Axar Patel’s last-gasp effort in vain as India A lose to West Indies A

The India ‘A’ cricket team are currently on tour in West Indies and were involved in a thrilling affair against their Caribbean counterparts on Friday. The side led by the experienced Manish Pandey faltered to their first defeat in the five-match ODI series as they were beaten by a narrow margin of five-runs in Coolidge.

The Indians won the toss and opted to bowl first against a West Indies ‘A’ side that boasted the likes of Sunil Ambris, Devon Thomas and Keemo Paul. After picking the wicket of Windies opener Kjorn Ottley early in the innings, the home side did well to recover as the top four batsmen produced a strong front against a tough Indian pace attack. After skipper Ambris was dismissed for 46, Devon Thomas (70) and Roston Chase (84) helped their team reach a competitive total of 298/9 after 50 overs. Ahmed (4/67) and Avesh Khan (3/62) were the highest wicket-takers for the Indian outfit in the first innings.

Chasing 299, India needed a strong start to their innings but were reduced to 82-3 within 18 overs. India all-rounder Krunal Pandya put up a strong show in the middle with a fast-paced 45 but was dismissed by Khary Pierre. A late flurry of shots from bowling all-rounders Washington Sundar (45) and Axar Patel (81*) gave India some hope but they ultimately fell short of the target by five runs. Despite losing the game, India A have already clinched the five-match series by winning the first three games.