WI vs IND: In low-scoring game, MS Dhoni records second-slowest fifty for India in ODIs

PTI

New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni notched up India's second-slowest ODI fifty when he consumed 108 deliveries to score his half-century in a losing cause against West Indies, in the fourth ODI, at Antigua.

Former Indian cricketer Sadagoppan Ramesh had recorded the slowest ever fifty, back in 1999, against Kenya, in Nairobi. The left-handed batsman had scored 50 off 116 deliveries. Third in the list is former skipper Sourav Ganguly, who had utilised 105 deliveries to reach the landmark, in an encounter with Sri Lanka, in 2005.

Dhoni, thus leads the chart if statistics are considered from the beginning of this decade. His previous slowest fifty came off 88 deliveries against arch-rivals Pakistan, at Eden Gardens, in 2013.

Enroute to his 54 runs off 14 deliveries, the 35-year-old's strike rate stood as 47.36. It is his lowest ever in 149 innings where he has scored 25 or more runs.

Despite the immense amount of patience displayed by the wicketkeeper-batsman, his efforts went in vain as Jason Holder's men stunned the Men in Blue by mere 11 runs.

Opting to bat first, Windies had taken off to slow start with both openers Kyle Hope and Evin Lewis scoring 35 runs each, before Hardik Pandya struck in the 18th over to remove the former. Wickets then fell at regular intervals as the host nation ceased at 189 for nine. Pacers Umesh Yadav and Pandya scalped three each while chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav struck twice.

A low target, an easy chase, was what the fans thought it would be. But things were off to a shaky start when the Indians stepped on to bat. Shikhar Dhawan (5) and Virat Kohli (3) once again failed to shine, while Dinesh Karthik (2) proved to be a disappointment on his comeback.

Opener Ajinkya Rahane (60) was still at the crease when Dhoni (54) walked in and the duo went on to stitch a patient partnership of 54 runs. After Rahane's dismissal, the middle-order pair of Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav too failed to stitch any partnership with Dhoni as the Indian ship sank in the final over with still two deliveries to spare.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder was adjourned the Man of the Match after his scintillating bowling performance. He had bagged his first 5-wicket haul in ODIs.

India still lead the series 2-1. The final match will be played in Jamaica, on July 6.