IND vs WI, 1st ODI: Hetmyer, Hope Tons Lead Windies To 8-Wicket Win

All the efforts from Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer went in vain as West Indies beat India by eight wickets in the first ODI on Sunday in Chennai. Defying all the odds on the slow Chepauk track, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope slammed scintillating centuries to guide the men-in-maroon to a satisfying win. The visitors now lead the three-match series 1-0. In pursuit of 289-run target, the Windies had a loose start as they lost opener Sunil Ambris in the 5^th over. He was trapped in the front by pacer Deepak Chahar after contributing 9 runs off 8 balls which included 2 boundaries. The Indian fans probably thought that the fall of Ambris might trigger the collapse of Windies batting order but Shimron Hetmyer brought one of the horrific nightmares for the hosts. He joined Shai Hope at the crease and overturned every strategy used by the Indian bowling attack. Aiming to anchor the innings on a slow turf, the duo dealt with all the calmness in the world. While Hope held one end extremely tight, Hetmyer began charging as soon as he found the rhythm. They took baby steps, set themselves and then changed the gear. In due course, Hetmyer brought his 5^th ODI century while Hope also notched up a fifty. They looked completely unstoppable as they batted for 34 overs, stitching a gigantic stand of 218 runs for the second wicket. It was also the third-highest 2^nd-wicket partnership for the Windies in the fifty-over format. Hetmyer missed his maiden 150 by 11 runs as he fell prey to Mohammed Shami in the 39^th over. He ended up scoring 139 off 106 balls. His innings was laced with 7 sixes and 11 boundaries. This wicket couldn’t change the picture much for India as Hope continued his slow batting and slammed a ton to sail the Caribbean ship to the shore. He remained unbeaten on 102. Nicholas Pooran, who came in at number 4, scored 29 off 23 including four boundaries. Both India and West Indies will be locking horns in the 2^nd ODI, scheduled to be played in Vizag on December 18. Earlier, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant slammed fluent half-centuries as India's middle-order came to the party to help the side post 287/8 in 50 overs. This was Iyer's third successive fifty while Pant struck his maiden half-century to put behind flak that he has been drawing for his poor form in recent times. Back in the team after a break, Kedar Jadhav also helped the cause with a 35-ball 40. Jadeja's run out was bizarre as South African umpire Shaun George asked for a third umpire for review only after replays showed the batsman was short of his crease.