin hundreds from Kohli and Rohit overhaul Shimron Hetmyer’s effort

Rohit and Kohli shared 246 runs for the second wicket.

Published - 21 Oct 2018, 20:56 IST | Updated - 21 Oct 2018, 20:56 IST

2 Min Read

On an exceptional batting wicket, it was a contest between the two batting units. While Windies would’ve felt good about themselves at the half way stage having posted 322 runs but when Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma got into their own it was way too easy. If the Indian bowlers looked below par in the first innings, their opponents didn’t just arrive in the second innings. Twin hundreds from the skipper and his deputy took the Indian team home with 8 wickets in hand.

Windies was expected to produce a much better competition in the limited-overs formats after they were routed in the Tests. Jason Holder didn’t have the ideal start as Virat Kohli won the toss and decided to bowl first. The pitch was hard and looked like a really good batting surface, it was only expected to get better for batting as the game progressed with dew also playing a part.

Team India was without Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah thus Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed formed the pace bowling attack. Both Shami and Umesh haven’t played a lot of white ball cricket of late and that was quite evident with the way they went about business. Khaleel playing just his 3rd ODI also needed some time to get his line and length right.

All the three pacers were quite expensive, though Shami dismissed Chandrapaul Hemraj for 9 runs, they then had a stabilizing third wicket partnership. Kieran Powell switched to the aggressor with Shai Hope as his partner. Powell relished the opportunity and punished the Indian pacers. He hit four boundaries, a couple of sixes and got to his half century in just 38 balls but on the 39th he was dismissed. He holed out in the deep off Khaleel and Shikhar Dhawan completed a rather simple catch in the deep.

Two runs after, Marlon Samuels playing his 200th match lasted just 2 balls and was hit plumb in front by Yuzvendra Chahal for a duck. Hope also top-edged a Mohammed Shami delivery and MS Dhoni completed the formalities. Windies were 114/4 and in deep trouble.

That’s when the Hetmyer rose to the occasion. Right from the onset he laid deep into the Indian bowlers, the 21-year-old is known for his ability to hit the ball big and it was important for him to come good. He had failed in the Test series but this is a different ball game and he was more in his comfort zone. He found a partner in Rovman Powell but only temporarily.

He dominated the game from one end and every bowler that threw it towards him was thrashed away. The left-hander hit six sixes and as many boundaries in his knock. Hetmyer maintained a strike rate of 135 all the way to his hundred. In just his 13th ODI he scored the third hundred and has announced himself at this stage with quite some authority. It was Ravindra Jadeja who got rid of him before he could make matters worse.

Skipper Holder who never gives up without a try also made an effort worth 38 runs, it was such a batting wicket that Devendra Bishoo and Kemar Roach also contributed valuable runs for their team. Their partnership of 44 runs for the 9th wicket took Windies to 322. Chahal was the pick of the Indian bowlers as he returned with figures of 41/3. Shami was extremely expensive as he gave away 81 runs in his 10 overs for 2 wickets.

The way Windies batted it was quite evident that the wicket was a featherbed and the Indians will enjoy batting here as well. For the visitors, big man Oshane Thomas with his express pace who challenged the Indian openers. He managed to get the better of Shikhar Dhawan on the last ball of his first over and the Windies were really high on spirits.

Roach on the other end also bowled well, they didn’t give Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli any easy runs for a few overs. But when two brilliant batsmen are at the crease it is just a matter of time before they cut loose.

Once they got a hang of how the wicket was behaving Kohli was the first to initiate the charge. He played all the shots he wanted to, in the area he determined to hit them and in a way he pleased. Rohit like he always does didn’t get runs rapidly at the start but was in it for the long rope.

Once Kohli was flowing, it was a spectacle, batsmanship looked ridiculously easy and the bowlers were helpless. He got to his half century in just 36 balls and kept thrashing the bowlers. In no time, he had to take his helmet off and raise his bat, Kohli had a wide smile on his face celebrating his 36th ODI hundred.

Meanwhile, Rohit was not too far behind and also got to his 20th ODI century. From helpless the bowling was now looking hapless. With no assistance from the conditions or the pitch, the bowlers didn’t have anything in their arsenal to challenge. Kohli who was batting in a completely different planet, finally made a mistake missing one from Devendra Bishoo after coming down the track. He was stumped for 140 off 107 balls; the first time he was dismissed in this fashion in the last 7 years. It also ended their 246-run partnership for the second wicket.

Kohli hit as many as 21 boundaries along with a couple of sixes during his stay. Rohit pushed the pedal with Ambati Rayudu thereafter. He converted another hundred into a 150+ knock with a six on the eventual final delivery of the game. He was unbeaten on 152 from 117 balls having struck 15 boundaries and eight sixes. Rayudu, at the other end was not out on 22 as the Indian team got over the line in just 42.1 overs.