Watch: Virat Kohli's Selfless Gesture; Fans Erupted In Joy
Virat Kohli could be seen carrying drinks after the end of the 37th over when Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav were at the crease.
Crickate
While Virat Kohli did not bat in the first ODI against the West Indies, he chose to rest in the second ODI alongside captain Rohit Sharma and allow other batsmen to take the spotlight. Only Ishan Kishan scored a half-century for India, while Shubman Gill and Suryakumar Yadav could only muster starts. Other players vying for positions in the lineup, such as Sanju Samson and Axar Patel, failed to impress, and India lost by six wickets.
India batted first and was dismissed for 181 runs in 41 overs despite being 90/0 in the 17th over. However, Kohli was not completely absent from the proceedings. During the Indian innings, he was seen with Yuzvendra Chahal transporting drinks. After the completion of the 37th over, when Shardul Thakur and Kuldeep Yadav were at the crease, the former captain was seen doing so.
When Kohli has been in the squad but not playing, he has frequently been seen lugging a drink. Notably, he did so during the 2017 Test match between India and Australia in Dharamsala, when he was serving as team captain. In his absence, Ajinkya Rahane commanded the team, as Virat Kohli was out with an injury.
Even though they had a modest target of 182 to chase, it was not an easy task for the West Indies, who required their captain Shai Hope to once again top score for them. Kyle Mayers got them off to a quick start in the pursuit by scoring 36 off 28 balls, thereby assisting the hosts in reaching 53 in 8.1 overs.
However, his fall precipitated a brief decline for the West Indies before Hope found a capable companion in Keacy Carty. The pair's unbeaten 91-run fifth-wicket partnership led the West Indies to victory. Hope finished with a score of 63 out of a possible 80.
The West Indies were wiped out for 114 runs in the first one-day international, with Hope scoring 43 runs off 45 balls in a near-solo effort. Rohit and Kohli elected to bat as low in the order as possible, but the former was forced to bat at No. 7 after India lost 97 runs while losing half their batting lineup.
Rohit eventually tallied the winning runs, but Saturday was not India's day. For the decisive third ODI, it remains to be seen whether they will continue experimenting with the squad or field their strongest team.
