Iyer, Khaleel overwhelm West Indies A in tour opener

West Indies A v India A, 1st unofficial ODI, Coolidge July 12, 2019

India A 190 (Iyer 77, Vihari 34, Chase 4-19, Akeem 3-43) beat West Indies A 125 (Carter 41*, Powell 41, Khaleel 3-16, Axar 2-16) by 65 runs

With India's middle-order problems in the spotlight following their World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand, and the senior team's tour of West Indies on the horizon, Shreyas Iyer made an early case for himself, with a match-defining 77 that helped India A beat West Indies A by 65 runs in the first 50-over match between the two sides in Coolidge.

His enterprising 107-ball knock anchored India A's total of 190 after an early stutter had seen them reduced to 22 for 3. India's decision to

bat backfired as the visitors lost openers Ruturaj Gaekwad and Shubman Gill, and captain Manish Pandey inside eight overs. Faced with a challenging repair job, Iyer strung a 95-run stand with No. 5 batsman Hanuma Vihari, who struck three fours in his 63-ball 34.

Once that partnership was broken, with Vihari's dismissal in the 31st over, the rest of the batting order slumped. Iyer's 107-ball knock, studded with eight fours and a six, was ended by a run-out by Rovman Powell, while West Indies A captain Roston Chase's offspin wiped out the lower order, fetching him figures of 4 for 19 off only 6.5 overs. Fast bowler Akeem Jordan had returns of 3 for 23, including the wickets of Gaikwad and Pandey, as India were bowled out in 48.5 overs.

West Indies A's chase was in trouble by the tenth over, with their top order decimated by quick bowlers Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar. Khaleel took three of the first four wickets to leave the hosts reeling at 30 for 4. The only resistance from West Indies A came from Jonathan Carter and Powell, who both struck 41 apiece and shared a fifth-wicket stand of 65. Carter played an anchor's role, remaining unbeaten off 98 balls but once Powell was dismissed, West Indies A lost their next five wickets for 29 runs.

All five India A bowlers picked at least a wicket each. Khaleel ended with returns of 3 for 16, while spinners Rahul Chahar, Washington Sundar, and Axar Patel took two wickets each. The next List A match between the two sides will be played on July 14.

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