10.10 pm: That will be all from us today. What a game of cricket! A memorable one in many, many ways. Kohli’s landmarks, Rayudu’s cameo, Hetmyer and Hope’s brilliant knocks and a tie at the end. Cricket, if you’d excuse the cliche, was the winner tonight.
Virat Kohli, man of the match: Great game to be a part of, credit to Windies for the way they got stuck in. WI showed great heart and fight. They couldn’t finish it in the end but I think it was a fair result. Pretty proud of my achievement. We had decided before match that we’d bat first. I thought Rayudu was really professional, he reads situations well. Happy he got some runs. Shai has got great talent and Hetmyer as well, credit to both of them.
Jason Holder: Really good game of cricket. Unfortunate we didn’t get over the line. My run out was perhaps a turning out. It was a par score. We were sloppy on the field and that’s one area where we can improve.
9.58 pm: Going into the last 5 overs, West Indies needed 36 runs off 30 balls. India got in a few crucial overs from Chahal, Shami and Umesh at that point and that helped them pile on the pressure. But Umesh will be disappointed with that final over.
9.56 pm: Plenty of appreciation coming for the Windies and rightly so.
9.52 pm: It was quite lovely that no one (from either side) knew quite how to react after the ball went to four at the end before MSD started smiling. Positives for both sides. Windies should have probably won it, but so should India having to defend 14 runs from the last over.
Shai Hope: Just disappointed at the moment. We come here to win, not just to compete.
WHAT A MATCH! It was full and wide from Umesh but Hope perhaps saw that coming and cracked this through point, Rayudu comes running from third man but can only get a hand to it (Not the best of fielding efforts, truth be told). No one quite sure how to react to this! Neither India nor Windies celebrating. But slowly smiles break out.
SUPERB MATCH!
49.6: FOUR!!!! IT’S A TIE!!!
49.5: Batsmen have crossed over. Hope on strike. And he gets a couple, mishit to midwicket. Hope back on strike, 5 needed off the last ball!
49.4: WICKET!!! Nurse is gone trying to play a scoop. The full ball just outside offstump is scooped to Rayudu at third man. Have they crossed? Remains to be seen. WI need 7 off 2 balls.
49.3: Mishit by Nurse but that’s good for WI, they manage to take a couple after hitting wide of long on. 7 needed off 3 balls.
49.2: OH DEAR! This is full, going outside leg stump. Completely missed by Nurse but it hits him on goes for four down the third man. 9 off 4 balls.
49.1: Umesh gets the yorker right! Just a single. 13 needed off 5 balls. Nurse on strike.
48.6: Another full ball wide outside off stump! Just one from that ball, Umesh has to defend 14 off the final over. WI 308/6. Hope on strike.
48.5: Low full toss, Hope cannot strike cleanly. Couple of runs though, down to long on. WI need 15 off 7 balls.
48.4: Wide yorker, Hope cannot connect. DOT BALL! WI need 17 off 8.
48.1: Quick single by Nurse, Hope rushes back on strike. Short ball from Shami.
48.2: Full and fast at the crease by Shami, single for Hope. 18 off 10.
48.3: Short ball again to Nurse and he can only pull it to deep midwicket. Seems like a strategy. 17 off 9.
Windies 302/6 after 48 overs - Hope 112, Nurse 1
JUST TWO RUNS FROM CHAHAL’s OVER! Windies 10 per over now but it’s going to be the pacers.
RUN OUT! Oh dear, not what the Windies needed right now. Hope taps it to cover and Holder is run-out at the non-striker’s end. Windies 300/6
Windies 300/5 after 47 overs - Hope 111, Holder 12
Fine leg inside the circle and Umesh bowls it on the leg stump. Four for Hope. Umesh bowling bad balls but Hope hitting them to the fielders, so just 5 from that over.
Windies 295/5 after 46 overs - Hope 106, Holder 12
There it is! A superb ton for Shai Hope. He’s often looked in great touch throughout this tour but threw his wicket away regularly. Not tonight, not yet. Punches the air in celebration after getting to the landmark but there’s a job left to do.
Nine runs from Chahal’s over without a boundary. Just good running and ordinary fielding. Poor from India.
WI need 27 from 24 balls
Windies 286/5 after 46 overs - Hope 98, Holder 11
Shami does well again to bowl full (near yorkers) despite the wet ball. And after four good balls, bowls a length ball that is hammered over midoff with elegance by Hope. Superb shot. Gets a single off the last ball to move on to 98. One bad ball from that over by Shami proving costly.
