5 memorable ODI bowling efforts by Indians against West Indies at home
Team India will take on West Indies in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, February 6. The occasion will be historic as India will be playing their 1000th one-day match. The hosts’ preparations, though, were hampered after Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad and a few members of the support staff tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the series.
The good news for the Men in Blue is that Rohit Sharma is back as captain having missed the South Africa one-dayers due to a hamstring injury. India had a torrid time against the Proteas, going down 0-3 in the three-match series. In contrast, the West Indies got the better of England 3-2 at home in a T20I series before heading to India.
A glance at the head-to-head record between the teams in matches played in India hints that neither side has had the upper hand. India have won 29 of 58 ODIs played at home, while West Indies have tasted victory in 28. The hosts, however, have been dominant in recent times, with Windies’ quality falling away.
Top ODI bowling performances by Men in Blue against West Indies in India
As India and West Indies gear up to face each other in the ODI series, we look back at five impressive bowling efforts by the Men in Blue against the Windies at home.
#5 Jasprit Bumrah (4/35) - Pune, October 2018
Team India’s pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah claimed 4/35 in an ODI against the Windies in Pune in October 2018. India bowled first after winning the toss in the third one-dayer of the five-match series. Bumrah’s effort restricted the visitors to under 300 despite Shai Hope’s 95. West Indies finished on 283 for 9.
The fast bowler sent back both the openers cheaply. He dismissed Chandrapaul Hemraj (15) with a bouncer that the batter could only miscue for MS Dhoni to pull off a brilliant catch. Bumrah then squared up Kieran Powell (21) and had him caught at first slip. The pacer returned to claim two wickets at the death. He cleaned up Hope with a yorker and trapped Ashley Nurse (40) leg before with another block-hole delivery.
Pune - 3rd ODI
WI 283/9 (50 Overs)
Shai Hope 95(113)
Ashley Nurse 40(22)
Jasprit Bumrah 4/35
Kuldeep Yadav 2/52
IND 240 (47.4 Overs)
Virat Kohli 107(119)
Shikhar Dhawan 35(45)
Marlon Samuels 3/12
Ashley Nurse 2/43
Windies won by 43 runs
#WIvIND
Bumrah’s efforts were in vain though, as India folded up for 240 in response despite Virat Kohli’s 107. Samuels claimed 3/12 while Jason Holder, Obed McCoy and Ashley Nurse picked up two wickets apiece to sink India.
#4 Venkatapathy Raju (4/46) - Jaipur, November 1994
Left-arm spinner Venkatapathy Raju picked up 4/46 as Team India defeated a strong Caribbean outfit by five runs in a close ODI in Jaipur in November 1994. India were defending a target of 260 in the fifth one-dayer of the five-match series. West Indies looked in control for most of the chase but key strikes by Raju at crucial junctures in the game saw India register a thrilling win.
West Indies skipper Brian Lara was looking good on 47 but Raju trapped him in front of the stumps to raise India’s hopes. He then gave another major boost to the team, dismissing Carl Hooper (84) in similar fashion. The visitors managed to drag themselves to 252 for 8. However, Raju cleaned up Anderson Cummins (1) and Cameron Cuffy (2) to bowl India to victory.
A very happy birthday to Venkatapathy Raju. I remember this one time we dared him to pull a prank on @MervHughes332 on a flight thinking he’ll back out.😮
He didn’t!
Any guesses what #VenkatapathyRaju did? https://t.co/RzSET6O4I2
Earlier, the hosts’ total of 259 for 5 was built around Sachin Tendulkar’s 105 and Vinod Kambli’s 66. West Indies would have had hopes of chasing down the total but Raju proved too good on a helpful surface.