Player of the Match
Player of the Match

A decider we wants and a decider we gets thanks to West Indies' resilience on display today. You can comb through what happened in Himanshu Agrawal's match report up here. So, let's continue to hope and pun along for the showdown in Trinidad in a couple of days. Sudarshanan will join Abhimanyu, who'll return on comms. I'm Ekanth, signing on behalf of Abhimanyu Bose, and our scorers, Chandan Duorah and Ranjith P.

Shai Hope, POTM and WI captain: I'm happy as long as my contributions lead to the win. When things are difficult, you gotta find ways to score quickly. So you gotta run hard, we got twos which helped. Very satisfied, the aim was to get back to the series. We gotta win one more and need to come back strongly. We gotta put in the effort and today we displayed the right attitude, need to replicate that in all disciplines. It was a complete performance. We want to tick the boxes and get the right result in the final game.

Hardik Pandya, India captain: We didn't bat the way we were supposed to. The wicket was better than it was in the first game. Everyone barring Shubman hit fielders and got out. Disappointing but many things to learn. The way our openers batted, especially Ishan, struck it well and is good for India. Shardul got us back in with his bowling. Hope and Carty batted well and got them through. Body's fine. I have to bowl more overs and get my workload up for the World Cup. I'm a turtle right now not the rabbit and hoping everything goes right as the World Cup comes on. To be honest, you want to be going 1-1 to the third game as it'll be more challenging and exciting.

JD: "two contrasting last 91 runs for each team"

5:01pm: A brilliant steady-the-ship effort from Hope and Carty not only rescued West Indies from 91 for 4 but took them to a win without further harm. It was set up by the spinners, Joseph and Seales earlier. Mayers was at his exuberant best early on in the chase. That was before Thakur lorded into the scene. He got the bouncer right to Mayers, capitalised on King being stuck on the back foot and had him lbw, and then did Athanaze in with another bouncer. When Hetmyer, who was all at sea against spin, was dismissed by Kuldeep, India seemed to have gotten back into ascendancy. But Carty and Hope toughed it out against the pacy spin of Jadeja and Axar and the loopier variety from Kuldeep. They ran diligently and rotated strike to whittle the target. Hope got past fifty with the end in sight. The duo got through Thakur and Hardik's last crack and Carty narrowly missed out on fifty but saw West Indies through to their first win against India in over three years.

36.4
4
Pandya to Carty, FOUR, Slapped over extra, one bounce four. West Indies level the series. Shortish ball over the stumps, Carty made room and duly carted it with the flat bat. He was willing it on, hoping it'd go for six, but it landed just in. He looks up with a smile and there's dancing in the crowd

Four needed to win, six needed for Carty's fifty

36.3
4
Pandya to Carty, FOUR, Carty stays leg side and prods at the length ball on off. It goes off the thickish outside edge to find the deep-third boundary
36.2
0
Pandya to Carty, no run, Kuldeep spills it after misjudging how quickly it was coming at him. Carty mistimed the pull and the ball sailed towards him, he thought it came at him but died down on him. In the end he couldn't reach it
36.1
1
Pandya to Hope, 1 run, Guides the length ball outside off to deep third

Thanks, Abhimanyu

END OF OVER:
36 | 10 Runs | WI: 173/4 (9 runs required from 14 overs, RR: 4.80, RRR: 0.64)

  • Keacy Carty40 (62b)
  • Shai Hope62 (79b)
  • Shardul Thakur8-0-42-3
  • Hardik Pandya6-0-29-0

Like Hope and Carty (most probably) for West Indies, here comes Ekanth to finish the game off from our side!

35.6
0
Thakur to Carty, no run, Ball pops up in the air but Shardul can't get there! Swiveled to put this length ball away but couldn't get proper connection. Lands just in front of Shardul running in front to his left. That one hit him on the shoulder
35.5
1
Thakur to Hope, 1 run, Short and wide, cut to deep point

Peter : "Wouldn't call India WC favourites. Would probably go with with England or Australia." I would tend to agree with you.

