India won a high-scoring match on Sunday at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, thanks in large part to Axar Patel’s debut ODI fifty, an unbeaten 64 off 35 with three fours and five sixes (July 24). When West Indies decided to bat, they amassed a sizable score thanks to captain Nicholas Pooran’s 74 and Shai Hope’s 115 in his 100th ODI outing. Before Shreyas Iyer and Sanju Samson resurrected the innings with half-centuries, India was down to 79/3 in the chase. However, Axar’s outstanding performance allowed India to defeat the West Indies for a record 12th straight bilateral series triumph while still possessing two wickets in hand.
With his second consecutive half-century of the series, Shreyas took the initiative. His 71-ball 63 helped to steady the Indian innings after they had fallen from 48 for no loss to 79 for 3. The Indian No. 3 and Sanju Samson created a 99-run stand for the fourth wicket to build the groundwork for India’s run chase.
“I think a lot of players showed really good emotions out there and were very calm and composed in the pressure situation. And since we have played so many matches lately, I think we have already seen all these emotions. It was just another game for us. I think we did pretty well, especially Axar, the way he finished off today. It was an outstanding knock,” said Shreyas Iyer.