WI need 36 from 30 balls
Windies 277/5 after 44 overs - Hope 91, Holder 9
Not quite the finish Kuldeep would have wanted as Hope picks up a googly and smacks one over wide long-on for a six! And thanks to that big hit, 8 runs from the over. Kuldeep is done with his spell, 3/67
WI need 45 from 36 balls
Windies 269/5 after 43 overs - Hope 84, Holder 8
FIVE DOT BALLS FROM SHAMI! Now, that will give India hope. Couple of yorkers, one short ball and all in all, lovely over.
Windies need 53 off 42 balls. Kuldeep to bowl his last over.
Windies 267/5 after 42 overs - Hope 82, Holder 8
Six singles from Chahal’s over. Kohli cannot be pleased with that.
Shami comes on from the other end. He has 3 to go. Has been better than Umesh today but he has to really step up at the death here.
Windies 261/5 after 41 overs - Hope 79, Holder 5
Just two runs from that over and Jadeja finishes his spell with 0/49 after 10 overs.
Chahal comes back from the other end, and he has three overs left. Kuldeep has one more. Windies would be calculating how much they can afford to leave to be scored from the 5 overs by the pacers.
Windies 259/5 after 40 overs - Hope 78, Holder 4
Clear intent from Windies to play out Kuldeep who just has one more over left. Just two singles in that over.
And we go into the final powerplay of the match. WI need 63 off 60 balls.
Windies 257/5 after 39 overs - Hope 77, Holder 2
Holder can bat. He can bat well but can he and Hope take WI through? This is a vital stand for the visitors.
Jadeja almost bowls a maiden but concedes a single off the last ball. Holder taking his time here. Run-rate required back up to 6 now. Dot balls bring the crowd back alive as well. But Windies still have this under control.
Windies 256/5 after 38 overs - Hope 77, Holder 1
WICKET! Kuldeep gets another wicket and it’s the googly again. Short of length, Powell tries to play this off the pitch and misreads it. Outside edge taken well by Rohit at first slip. Credit to Kohli for continuing to have a slip.
Windies 249/4 after 36 overs - Hope 74, Powell 16
Chahal goes for a six now! That was a mishit by Powell and Pant, while trying to take the catch on the boundary line hurts his finger. Going off the field after crashing with the advertising board. 10-run over. Windies cruising at the moment.
Jadeja comes back...
Windies 239/4 after 35 overs - Hope 72, Powell 8
Oh dear. Umesh Yadav comes back and releases whatever little pressure that was built up. 13 runs from the over that finishes with a stupendous pick-up shot for six over midwicket by Shai Hope! (Resisting the temptation to make a Hope pun here)
Windies 226/4 after 34 overs
Kohli egging the crowd on and Chahal, Shami respond with two tight overs. Just 5 runs from the last 12 balls.
Windies 221/4 after 32 overs - Hope 62, Powell 0
Just three runs and a wicket from Chahal’s over but this is still Windies’ run-chase if they apply themselves.
DRINKS - Windies 221/4 after 31.5 overs: Hetmyer gone for 94!
A much-needed breakthrough for India! Chahal is brought back into the attack with Hetmyer smashing boundaries for fun. And he gets the wicket with a rank short ball. Hetmyer miscues the pull (the ball might not have bounced as much as he thought it would) and Kohli takes the catch.
Windies 205/3 after 39 overs - Hope 59, Hetmyer 82
200 up for the Windies! And the required rate is less than 6 at the moment. India looking fairly clueless at the moment as well and dew is clearly not helping as evidenced by full tosses from Kuldeep. Two boundaries in that over, one driven through cover and one an outside edge.
Windies 195/3 after 29 overs - Hope 50, Hetmyer 81
FIFTY FOR SHAI HOPE! Has largely played second fiddle to Hetmyer (he was on 24 when the latter was on 3) and has done a neat job of holding one end. Gets there with a single off Umesh. Hetmyer smacks Umesh off the last ball for a four. Runs are flowing for Windies.
Kuldeep has come back from the other and almost had Hope stumped but he got his back leg back in time.
Windies 183/3 after 27 overs - Hope 46, Hetmyer 73
WICKET! No, not yet. Huge appeal for LBW by Umesh against Hope, given out by Gould. But Hope immediately reviews, and it’s come off the inside edge. Massive one at that. Better from Umesh though, consistently landing on the good length.
