On Sunday night, Team India trumped West Indies in the second One-Day International (ODI) by 2 wickets to clinch the ODI series. After posting 311/6 in 50 overs, the hosts failed to defend the total, losing the contest in the final over and handing visitors an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
After the match, West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran revealed what exactly went wrong for the Caribbeans. Pooran reckoned that they were in the game until the final phase of the match, where they lost control.
Pooran felt the last few overs turned out to be the difference as the Windies bowlers failed to hold their nerves. Pooran also praised Axar Patel, who played a blistering unbeaten knock of 64 off 35 balls with the help of three fours and five sixes, including a maximum hit on the fourth delivery of the final over, which sealed the deal for the ‘Men in Blue’.
“Definitely, the last couple of overs, we didn’t hold our nerves. Last 6 overs, we lost the game. We felt a spinner was easier to hit. We just needed one wicket to seal the game, but Axar played really well,” said Pooran in a post-match presentation.
Pooran lauded his team’s batting effort, which helped them post a formidable total of 311 on the board. He showered praise on Shai Hope, who smashed a brilliant century in his 100th ODI game.
“His (Hope’s) 100th ODI, he was exceptional to get a hundred. We did an exceptional job with the batting group. We tried to compete really hard. We want to win really bad,” he added.
