Bay-run dispute during India vs West Indies match draws attention of captain Shai Hope

The first match of the five-match T20I series between India and West Indies took place on Tuesday, October 6, at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. In this encounter, the Indian team won by eight wickets. The Indian squad reached a target of 172 runs, finishing the game in just 14.4 overs, thus taking a 1-0 lead in the series.

Captain Shreyas Iyer played a key role in the victory, scoring 102 runs off 10 fours and 6 sixes in 43 balls.

A major controversy arose during the match concerning the dismissal of Ishan Kishan. Although the West Indies managed to secure a crucial wicket of Ishan Kishan, the third umpire's decision completely changed the situation. Caribbean players, including Matthew Ford, who caught the ball, appeared extremely disappointed with the verdict.

At the start of the game, the Indian team showed a quick start. Abhishek Sharma scored 21 runs off 10 balls. After he and Sandeep Samson (11 runs) were dismissed, Ishan Kishan took responsibility alongside Shreyas Iyer.

In the eleventh over, on the fifth delivery from Shamir Springer, Ishan Kishan attempted to hit the ball over the off-stump. The ball left the edge of the bat and flew towards deep cover, where Matthew Ford quickly dived and caught the ball very close to the ground.

Coach Sami also expressed his dissatisfaction. The West Indies players believed they had taken the wicket of Ishan Kishan. However, the field umpires referred the catch to the third umpire, Rohan Pandit, for review. Upon reviewing the replay, Ford's fingers were visible under the ball, but a small gap between his hand and the ground was also noticed at the moment of the catch.

After analysis from different angles, the third umpire concluded that the ball touched the ground. Consequently, Ishan Kishan was ruled not out. As soon as this decision was known, the disappointment of the West Indies players became evident. Ford sat on the field reacting, holding his head. Other team players also looked surprised by the decision. Coach Darren Sammy also appeared upset by the third umpire's ruling.

This dispute complicated Matthew Ford's position. In the fourteenth over, Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan scored 24 runs off his bowling. Shortly after, West Indies had another opportunity. Shamir Joseph failed to catch Shreyas Iyer. Taking advantage of this chance, the Indian captain completed his century milestone. The sequence of opportunities completely dashed West Indies' hopes of a comeback.

In the ODI match in Guwahati, Indian bowlers faced a powerful onslaught from the West Indies players, leading to an extremely poor performance by the Indian team. In the game held on Wednesday (September 30), West Indies players delivered a one-sided blow to the Indian bowlers. The West Indies team scored three hundreds, and the total score was 405/7, which is the highest score in ODI history for the West Indies.

In the second ODI, the West Indies managed to score an impressive 405/7 in 50 overs, thanks to centuries from John Campbell, Shai Hope, and Amir Jangguh. This result is the first score over 400 in ODI for the West Indies; previously, their best score was 389 against England in 2019.

For Akib Nabi, who debuted in ODI for India, the match turned out to be extremely unsuccessful. He conceded 84 runs in 8.5 overs and failed to take a single wicket. Thus, he became the Indian bowler who conceded the most runs in his debut ODI. His run rate exceeded the record of Carsan Gavaskar, who conceded 83 runs in 11 overs at Lord's against England in 1975. Furthermore, among the bowlers who bowled at least 30 deliveries, Nabi's economy rate in his debut ODI was 9.51.

Gurnoor Barar, used as a second-tier bowler, took 2 wickets, conceding 96 runs in 10 overs, remaining just four runs away from a hundred. Meanwhile, Prasidh Krishna took one wicket, conceding 45 runs in 5 overs. The absence of Jasprit Bumrah, who was serving in the Asian Games, and the non-appearance of Mohammed Siraj significantly affected India. Moreover, experienced bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami did not get a chance. This performance raised many questions for the Indian team, which is looking for young bowling alternatives ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

West Indies started the game with an attack on the Indian bowlers. John Campbell demonstrated his signature style, reaching a century in just 65 balls. He was dismissed after scoring 101 runs off 68 balls, including 9 fours and 5 sixes. Following him, Shai Hope continued the innings, stabilizing the game before increasing the tempo. He avoided being caught on the short left side mid-wicket when the ball flew out of Kohli's hands. Hope capitalized on opportunities, scoring 104 runs off 94 balls, including 8 fours and 3 sixes.

Hope was supported by Amir Jangguh, who also played aggressively with the bat. He scored his second ODI century in just 69 balls, remaining unbeaten on 114 runs, using 13 fours and 3 sixes. Thanks to this, the West Indies achieved a triple century in ODI for the first time.

Only the spinners offered slight support to the Indian bowling. Kuldeep Yadav finished his 200 ODI runs with 2/65. Ravindra Jadeja performed with 2/75. All-rounder Naman Dheer also sustained an injury during his bowling spell, conceding 38 runs in 6.1 overs. After the 36th over, he injured his ankle and was forced to leave the field. Overall, this day proved extremely disappointing for Indian bowling in Guwahati.