Ind vs WI, 1st ODI: Pant, Hope-Hetmyer, West Indies win and ‘the process’

West Indies won. India were outplayed. It was all about ‘process’ for both teams. Rishabh Pant had to dig deep, clear his mind and focus on the job at hand which was to rebuild the Indian ship after the loss of early wickets. “Rishabh Pant, Rishabh Pant..” chants at Chepauk - ‘The Dhoni Land’ - must have really helped him.

Before getting to Pant’s ‘process’, here’s how the West Indies processed the target of 288 runs in 47.5 overs. Let’s split the West Indies innings into two halves - two 25-over buckets. Shai Hope consumed 151 balls (25.1 overs) and the rest of the 22.4 overs was all about Shimron Hetmyer smashing the leather all over the park.

Hope is one West Indies top-order batsman who could play all formats of the game depending on the situation. The 26-year-old wicket-keeper batsman strikes at 42.72 in Test cricket, 73.81 in ODIs and 136 in T20s.

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On the other hand, Hetmyer has a strike rate in excess of hundred runs per 100 balls in both ODIs and T20s - 107.17 & 125.11 respectively. Over the years, one kind of felt that West Indies batsmen don’t consider singles and twos as a run-scoring option in limited-overs cricket. 0,4,6 was probably their preferred mode of scoring.

Shimron Hetmyer

But this West Indies team, under Kieron Pollard, was keen on addressing the middle muddle.

It was a key part of their ‘process’. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of compromising their natural self. Hetmyer smashed 7 sixes and 11 fours. He was striking at 131.13. That’s the Hetmyer we all know. A match-winner.

Hope was the anchor-man. Kuldeep Yadav troubled Hope frequently. Hope struggled to spot Yadav’s googly but he survived. Hope kept churning the strike over. How often do you see a West Indies opener in the ‘Chris Gayle era’ smash only seven fours and a six in a hundred?

Hetmyer, post his heroics, said: “For us, it's always nice batting with someone like him (Hope) because he's going to make sure you get the strike as much as possible and it's easier to execute.”

There were different phases in the game where Hetmyer turned the ‘silent mode’ on - in the first 10 overs, there was the odd ‘vibration mode’ from overs 11-25 - smashed a few sixes as and when he wanted to but ensured he never lost control of the situation. Overcame cramps.

Post his 100, Hetmyer exploded and Hope was still busy seeing Yadav and Deepak Chahar off. Hope never tried to match Hetmyer stroke for stroke. And it wasn’t due to lack of ability but that was part of the process and Hope did it to perfection.

Shai Hope

“We just keep it simple because we've played with each other for quite a while now. So, I know his game and he knows mine. So, basically when we're batting together, most of the time, I'm the aggressor and he's the person who sticks around and bats around. And if he gets the boundary ball, he puts it away,” Hetmyer explained.

By the time Hetmyer was dismissed, West Indies had by then put India on the mat and it was just a matter of time. But with the West Indies, you never know. We have witnessed many a West Indies batting collapse over the last decade. Nicholas Pooran, who stepped in at No 4, again has tremendous ball-striking abilities.

But Pooran alongside Hope chose to take things the ‘Dhoni way’. Keep rotating the strike, find the odd-boundary, keep the run-rate at around 6 and ensure a couple of boundaries in the last three overs to get the job done with plenty of wickets in hand.

That’s again part of the process. “Well, there is an all-round process basically where you keep things as simple as possible. Everyone has their plans, they have their set plans on how to go about their innings and we just take it from there,” said Hetmyer.

The ODI series has begun on a right note for the visitors but consistency in performances is one key aspect of the process which Pollard and his men will definitely have to address in the next two ODIs to get the better of series favourites Virat Kohli & Co.

Now, back to Pant. The afternoon was all about the 22-year-old Pant. The dashing southpaw had to curb his natural instincts on a sticky, indifferent wicket at Chepauk. He had to rotate the strike, run hard, had to wait for his boundary-ball and most importantly convert them.

Although all eyes were on the Delhi wicket-keeper, Pant wasn’t distracted by any of the talks around him.

“As a player, I only want to follow my processes. I am aware of the talks. Some are good and others not so good, but for the more I concentrate on my job the better it is. You have to believe in yourself. It doesn’t matter what people say about you. At times you will get runs while that might not happen on other days. But the process is always important,” said Pant.

India batting coach Vikram Rathour did state that Pant has the X-factor and is a massive player for the side. But for Pant it’s about getting better every day. “The team management has told me to calm myself and keep improving the game and fitness. It’s a learning curve and I am thinking about that. Basically, improve in all aspects,” Pant added.

Clearly, the process is in place for Pant. It’s time for consistency.