Windies 180/3 after 26 overs - Hope 44, Hetmyer 72
EIGHTEEN RUNS FROM THE OVER! And back-to-back sixes! How big was that first six. Hetmyer rocked onto the back foot and hammered it high and hard. Chahal then tossed it up, Hetmyer used his feet and straight into the stands. That also brings up the 100-run stand between Hetmyer and Hope... from just 81 balls.
So far, Hetmyer has got just 6 off his 72 runs on the off-side. Everything else is on the leg-side. Change of line might help India a little here?
162 for 3 after 25 overs - Hetmyer 55, Hope 43.
The Windies are making it look easy here. On air, they are saying that dew has started to form. It only gets tougher for the spinners now.
Windies 156/3 after 24 overs - Hope 38, Hetmyer 54
32 runs in the last 3 overs! Hang on folks, we are in for a real run-chase here.
Hetmyer reached his 50 with another six. This is some wonderful hitting. Five sixes, 0 fours.
A six each in the last two overs, one off Jadeja and one off Chahal. No one is being spared at the moment.
Windies 134/3 after 21 overs - Hope 33, Hetmyer 38
Chahal comes on and concedes just one run but Jadeja concedes 9 from the other end. Another massive six from Hetmyer’s bat to silence the crowd. That IPL contract is not very far away now. Three sixes already and no boundaries as yet.
Windies 124/3 after 19 overs - Hope 33, Hetmyer 28
Another six for Hetmyer! A loose full toss on the pads, the Windies youngster smacks it over midwicket. That was preceded by a ripper of a legspinner that beat Hetmyer all ends up. The boundaries are bothering India at the moment.
Good over from the other end by Jadeja, just a single off it. Tighter line, giving Hope no room to cut.
Chahal comes on to replace Kuldeep...
DRINKS: Windies 116/3 after 17 overs - Hope 33, Hetmyer 20
No boundary but six runs from that Jadeja over. The Indian spinners have conceded 56 runs in their 8 overs so far despite the couple of wickets for Kuldeep. This match isn’t over just yet. Due is usually a factor in Vizag. We have seen that happen in earlier games. How much of a factor will it be today?
Windies 110/3 after 16 overs - Hope 31, Hetmyer 16
Hetmyer struggled against Kuldeep in the Tests but looks to take the attack to the Indian spinner here. Smacks a six over midwicket. The Windies are maintaining a healthy run-rate. 8 runs from the previous Jadeja over.
Windies 90/3 after 14 overs - Hope 24, Hetmyer 3
The centurion from the first match is the next batsman in and he struggled against Kuldeep in Tests. Continues to have trouble picking him up here, does Hetmyer. Just three runs from that over.
In the previous over, Hope cracked the first six of the innings, taking on Jadeja and going over long on. Lovely shot. Good footwork.
Windies 78/3 after 12 overs - WICKET!
Oh, Kuldeep you tease. After feeding a few full balls to Samuels, he shortens the length and bowls the googly that beats the Windies veteran’s outside edge and clips the bails! What a bowler.
Interestingly Jadeja bowled the 11th over. And he’ll continue from the other end.
Windies 72/2 after 10 overs - Hope 14, Samuels 8
AN EVENTFUL OVER! WICKET AND THREE BOUNDARIES: Hemraj fails to read the conventional turner, but the outside edge goes past slip and for four. Next ball, Hemraj fails to read the googly and is bowled right through the gates! Samuels then walks in and smacks a couple of boundaries, both driven through the cover region. Brave shots to play first up against the spin off Kuldeep.
Windies 60/1 after 9 overs - Hemraj 28, Hope 14
Another boundary in that over, but a streaky one at that for Hope as he gets a thick outside edge that races down to the third man fence.
Bowling change for India, Kuldeep Yadav comes on. Rarely bowls in the first powerplay in ODIs.
Windies 55/1 after 8 overs - Hemraj 27, Hope 10
EXPENSIVE OVER! Umesh Yadav’s struggles continues. Two boundaries for Hemraj and one for Hope. That backfoot punch by Hope the best of the lot. Hemraj got one through third man and one straight down the ground. There was one ball in that over that beat Hope all ends up but little else from Umesh so far.
Umesh has conceded 34 runs in his 4 overs! Struggling at the moment and not doing his white-ball case any good.