35.4
0
Thakur to Hope, no run, Tries to pull this short ball outside off and he misses out
35.3
6
Thakur to Hope, SIX, That. Is. Glorious. Short ball into him and he hooks this behind square and it goes over fine leg. Nicely uses the pace of the ball and helps it along
35.2
1
Thakur to Carty, 1 run, Short delivery, pulled to deep backward square
35.1
2
Thakur to Carty, 2 runs, Goes past the diving midwicket fielder! Full delivery and he looks to drive it leg-side and it pops past the diving fielder

"Tryna wrap my head around on how did this WI team manage to lose WC qualifiers and beat one of the WC favorites!" That's sports for you, Mubeen!

END OF OVER:
35 | 4 Runs | WI: 163/4 (19 runs required from 15 overs, RR: 4.65, RRR: 1.26)

  • Keacy Carty37 (59b)
  • Shai Hope55 (76b)
  • Hardik Pandya6-0-29-0
  • Shardul Thakur7-0-32-3
34.6
1
Pandya to Carty, 1 run, Back of a length just outside off, he drops it towards midwicket for a quick run
34.5
1
Pandya to Hope, 1 run, Dug in short outside off and he cuts hard to deep point
34.4
0
Pandya to Hope, no run, Length ball on off, Hope jumps and parries tis down
34.3
1
Pandya to Carty, 1 run, Runs this down to deep third for a single
34.2
0
Pandya to Carty, no run, Punches this length ball towards cover. Takes off for a single but is sent back
34.1
1
Pandya to Hope, 1 run, Back of a length outside off, Hope rides the bounce and guides this to deep third

Faisal: "@Abhimanyu! You are sweet enough already. So no more sugar for you :) " Ultimate treachery, this!

END OF OVER:
34 | 7 Runs | WI: 159/4 (23 runs required from 16 overs, RR: 4.67, RRR: 1.43)

  • Keacy Carty35 (56b)
  • Shai Hope53 (73b)
  • Shardul Thakur7-0-32-3
  • Hardik Pandya5-0-25-0
33.6
0
Thakur to Carty, no run, Full on off, Carty defends
33.5
4
Thakur to Carty, FOUR, Full down leg, Carty glances it fine to Kishan's left and picks up a boundary
33.4
0
Thakur to Carty, no run, Very full on off, dug out to midwicket
33.3
2
Thakur to Carty, 2 runs, Fuller outside off, he drives this well to the right of the sweeper and the batters pick up two

Abhijeet: "Yashashvi Jaiswal and Samson should have played this game instead of Rohil and Kohli.Bringing Axar and having him bat at 4 was a ridiculous decision.Dravid's selections lacks vision for the future.Last year Avesh Khan play a lot of games and now has vanished" Yashasvi not in the squad. Samson is playing!

33.2
0
Thakur to Carty, no run, Length ball around off, punched to backward point
33.1
1
Thakur to Hope, 1 run, Back of length outside off, he cuts onto the ground behind point and it's a vacant space so they get a single

Shardul

END OF OVER:
33 | 4 Runs | WI: 152/4 (30 runs required from 17 overs, RR: 4.60, RRR: 1.76)

  • Keacy Carty29 (51b)
  • Shai Hope52 (72b)
  • Hardik Pandya5-0-25-0
  • Shardul Thakur6-0-25-3
32.6
0
Pandya to Carty, no run, Peach of a delivery! Length ball pitches outside off and straightens away sharply. Carty thinks about it but doesn't push at it
32.5
0
Pandya to Carty, no run, Full on off, he looks to work it leg-side but it gets a leading edge to backward point along the ground
32.4
1
Pandya to Hope, 1 run, Short outside off and Hope is on his toes to cut this out to deep point

West Indies 2nd innings Partnerships

WktRunsPlayers
1st53KR MayersBA King
2nd1BA KingA Athanaze
3rd18SD HopeA Athanaze
4th19SD HopeSO Hetmyer
5th91SD HopeKU Carty