WI v IND 3rd ODI Review: Dhoni, Jadhav power India to 2-0 lead in the series

Unlike the dominating shades of grey in Trinidad, the sun decided to at least play a game of hide and seek at Antigua’s Sir Vivian Richards Stadium for the second ODI. In its resurgence, the sunlight also brought along with it the return of two giants of Indian cricket. MS Dhoni brought back memories of the flamboyance in his salad days, while Ravichandran Ashwin finally topped the bowling charts with figures of 3/28 from his allotted ten overs. For the hosts’ Windies, however, it was same old same old – an uninspired performance with the bat which made a target of 251 look well and truly unachievable.

The Windies opted for their third opening combination in three games, with Kyle Hope replacing Kieran Powell at the top. Their experiments though were in vain as Hardik Pandya sent Evin Lewis packing in the second over of the chase. The hosts Hopes were doubled for this one-dayer, but the brothers weren’t able to give the Windies a move-on either. They added 45 runs before the Windies endured a short collapse. In a matter of 7 overs, they went from 54-1 to 87-5, leaving Jason Mohammed and Rovman Powell more than they could chew.

The wickets took a break for another 13 overs, before India ran through the Windies tail. Mohammed and Powell stitched the lone 50-run partnership for the home team. As far as the Indians were concerned, the duo separated them from victory. Kuldeep Yadav worked his magic to dismiss both set batsmen and the rest was formalities. The Windies were dismissed for a trivial 158, thus handing India a 2-0 lead in the series.

Although the statistics didn’t seem to think so, Kuldeep Yadav was perhaps a better bowler than Ravichandran Ashwin in Antigua. Yadav bagged 3 wickets himself, but gave away 13 more runs than the senior off-spinner. But in the youngster’s defense, he picked up the most important wickets in the Windies line-up. All three of Ashwin’s victims were tail-enders – Jason Holder would perhaps be the only batsman who could pass off as an all-rounder. All said and done, it’s a matter of relief for the Indian team that Ashwin was back to his wicket-taking habit.

The Windies batsmen did not show a hint of urgency in their batting. Ashley Nurse scored 6 runs off 6 deliveries, thus leaving the field with a strike rate of 100. The next best strike rate in the Windies scorecard was Rovman Powell’s 69.76, which summed up their complete lack of intent.

A large portion of the Indian innings was also devoid of their usual spark when batting in the first innings. The visitors were jolted early when the Windies pacers got rid of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli inside the first ten overs. India were yet to cross the 40-run mark at the end of the first Powerplay, but Ajinkya Rahane held his ground on a two-paced pitch. He got to his third successive fifty – Rahane would certainly face criticism for striking at 64.28, and he sure had trouble switching gears – while Yuvraj Singh contributed 39 runs.

Yuvraj’s dismissal brought MS Dhoni to the crease, and the former captain had a luxurious 24 overs in hand. He added 70 runs along with Rahane, before the latter was dismissed for a strenuous 72. In walked the little man Kedar Jadhav and proved to one and all why he is such an asset to the Indian team in the death overs.

MS Dhoni was one short of 40 when Devendra Bishoo pulled off a sensational catch to remove Rahane. From 39 off 59, Dhoni put the foot on the pedal in the last 8 overs to walk back undefeated on 78 off 79 deliveries. He brought up his 63rd ODI fifty off the final ball of the 45th. It was Dhoni time when Holder came back to bowl the 47th, and MSD greeted the Windies skipper with two monstrous hits into the stands, much to the delight of Mrs. Dhoni who was watching her hubby’s onslaught from the gallery.

As for Kedar Jadhav, his foot was already on the pedal when he marched out to the crease. He joined the party with a sixer, and showcased his unbelievable ability to find the boundary. Swivels, shovels, and sweet timing from both batsmen meant India had added 100 runs in the final ten.

On a given day, 251 is not an imposing first-innings total, but it was all about context here. India did not have a winning score, but neither did the Windies have match-winners. The result was an all too familiar one as far as the Windies’ recent form goes, who can now at best level the series with two back-to-back wins in the last two ODIs.

Brief Scores

India: 250/4 (MS Dhoni 78*, Ajinkya Rahane 72, Kedar Jadhav 40*; Miguel Cummins 2/56)

Windies: 158/10 (Jason Mohammad 40; Ravichandran Ashwin 3/28, Kuldeep Yadav 3/41)