Windies 42/1 after 7 overs - Hemraj 18, Hope 6
WICKET! The trap was set with the deep midwicket for Kieran Powell and he obliges. Poor cricket from Windies, good execution from India. This one is angled across Powell by Shami, the batsman comes down the track and chips it to Rishabh Pant who takes a good catch.
Hope finishes that over with a crunching off drive for four.
Windies 36/0 after 6 overs - Powell 18, Hemraj 18
Steady over from Shami followed by an expensive one from Umesh Yadav. Hemraj takes on the latter, with two boundaries on either side of the wicket. Oh Umesh, and his issues with line.
Reactions to Kohli’s masterclass:
Windies 22/0 after 4 overs - Powell 14, Hemraj 8
The Windies openers getting a move on as Shami and Yadav stray in their lengths. Powell plays a lovely pickup short in Shami’s over. Couple of boundaries off Umesh’s over as well. Four for Hemraj through midwicket and for Powell through square leg.
Windies 7/0 after 2 overs - Powell 5, Hemraj 2
Good start from Umesh Yadav, just the one run from his over. No movement on offer with the new balls but Umesh working up a good pace. Powell cracks his bat trying to play a cut shot.
Windies 6/0 after 1 over - Powell 5, Hemraj 1
Good start to the run-chase for the West Indies. Powell plays an elegant flick off his hips off Shami to record the first boundary of the innings.
5.50 pm: Team India in a huddle and Virat Kohli is out giving his talk. No rest for him despite staying unbeaten. Just incredible fitness. Powell and Hemraj out in the middle.
INNINGS BREAK:
VIRAT KOHLI IN 2018 - 1046 runs in 11 ODIs.
112
46*
160*
75
36
129*
75
45
71
140
157*
The most runs by any batsman this year, going past Bairstow (who’s played 22 innings for 1025 runs)
INDIA 321/6 AFTER 50 OVERS: Kohli scored an unbeaten 157 off 129 balls. They scored exactly 100 runs in the last 10 overs.
END OF INDIA’s INNINGS - 150 FOR VIRAT KOHLI!
49.1: Dot ball.
49.2: FOUR! Paddled past short fine leg.
49.3: Hits to point and runs two! What an athlete. That’s his 150!
49.4: SIX! Full toss, hit over long on!
49.5: Takes a single and ensures he will remain unbeaten on 157. STUNNING INNINGS BY KOHLI!
49.6: DOT BALL.
India 308/6 after 49 overs - Kohli 144, Shami 0
WICKET! Jadeja holes out to long on. Didn’t get the distance, just got plenty of height. McCoy get another and that’s just 5 runs in that over. Kohli keeps strike for the last over.
India 303/5 after 48 overs - Kohli 141, Jadeja 12
18 runs from that over by Roach and just one of those scored by Jadeja. 17 from Kohli’s bat! Starts the over with a six over extra cover. Supreme use of the bottom hand. Then a four through third man, squeezing out a wide yorker. Finishes the over with a crunching drive through cover.
After his 100, Kohli has scored 3 fours and 3 sixes!
India 285/5 after 47 overs - Kohli 124, Jadeja 11
Guess why Jadeja is taking the singles? Because Virat Kohli is a big-hitter when he wants to be! TWO SIXES IN THAT OVER! One seemingly mishit but travels to the second tier over long on, one smacked over midwicket. Poor McCoy being toyed with. And Kohli is still taking the quick runs too. INCREDIBLE!
POLL ALERT:
India 267/5 after 46 overs - Kohli 109, Jadeja 8
Jadeja and Kohli out there in the middle and the Indian captain is still matching his partner for speed while running between the wickets. JUST INCREDIBLE FITNESS! Jadeja involved in a mighty mixup in the 45th over by Roach but the throw is to the wrong end and he survives.
No boundaries in the last couple of overs but 13 runs have come of it. Jadeja looking for singles and handing the strike to Kohli. Expect a few more big shots now.
McCoy back into the attack.
MILESTONE MAN: Just after getting to his 37th ODI ton, Kohli pointed to the bat and gestured that he’ll let his bat do all the talking. And boy has he done that or what!
India 254/5 after 44 overs - VIRAT KOHLI TON!
Back-to-back ODI centuries for the foremost ODI cricketer in the world. What a player! Kohli gets to No. 37 with a push through cover for four. That’s just the 10th boundary of his innings. A complete contrast to the century in Guwahati.
