3 positives for India from the 2nd ODI vs West Indies
Helped by a complete bowling performance, India won the second ODI against West Indies by 44 runs at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Wednesday, February 9 to take an unassailable lead in the three-match series.
After being inserted into bat by stand-in Windies captain Nicholas Pooran, India lost a few quick wickets but recovered decently to post 237. The visitors were always behind the eight ball in the chase and were eventually bowled out for 193 in 46 overs.
Here are three positives for India from their series-sealing win in the second ODI.
#3 India showed they're willing to shake things up
Rohit Sharma's appointment as India's full-time white-ball captain has been expected to bring about a massive change in the team's approach to ODI cricket. While that hasn't exactly manifested itself so far, with the new skipper intent on following the template set by his predecessor, India made a bold call in the second ODI that showed they aren't unwilling to experiment.
KL Rahul's return to the playing XI meant that Ishan Kishan had to miss out, but the Men in Blue took the excellent decision of allowing the right-hander to get more accustomed to the middle-order role he is expected to play in the lead-up to the 2023 World Cup. Rishabh Pant was instead promoted to open the batting, and although the move didn't pay off, it was definitely a step in the right direction as far as defining player roles go.
Moreover, Deepak Hooda scalped his first international wicket, the important scalp of the well-set Shamarh Brooks, proving his worth as a sixth bowling option. Thakur being given the new ball for a change also allowed Prasidh to flourish as the first-change option.
India made a few uncharacteristically bold calls on Wednesday, which can only be interpreted as a massively encouraging sign.
#2 Deepak Hooda and Suryakumar Yadav proved their worth in the middle order
India's top order has done the bulk of the team's run-scoring in ODIs over the last few years, but Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant flattered to deceive in the second ODI. With India three down cheaply, the middle order needed to step up in order to seal the series. And they did just that.
KL Rahul played a superb counter-attacking innings at No. 4, although he brought about his own downfall with a bizarre run-out. Suryakumar Yadav, who has all but sealed a middle-order role in ODIs with a string of important momentum-injecting innings, was more than happy to play second fiddle as he notched up a patient half-century that put India in the driver's seat.
Washington Sundar and Deepak Hooda added some valuable runs as India recovered from a top-order collapse to post a fighting total. The Men in Blue were probably still below par and no batter went on to score big, but the middle order's improvements would've certainly pleased the team management.
#1 India's bowling attack turned in a complete performance
Rohit Sharma must receive a significant portion of the credit for bringing the best out of his bowlers in the second ODI, with almost every bowling change yielding results and attacking fields choking the West Indies batters throughout the innings. But the bowlers too must be applauded for turning in what was a truly complete bowling performance.
After Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur set the tone for the innings with the new ball, Prasidh Krishna wreaked havoc as the first change. The Indian pacers kept pounding away on hard lengths, using the lateral movement and bounce on offer to stifle the Windies batters. They were complemented by Yuzvendra Chahal, who bowled an enticing spell of attacking leg-spin. Even Hooda and Sundar, who didn't play prominent roles in the second innings, scalped one important wicket each.
India's bowling plans and execution were spot-on in the second ODI - something which hasn't happened regularly enough since the 2019 World Cup.