IND vs WI 2nd ODI Man of the Match: The Indian fast bowler won his maiden match award at the Narendra Modi Stadium tonight.
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During the second ODI of the ongoing West Indies’ tour of India in Ahmedabad, India beat West Indies by 44 runs to gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in a three-match series.
Asked to bat first by West Indies stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran (9), India scored a mediocre 237/9 in 50 overs. While a top-order failure was rescued by a 91-run partnership for the fourth wicket between vice-captain Lokesh Rahul (49) and batter Suryakumar Yadav (64), lack of boundaries in the third powerplay didn’t let the hosts put on board a dominating total.
Playing only his sixth ODI, Yadav played a career-best innings comprising of five fours. With 67 deliveries remaining when he was dismissed, Yadav would be keen to finish the innings for India in the near future.
Playing his first overseas ODI, West Indies all-rounder Odean Smith was the pick of their bowlers on the back of bowling figures of 7-0-29-2. In addition to Smith, West Indies fast bowler Alzarri Joseph also picked a couple of wickets to impress former India spinner Harbhajan Singh in particular.
IND vs WI 2nd ODI Man of the Match
Also playing his sixth ODI, India fast bowler Prasidh Krishna picked career-best bowling figures of 9-3-12-4. Figures which are rarely found in even Test cricket these days, Krishna’s match-winning performance played a crucial role behind dismissing West Indies for 193 in 46 overs.
Bowling first change in the first over unlike the first ODI at the same venue, all it took Krishna to make early inroads into the West Indian batting lineup was three deliveries. Within his first seven deliveries, Krishna had sent back Brandon King (18) and Darren Bravo (1) to the pavilion to hand an early advantage to the team.
Krishna’s first spell of 4-2-3-2 was followed by him dismissing Pooran on just the fourth delivery of the second spell. While credit also goes to India captain Rohit Sharma for his exceptional rotation of bowlers, Krishna’s wise use saw him closing the match by picking his fourth wicket in the form of Kemar Roach (0).
Bharat Arun, former India bowling coach, in a recent chat had rated Prasidh Krishna highly, saying he has the mental fortitude, pace and heart to bowl fast. Krishna showing his skills now.
— Ayan (@ayan_acharya13) February 9, 2022
“I have been striving hard to do this for a long time. So, I am very happy that we won. I was still looking to hit the good areas. When I came in to bat, I knew it was still seaming. Experimenting wasn’t possible as there was not much to defend. So, I stuck to good lines. I want to be as consistent as possible,” Krishna told Star Sports after winning his maiden Man of the Match award in international cricket.
