West Indies vs India 2022: 2nd ODI – Who Said What

Cricket fans couldn’t have asked for more, as two intense nail-biters took place between West Indies and India at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain. India have now secured the 2-0 series after a hard-fought win in the second ODI and it was a game of who held the nerves better in both matches. West Indies would be kicking themselves as they had the chance of winning both matches.

After opting to bat first in the second ODI, West Indies openers Shai Hope and Kyle Mayers (39) looked in good ryhtym and added 65 runs for the first wicket before the 10th over mark. Shamarh Brooks did get a start with a 36-ball 35 but could not make it a big score while Brandon King was removed for a duck. Nicholas Pooran (74) and Hope steadied the ship with a 117-run partnership for the fourth wicket and set an excellent platform for the hosts. Hope reached a fantastic century as West Indies posted 311 in their 50 overs.

India in reply lost Shikhar Dhawan for 13, while Shubman Gill followed him after a handy 43-run knock. Suryakumar Yadav was dismissed cheaply yet again for nine while Shreyas Iyer (63) and Sanju Samson (54) strung together a stunning partnership of 99 for the fourth wicket in quick time. However, once the duo were dismissed in the 39th over, the equation got tougher and tougher. Deepak Hooda perished after a 33-run knock, while India found a new hero in Axar Patel who was striking it brilliantly. The left-hander’s 35 ball-64 took India over the line with just two wickets in hand and two balls to spare.

Losing skipper, Nicholas Pooran said:

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. 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.

Winning skipper, Shikhar Dhawan said: 

It was a great team performance. Boys didn’t lose the self belief, that is amazing. Iyer, Sanju, Axar everyone was amazing, Even Avesh came out in his debut game and scored those 11 important runs. Thanks to IPL, they perform on a huge stage. I felt that we bowled nicely. They got off to a good start. Hope and Pooran batted well. We thought if they could do it, we knew that we could do it. We started a little slow. Shubman batted well. The Iyer-Samson partnership made a huge difference. There was a run-out. But these things happen. Boys are learning. Thanks to the support staff as well. They have been doing a tremendous job. It was a great feeling when I scored a 100 in my 100th ODI game. I would want to congratulate Hope for doing the same.

POTM, Axar Patel said:

I think this is a special one. It came at a crucial time and also helped the team to win the series. We have done the same in the IPL. We just needed to remain calm and keep the intensity up. I was playing an ODI after close to 5 years. I would want to continue performing like this for my team.