India 248/5 after 43.3 overs: WICKET! Samuels traps Pant LBW. The Indians took a hopeful review but even that didn’t help. Plumb in front. Horror review, truth be told.
India 246/4 after 43 overs - Kohli 97, Pant 16
Pant takes off! Two boundaries down the ground (both muscled off the front foot) off McCoy. Kohli finishes that over with a front foot pull shot through midwicket for four. Three short of another 100.
India 224/4 after 41 overs - Kohli 91, Pant 1
Well, not quite the start to the last 10 that India wanted. What a name to have as your first ODI wicket. McCoy deceives MS Dhoni with a slower ball. Dhoni bowled for 20 off 25 balls. Pant walks in to the middle. Can he help India finish with a flourish?
End of 40 overs: India 221/3
Virat Kohli is well set, MS Dhoni seems to be hitting the ball well, Rishabh Pant still to come. A big finish on the cards for India. Dhoni survived a LBW review in the 39th over. Umpire’s call coming to his rescue.
India 211/3 after 38 overs - Kohli 83, Dhoni 16
SIX! A monster hit from Dhoni off Samuels. Dances down the track and sends it soaring over long off. It might have actually been a mishit! Looked like he sliced that, but the power. Woof. Has a cheeky smile on his face.
More Kohli tweets...
India 202/3 after 37 overs - Kohli 82, Dhoni 8
The inevitability of Virat Kohli. Everyone expected him to get to 10k today and he gets there on not the easiest of pitches. And in a nice touch, he is batting with Dhoni when the landmark came up. Two modern stalwarts in the 10k club now.
VIRAT KOHLI DOES IT!
India 195/3 after 36 overs - Kohli 80, Dhoni 5
A boundary through backward point and a single to follow that and Kohli is now 1 shot of 10000.
India 189/3 after 35 overs - Kohli 75, Dhoni 3
One auditions ends and another begins. Pant was supposed to come in at the fall of Rayudu’s wickets but it seems like Kohli asked for Dhoni to be sent out. A chance for the former skipper to get some runs under his belt.
India 179/3 after 32.2 overs - Kohli 70
BOWLED! Ind 179-3. Rayudu missed the ball while going for the big shot and the ball crashed into the stumps. Dhoni is in next.
A Rayudu b Nurse 73 (80b, 8x4)
India 178/2 after 32 overs - Kohli 69, Rayudu 73
GLORIOUS FROM KOHLI! Bishoo tosses one up, Kohli clears his front leg and he drives one through a narrow gap between cover and extra cover. Kohli just 12 short of the magic landmark now.
India 169/2 after 30.4 overs: Chance! A really difficult chance but McCoy, diving full-stretch, got one hand to it but couldn’t hold on. Rayudu survives again. And McCoy’s hurt his shoulders. Break in play at the moment. And the umpires call for drinks.
Here’s a look at that Kohli shot. Genius at work. Look at the torque imparted by those wrists.
India 166/2 after 30 overs - Kohli 62, Rayudu 68
EXPENSIVE OVER! Holder concedes 13 as Rayudu and Kohli help themselves to a boundary each. Rayudu steps down the track and smacks through extra cover. And then, Kohli. Woof! The Indian captain whips one away from a four. He picked that up from way outside the off-stump and wristed it through the gap on the leg-side. Class.
India 153/2 after 29 overs - Kohli 56, Rayudu 62
Rayudu has upped the ante! He’s now gone past Virat Kohli. A lofted off drive in Holder’s over was his 7th boundary of the innings and fourth in the last 3 overs.
Roach comes back into the attack and tries the cross-seam, slow bouncers. Taking pace off the ball seems to be the way to go on this pitch. 150 comes up for India and the partnership is now up to 114.
1st fifty runs: 62 balls
2nd fifty runs: 55 balls
3rd fifty runs: 56 balls
India 142/2 after 27 overs - Kohli 54, Rayudu 53
Fifty for Rayudu! He helped one down the legside and it has taken him 62 balls. His 9th ODI fifty and he is looking the part. Three boundaries in the last two overs for Rayudu. One through the offside off Holder and two boundaries through the leg side off McCoy. Top innings so far, this.
India 124/2 after 25 overs - Kohli 50, Rayudu 39
FIFTY FOR VIRAT KOHLI! Boy, does he love to bat at Vizag. His fifth ODI innings here and the fifth time he’s gone past 50.
