[Watch] Mukesh Kumar dismisses previous match hero Shai Hope cheaply to put India ahead in 3rd ODI
Team India pacer Mukesh Kumar bowled a wonderful opening spell in the third ODI against West Indies at Trinidad. Kumar dismissed THE West Indies captain and the Player of the Match of the 2nd ODI, Shai Hope cheaply to give a crucial breakthrough for his side in the second innings.
The visiting side batted first and set a daunting target of 352 for West Indies in the series decider. With a big total in front of them, the Caribbean openers wilted under pressure. Mukesh Kumar bowled with great control and extracted subtle movement with a new ball to trigger a top-order collapse of the home team.
He dismissed Brandon King for a five-ball duck in the first over and then cleaned up Kyle Mayers in his second. Mukesh Kumar took out the big fish, Shai Hope in the seventh over to put India in the driver's seat early in the second innings.
You can watch Mukesh's wickets in the video below:
4 batters hit half-centuries to propel India to 351/5 in the series decider
Team India batted first in the series finale after losing the toss. The openers Ishan Kishan (77) and Shubman Gill (85) laid down the perfect platform with a partnership of 143 runs.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) got a chance for the first time on this tour but failed to make it count. Sanju Samson (51) did not make that mistake as he hit an intent-filled half-century to showcase his hitting prowess in middle overs. Captain Hardik Pandya (70*) was the fourth half-centurion for India. He played a responsible knock and ensured his side reached a massive total in the end.
Reflecting on his knock at mid-innings break, Samson said:
"It felt really great to spend some time in the middle and score some runs and contribute for the team. I had different plans for different bowlers. I wanted to use my feet and dominate the bowlers by disturbing their line and length. It is a challenging thing, having to adjust to playing in different batting positions while representing the country."