Visakhapatnam: Run-machine Virat Kohli sprinted to fastest 10,000 ODI runs but West Indies stole a tie from India with Shai Hope’s gutsy hundred in an exhilarating second one-dayer here on Wednesday.
India notched up 321 for six, while the West Indies, needing 14 runs in the final over and five off the last ball, levelled the score with Hope (123 not out) cutting Umesh Yadav for a boundary. Besides Hope’s ton, there was also Shimron Hetmyer’s 94-run blitzkrieg. Kuldeep Yadav showed his worth again with three wickets.
Opting to bat, Kohli fired 157 off 129 balls, while Ambati Rayudu, who is seen as the answer to the team’s persistent problems at the number four slot by Kohli himself, made a fluent 73 off 80 deliveries.
The 29-year-old Kohli, who hit 13 boundaries and four sixes, bettered the iconic Sachin Tendulkar’s record by an incredible 54 innings, and then went past 1000 runs in the calendar year in only 11 innings, which is also the fastest.
During their stay in the middle, the two were involved in a partnership of 139 runs in 142 balls for the third wicket at the Dr YSR ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, set amidst picturesque hills.
While he acknowledged the fans’ applause by raising his bat after reaching the 10k landmark, the crowd was on its feet again when Kohli creamed Marlon Samuels to the cover boundary to bring up his century, his 37th in this format.
Kieran Powell (18) and Chanderpaul Hemraj started West Indies’ response by hitting a few quick boundaries, but Mohammed Shami had the former caught behind.
Kohli introduced Kuldeep Yadav and the chinaman, having missed the series opener, delivered straightaway when he foxed Hemraj for a 24-ball 32. The spinner then bowled seasoned Marlon Samuels (13) to leave the visitors in a spot of bother at 78 for three in 12 overs.
A 143-run partnership ensued between Hetmyer and Shai Hope for the fourth wicket as the duo took calculated risks.
Taking off from where he left in the first match, Hetmyer launched into the Indian spinners and rattled them with a flurry of sixes. He was destructive in the region between long-off and deep midwicket and was most harsh on Yuzvendra Chahal, who leaked 18 runs in one of the middle overs.
Shai Hope was the perfect foil for the marauding Hetmyer, as the former kept rotating strikes while finding the fence on a fairly regular basis.
However, Chahal had the last laugh when Hetmyer top-edged an innocuous short ball for a skier to Kohli at short cover.
At that point, West Indies needed 101 runs in 18 overs as Rovman Powell joined Hope, and the equation was brought down to 63 in the last 10 with skipper Holder among the five batsmen remaining.ut they could only tie the game.
