India clinch series after Axar Patel's heroics

Axar Patel's maiden ODI fifty, a unbeaten 64 off 35 which covered 3 fours and five sixes, helped India prevail in a high-scoring sport at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad as India chased down 312 with two deliveries to spare on Sunday (July 24). Opting to bat, West Indies posted a formidable overall thanks to Shai Hope's 115 in his a centesimal ODI appearance, along with skipper Nicholas Pooran's seventy four. India had been decreased to 79/three inside the chase before Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson revived the innings with half of-centuries. But Axar's incredible knock helped India over the road with wickets in hand as they registered a report twelfth consecutive bilateral series win in opposition to the West Indies through pulling off the 0.33 maximum a hit chase within the Caribbean. Needing 100 off the last 10 overs, with India 5 down, the obligation became on Deepak Hooda and Axar to take their team near. Axar went approximately his job by means of dealing in sixes, taking up Akeal Hosein and Romario Shepherd, whilst Hooda become playing a constant hand at the opposite end. Their brisk half-century stand brought down the equation to 56 off 36. But the partnership turned into ended through Hosein, who had Hooda stuck at factor. Joseph, but, leaked runs within the forty sixth over, with Axar hanging a straight six and the bowler additionally being known as for two no-balls for peak. But he controlled to brush aside Shardul Thakur notwithstanding sixteen coming off the over. With 32 wished off 24, Axar struck fours off Shepherd as he raced to a 27-ball fifty while debutant Avesh Khan also struck a 4 inside the equal over. A four-run over from Joseph left India with 15 to score off the closing . Avesh hit a four off Seales within the penultimate over however fell off the ultimate ball. Eight off six came down to six off three whilst Axar struck a low full toss off Kyle Mayers to seal the victory. At the begin of the chase, Shikhar Dhawan lacked fluency at the same time as Shubman Gill did the bulk of the scoring in the first powerplay for India. But only 3 fours have been scored within the first 10 overs because the West Indian pacers saved it quite tight. Gill struck his fourth boundary while he performed a brief-arm jab over midwicket in the eleventh over. But Dhawan struggled against the short deliveries from Shepherd, first being struck on the helmet grille after coming down the track, and then tried to strength an upper reduce handiest to locate Mayers take a nice diving trap. Mayers and Hosein strung together a sequence of tight overs, which led to pressure and, in the end, wickets. Gill attempted a scoop shot off Mayers however ended up lobbing an smooth catch back to the bowler. Suryakumar Yadav struck a six off Hosein however fell inside the very next over to Mayers, getting an inner aspect onto the stumps whilst trying to force one through the off facet. The ball was stopping a bit and Samson nearly exceeded a catch off a leading area. But Samson did not shy from gambling his pictures, putting a couple of classy off-drives for sixes off Hayden Walsh. Shreyas became also finding the fence as they delivered up a 1/2-century stand off fifty two deliveries to guide India's restoration. Shreyas's shortcoming against quick-pitched deliveries, evident by means of his dismissals inside the latest past, become some thing West Indies additionally attempted to exploit. But the batter got on top of the bounce rather readily, placing them away for obstacles. The thirtieth over, bowled with the aid of Mayers, changed into a efficient one for India as Shreyas achieved a pull a 4 to get to his fifty off 57 balls - his seventh 1/2-century towards West Indies in 8 innings - celebrated it by way of powering a six over lengthy-off whilst Samson ended the over with a boundary to fine leg as sixteen got here off the over. Samson continued clearing the fence, striking his third six through lofting a Hosein delivery over cover. But the partnership got here to an quit one brief of 100 as a yorker from Alzarri Joseph ended Shreyas's outing. Samson registered a forty seven-ball however become run out quickly after as West Indies regained the advantage, only for Axar to snatch it from them. Earlier, with India's new-ball bowlers no longer getting tons help, the West Indian openers were capable of play their pictures with lots of freedom as they were given off to a brief start. Avesh gave away 36 in his first spell of three overs, which covered seven fours - with Mayers striking five of them. Mohammed Siraj conceded most effective 15 in a five-over spell, even coping with a maiden however runs came thick and fast at the alternative cease as Thakur turned into welcomed into the attack with a 4 and a six in the eighth over by using Mayers, who helped convey up West Indies' first fifty-plus stand for the outlet wicket in eight innings. India's hopes of breaking the partnership ultimately materialized within the 10th over whilst Hooda took a law trap off his very own bowling to stop Mayers's stay. The left-hander departed for a 23-ball 39, having brought sixty five with Hope. Brooks then joined Hope as they built a very good partnership, placing on sixty two for the second wicket. The frequency of obstacles got here down after the first powerplay but the 2d wicket pair maintained a first rate scoring charge, collecting the singles and twos with limitations now and again. The creation of Yuzvendra Chahal noticed the 0.33 wicket pair negate the primary spinner's project with an attacking method, with Brooks putting fours and Hope citing his fifty with a slog-sweep for a six. Axar was bought again within the twenty second over and the move worked properly for India as he located the out of doors edge of Brooks's bat with a quicker shipping, at the same time as Brandon King were given a top edge off Chahal and fell for a duck. The quick wickets supposed that Hope and Pooran had to reveal a few restraint and pick their photographs wisely. But some loose bowling allowed Hope to acquire some obstacles at the same time as Pooran struck more than one sixes, with masses of singles being taken too, as the pair helped West Indies to 200 within the thirty eighth over. In the very subsequent over, Pooran struck two sixes off Chahal en route to a 60-ball half of-century and persevered to make the maximum of favourable match-united statesin opposition to spin. The century stand was raised off a hundred and fifteen deliveries however Pooran fell in his pursuit for short runs, becoming Thakur's first wicket. Hope, who become slightly bogged down, broke the shackles with two successive sixes off Chahal within the forty fifth over to reach three figures off a hundred twenty five deliveries. Thakur picked up the wickets of Rovman Powell and Hope however West Indies controlled to set India a daunting target. Brief scores: West Indies 311/6 in 50 overs (Shai Hope 115, Nicholas Pooran 74; Shardul Thakur 3-54) lost to India 312/8 in 49.4 overs (Axar Patel 64*, Shreyas Iyer 63, Sanju Samson 54; Alzarri Joseph 2-46) by 2 wickets.