PORT-OF-SPAIN: Axar Patel’s career-best 64 not out lifted India to a series-clinching two-wicket win with two balls to spare over the West Indies in the second One-day Inter­national of a three-match series here at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday.

After Shai Hope’s assured 115 in his 100th ODI paced the home side to a competitive 311 for six batting first, the tourists were indebted to Patel’s bludgeoning innings off just 35 balls in his first ODI for five years.

Three fours and five sixes highlighted the left-hander’s spectacular effort in which 100 runs came off the last 58 deliveries of the match to give India an unbeatable 2-0 lead and extended their winning streak against the West Indies to 12 matches dating back to November 2018.

Kyle Mayers, who had taken two early wickets and featured in two other dismissals, was entrusted with the final over with India runs away from victory.

He looked on course to deny the visitors until a full-toss was smashed for a straight six by Patel to obliterate the previous record of 272 by the West Indies against Pakistan in 1988 as the highest success ODI run-chase at the venue.

“When I went out there we were aiming to get 10-11 runs-per-over,” said Patel after receiving the man-of-the-match award. “We thought it could be done because of our IPL experience.”

Shreyas Iyer (63) and Sanju Samson (54) had gotten India back on course after early setbacks, but it was Patel’s intervention which made all the difference.

Hope’s 13th ODI century earlier in the day, just his second in the Caribbean, came off 135 balls and was decorated with eight fours and three sixes.

He received good support from Nicholas Pooran as the home captain stroked 74 in a 117-run fourth wicket partnership with the opening batsman to justify his decision to bat first.

Mayers, West Indies top-scorer in the first match two days earlier which India won by just three runs, again set the pace with a brisk 39 in an opening stand of 65 with Hope.

Seam bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur was the leading wicket-taker with three for 54, removing Pooran, Rovman Powell and then Hope to peg back their opponents who looked on course for a total closer to 330.

“Axar played well and we didn’t hold our nerve,” Pooran admitted in reflecting on a second nail-biting loss in three days. “We just could not keep things under control in the last five overs.”

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES: S. Hope c Patel b Thakur 115 K. Mayers c&b Hooda 39 S. Brooks c Dhawan b Patel 35 B. King c Dhawan b Chahal 0 N. Pooran b Thakur 74 R. Powell c Iyer b Thakur 13 R. Shepherd not out 14 A. Hosein not out 6 EXTRAS (B-4, LB-2, NB-1, W-8) 15 TOTAL (for six wickets, 50 overs) 311 DID NOT BAT: Hayden Walsh, Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales FALL OF WICKETS: 1-65 (Mayers), 2-127 (Brooks), 3-130 (King), 4-247 (Pooran), 5-280 (Powell), 6-300 (Hope) BOWLING: Siraj 10-1-46-0 (2w); Avesh 6-0-54-0; Thakur 7-0-54-3 (3w, 1nb); Hooda 9-0-42-1; Patel 9-1-40-1; Chahal 9 0 69 1 7.67 (1w) INDIA: S. Dhawan c Mayers b Shepherd 13 S. Gill c&b Mayers 43 S. Iyer lbw Joseph 63 S. Yadav b Mayers 9 S. Samson run out 54 D. Hooda c Walsh b Hosein 33 A. Patel not out 64 S. Thakur c Brooks b Joseph 3 A. Khan c Brooks b Seales 10 M. Siraj not out 1 EXTRAS (B-6, LB-7, NB-2, W-4) 19 TOTAL (for eight wickets, 49.4 overs) 312 DID NOT BAT: Yuzvendra Chahal FALL OF WICKETS: 1-48 (Dhawan), 2-66 (Gill), 3-79 (Yadav), 4-178 (Iyer), 5-205 (Samson), 6-256 (Hooda), 7-280 (Thakur), 8-304 (Khan) BOWLING: Joseph 10-1-46-2 (1w, 2nb); Seales 10-0-40-1; Shepherd 10-0-69-1 (2w); Mayers 7.4-0-48-2 (1w); Hosein 9-0-72-1; Walsh 3-0-24-0 RESULT: India won by two wickets. MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Axar Patel SERIES: India lead three-match series 2-0.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2022