Watch: Virat Kohli took a lightning fast, low one-handed catch in the slips to dismiss Romario Shepherd as India bowled the West Indies out for 114 in the first ODI in Bridgetown today (July 27).
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West Indies were already in trouble at five down with less than 100 on the scoreboard when Shepherd walked out to face Ravindra Jadeja. He was beaten from his first ball, which spun past the outside edge of his bat and through to Ishan Kishan. The next ball, however, did manage to find the edge.
It was a tossed-up, loopy delivery from Jadeja and Shepherd attempted a drive into the off side. The ball caught a thick edge and flew behind the wicket where Kohli was waiting at second slip. The ball looked to have caught too much of the bat and was angled wide of Kohli, and it looked for a moment as if Shepherd would get away with the error.
But, Kohli flung out his right hand low to the ground and just about managed to cling on to the ball. Given the speed at which the ball was coming to him, his reactions were pure instinct with the ball somehow sticking in his grasp as he fell to the ground.
That was Jadeja’s second wicket in the over and Shepherd’s second duck in ODI cricket, leaving the West Indies at 96-6 in the 18th over. Incoming batter Dominic Drakes was only able to survive two balls in the following before he too was out, and the West Indies were all-out for 114 in 23 overs.
India went on to win the match by five wickets, completing the chase in one fewer ball than the West Indies innings.
Watch: Virat Kohli takes sharp, one handed low slip catch off spinner below
Batting is not the only thing he can do ✅
Brilliant bit of fielding from Virat Kohli 👏 pic.twitter.com/oRFmkiPbJ3
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) July 27, 2023