And a very different innings to the one at Guwahati a few days back. Plenty of running, plenty of hard work.
India 120/2 after 24 overs - Kohli 48, Rayudu 37
DROPPED! Who drops Kohli in this form?!! Jason Holder, of all people! McCoy’s slower ball induced the false shot but Holder failed to hold on to a tough chance, running backwads from midoff. But once he got there with his long legs, he should have taken it. Kohli was on 44 and this wicket would change the complexion of the game in a big way. This is a big, big miss. And spare a thought for debutant McCoy. He could have had Kohli as his first wicket.
Bishoo continues to keep it tight, just two runs from his 7th over.
Here’s a look at India’s No 4 musical chair...
India 112/2 after 22 overs - Kohli 43, Rayudu 35
Short from McCoy and hooked away by Rayudu for four. Nicely placed...there was a time when the short ball was a weakness. But now Rayudu seems to have no problem with that ball.
Three runs from the subsequent Bishoo over.
India 103/2 after 20 overs - Kohli 41, Rayudu 28
100 up for India in the 20th over. A good first over from McCoy, using the angle well. Just four singles.
Bishoo continues, and almost yorks Kohli with a full ball. Four runs from that over as well. Kohli moves into the 40s with a late cut.
India 95/2 after 18 overs - Kohli 35, Rayudu 26
50 partnership! Kohli returns from the drinks break and gets going straight away. Two boundaries in three balls off Bishoo. One tucked away through fine leg and the other cut through point and short third man.
Time for debutant Obed McCoy... left arm medium pacer.
DRINKS: India 85/2 after 17 overs - Kohli 26, Rayudu 25
The partnership is now up to 45 as Rayudu and Kohli rebuild. The focus seems to be on rotating the strike predominantly and the duo are doing that well. Three runs from Bishoo’s over, followed by four in Nurse’s.
India 78/2 after 15 overs - Kohli 23, Rayudu 21
14th over: Another delightful offdrive by Rayudu, this time coming down the track against Bishoo and driven with power.
15th over: A streaky boundary from Kohli. Nurse gets the ball to drift and straighten, Kohli’s push gets an outside edge and beats short third man. (No commentators, that wasn’t intentional)
India 62/2 after 13 overs - Kohli 17, Rayudu 11
Rayudu’s first boundary is a lovely off drive that pierces the gap between cover and mid-off. Tossed up by Nurse and Rayudu caressed it against the spin, because he got to the pitch of the ball.
India 55/2 after 12 overs - Kohli 16, Rayudu 5
Not surprisingly, spin from both ends. 50 comes up in the 11th over for India, with Virat Kohli cursing himself for being one short when running a double. Man loves his runs, doesn’t he?
Bishoo comes on in the 12th over and concedes three singles. There is turn for the leggie as well. This might just not be a high-scoring game.
India 49/2 after 10 overs - Kohli 13, Rayudu 2
8 runs from the 10th over, with Kohli timing the ball well and looking in good touch. A square cut in that over raced to the boundary and a straight drive was saved well at midoff by Holder. The last ball, though, was chipped in the air and fell short of mid-on. Again, the ball stopping on the batsman.
India 41/2 after 9 overs - Kohli 6, Rayudu 1
LBW REVIEW: OUT! West Indies have dismissed both of India’s openers in the powerplay! A brilliant review by Jason Holder and Co, Ashley Nurse traps Dhawan LBW. From around the wicket, Nurse gets one to straighten from the leg stump. And it’s straightening enough to overturn the umpire’s decision.
And the Indian middle-order gets a proper test now...
India 39/1 after 8 overs - Dhawan 29, Kohli 6
8th over: Spin introduced early, and Ashley Nurse concedes just two runs. The dry pitch should help spinners but no hint of turn just yet.
9th over: SIX! And just about... an upper-cut from Shikhar Dhawan off Roach clears third man but not by much. First six of the match. The Indian must have had his heart in his mouth
India 30/1 after 6 overs
6th over: Two more boundaries for Shikhar Dhawan off Jason Holder’s bowling. India off to a brisk start despite losing Rohit early. Short ball, smashed through point and before that, one guided through third man.
7th over: Just one run from Roach’s over. The ball continues to stick and stop.
India 19/1 after 4 overs - Rohit falls cheaply!
WICKET! Windies strike early and it’s the big wicket of Rohit Sharma. Roach strikes. It was not the best of deliveries. Short and wide outside off, Rohit just guided it into the hands of Hetmyer at point.
