2nd ODI: Hope, Pooran guide WI to 311/6
Port of Spain, Jul 24: Opener Shai Hope showed his class with a magnificent century while skipper Nicholas Pooran went on a six-hitting spree as the West Indies produced a solid batting display to post 311 for six against India in the second ODI here on Sunday.
Hope, who was dismissed cheaply in first ODI, played the role of the anchor to perfection as he added 65 runs off 55 balls for the opening wicket with Kyle Mayers (39), before forging another 62 with Shamarh Brooks (35).
While Mayers and Brooks showed promise, Hope found his perfect ally in skipper Pooran, who showed his big-hitting prowess during his 74 off 77 balls with the help of six maximums and one four. The two shared a 117-run stand off 126 balls.
Hope constructed his 115-run innings well, focusing on building partnership and exploded in the end. His 135-ball knock comprised eight fours and three maximums.
Spin duo of Axar Patel (1/40) and Deepak Hooda (1/42) were the best bowlers on display, while Yuzvendra Chahal (1/69) too scalped one but was expensive.
Mohammed Siraj (0/47) was decent but Avesh Khan had a forgettable ODI debut, while Shardul Thakur (3/54) made amends in the back end with three wickets after conceding 13 in the first over.
Hope looked in full flow as he played some exquisite shots on the off side before reaching the three figures in his 100th ODI game with a six in the 45th over.
Opting to bat, Mayers and Hopes gave West Indies a good start with the former taking the attack to the opposition.
Mayers tore into debutant Avesh, slamming him for successive boundaries in the fourth and sixth overs as the Indian pacer, guilty of bowling too full and short, ended up conceding 36 in his first three overs.
Thakur was not spared either as Mayers sent his first two balls for a four and a six but Siraj kept things tight in his opening spell.
Hooda produced the first breakthrough with Mayers hitting the first delivery straight back to the bowler.
Brooks and Hopes then looked to build a partnership with Hooda and Patel bowling in tandem, targeting the stumps. The spin duo did well to tighten things up as WI managed just 42 from the 10th to 20th over.
Chahal was taken to the cleaners in the 21st over with Hope and Brooks smashing a six and a four. But Dhawan brought back Patel and he produced a wicket-maiden to get rid off Brooks with the Indian skipper taking a low catch.
Chahal redeemed himself in his next over as he induced a top-edge off Brandon King, who paid the price for going for a slog sweep too early in his innings.
Pooran and Hope then brought up the 150 in the 28th over. The opener took the initiative, picking up three boundaries and also slog-swept Chahal for a six to reach his fifty.
Pooran also went down the track to produce two maximums as the 200 was up in 38th overs.
The Windies skipper exploded in the 39th over with two sixes off Chahal on both sides of the ground on way to his half-century.
When Patel was introduced, Pooran, down on one-knee, clobbered him for another six to bring up their 100-run stand in the 42nd over.
Pooran next sent Avesh over the ropes for his sixth maximum but Thakur bowled him round his legs to break the partnership.
Hope then unleashed two sixes in two balls off Chahal en route his century, while Rovman Powell (13) and Romario Shepherd (14) played some lusty blows to take WI across the 300-mark.
WI amassed 93 runs in last 10 overs.
Brief Scores:
West Indies: 311 for 6 in 50 overs (Shai Hope 114, Nicholas Pooran 74; Shardul Thakur 3/54).
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Nashik court sends ‘godman’ Kharat to 3-day police custody in 7th sexual exploitation case
Nashik (PTI): A court in Maharashtra's Nashik has remanded self-styled astrologer-cum-godman Ashok Kharat to police custody till April 29 in the seventh case of sexual exploitation registered against him.
Kharat, a former Merchant Navy officer arrested on March 18, is accused of sexually exploiting several women and indulging in large-scale financial fraud by claiming to have divine powers and knowledge of black magic.
In the seventh case, Kharat sexually exploited a married woman who had approached him in search of solutions to her family problems.
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The accused allegedly gave the woman something to drink, sexually assaulted her while her husband sat outside his office and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about it.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is probing into 12 cases of sexual exploitation and financial fraud registered against Kharat in Nashik and Ahilyanagar districts, on Sunday filed a request application in the court demanding his custody in the seventh case.
Kharat was produced in court for a virtual hearing in the seventh case on Monday.
The prosecution demanded six-day police custody for Kharat, citing the discovery of a locker in Kharat's house during the investigation, from which the police recovered two blank cheques and other documents, all of which have to be probed.
The court agreed to the prosecution's demand and remanded Kharat to three-day police custody till April 29 in the case.
Kharat has been at the centre of a political firestorm, as he was well-connected, and photographs of him with political leaders and other important members of society have been surfacing in mainstream and social media since his arrest.
