The erratic nature of their play came back to haunt the West Indies team once again as they inexplicably crumbled from a strong position to hand India a thrilling 48-run victory in the second ODI of the Micromax Cup series at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium.
Comfortably placed at 170/3, the Caribbeans were coasting along but then horribly lost the plot as Indian bowlers, led by leg-spinner Amit Mishra (10-2-40-2) and Mohammad Shami, stifled their run chase by taking wickets in bulk. The West Indies lost their last seven wickets for just 45 runs as India levelled the series 1-1.
The finish was anti-climatic and in complete contrast to the solid 64-run start given by the West Indies top order. India's target of 264 runs, after choosing to bat, began to dwarf in the face of the onslaught from openers Dwayne Smith, Darren Bravo and later Kieron Pollard. But Indian bowlers, guilty of being expensive initially, shot back with sharp, wicket-taking spells to turn the tables around.
Comfortably placed at 170/3, the Caribbeans were coasting along but then horribly lost the plot as Indian bowlers, led by leg-spinner Amit Mishra (10-2-40-2) and Mohammad Shami, stifled their run chase by taking wickets in bulk. The West Indies lost their last seven wickets for just 45 runs as India levelled the series 1-1.
The finish was anti-climatic and in complete contrast to the solid 64-run start given by the West Indies top order. India's target of 264 runs, after choosing to bat, began to dwarf in the face of the onslaught from openers Dwayne Smith, Darren Bravo and later Kieron Pollard. But Indian bowlers, guilty of being expensive initially, shot back with sharp, wicket-taking spells to turn the tables around.