Out walks Virat Kohli and he gets going with a boundary. The man loves batting at Vizag — 118, 117, 99, 65 in the four ODIs at the venue.
India 15/0 after 3 overs - Rohit 4, Dhawan 11
Back-to-back boundaries! Shikhar Dhawan is up and running in Vizag. Short ball, pulled away. Fuller length to follow, flicked with ease. Great timing on both. Holder’s around the wicket line helping Dhawan there.
India 5/0 after 2 overs - Rohit 4, Dhawan 1
Roach from the other end and concedes just one run in that over with Dhawan taking his time to get going. Was keen on taking a single to get off the mark, does it off the 5th ball. Early indications that the pitch is on the slower side.
India 4/0 after 1 over - Rohit 4, Dhawan 0
Boundary in the first over for Rohit Sharma as Holder errs in his line and strays on the pads. Just that one bad ball in that over though.
1.30 pm: Alright, it’s time for the 2nd ODI. Vizag is all set. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan out in the middle. Jason Holder will start off proceedings for Windies.
1.25 pm: Once again, India’s top order will take center-stage when Rohit Sharma walks out to bat with Shikhar Dhawan.
Data check: Numbers that show how dominant Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli are in ODs. Read here.
1.20 pm: Having received a firm backing from captain Virat Kohli as India’s number four in the ODI format with the World Cup in mind, Ambati Rayudu Tuesday said the responsibility does not pressurise him at all, as he preferred to stay in the present.
“Not really,” Rayudu said when asked if he is feeling any pressure three days after his skipper backed him for a position for which the team management has tried as many as seven batsmen since the tour of Sri Lanka in 2017.
The Hyderabad batsman added, “To be very honest, I am just focused on this series at the moment and not really thinking too far ahead.
“I don’t think it is new for me as I have been batting in the middle order for long. There is nothing new that they have asked me to do.”
The 33-year-old began his first-class career way back in 2001-02 but had to wait till 2013 to make his international debut, against Zimbabwe, aged 28.
PLAYING XIs:
INDIA
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli (C), Ambati Rayudu, Rishabh Pant (W), MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav
WINDIES
Kieran Powell, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shai Hope (W), Marlon Samuels, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (C), Ashley Nurse, Devendra Bishoo, Kemar Roach, Obed McCoy
1.15 pm: Elsewhere in Indian cricket...
TEAM NEWS: Not surprisingly, Kuldeep Yadav comes back into the XI but he’s replacing Khaleel Ahmed. Tough on the youngster? Obed McCoy (debut) replaces Oshane Thomas for Windies
TOSS: Virat Kohli wins the toss and a loud cheer goes up when he says India will bat first this time around.
1.00 pm: Almost time for the toss...
12.57 pm: Ian Bishop (happy birthday to him!) said the pitch is very dry in Vizag and will not have the zip that we saw in Guwahati. Kuldeep Yadav should play but in whose place? (Let’s hope it’s not Khaleel Ahmed...)
12.53 pm: All eyes are on Virat Kohli of course, because he is 81 runs short of 10,000 runs in ODIs. Well, he has 54 more innings to make sure he’s the fastest to get there (tells you how good he has been in this format) but given his form and given his love for Vizag (399 runs in four ODIs), that day might well be today.
12.50 pm: Hello all and welcome to the live blog of the second ODI between India and West Indies in Vishakapatnam.
India’s eight-wicket demolition of West Indies in the first one-day international in Guwahati was led by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Kohli, who made 140, and Sharma, who remained unbeaten on 152, put on 246 runs for the second wicket as the hosts chased down 323 and romped home with 47 balls to spare.
India, who swept the two-Test series against the visiting Caribbean side, lead the five-match ODI series 1-0.
The effort from Kohli and Sharma easily overshadowed a dominant 106 by West Indies batsman Shermon Hetmyer in his team’s 322-8 after being put into bat first.
In reply, India lost opener Shikhar Dhawan in just the second over of the innings after he was bowled by debutant fast bowler Oshane Thomas.
Kohli then took charge with Sharma, who was happy playing second fiddle to his in-form captain, as the duo put on India’s biggest-ever ODI stand against West Indies for any wicket.
The skipper built on his quickfire fifty to get his 36th ODI ton in just 88 deliveries, hitting Kemar Roach for a boundary to make the three-figure mark amid loud cheers from a packed home crowd.