BENGALURU, India, CMC- Barbadian all-rounder Jonathan Carter says patience was the hallmark of his first century on tour recorded during the second one-day match between West Indies A and India A.
Carter’s match winning innings coupled with a two wicket haul helped set the stage for a 55 run win as the Caribbean side drew level in the three match series.
He hit 133 off 132 balls and returned to pick up 2-33 while his countryman Miguel Cummins grabbed four wickets to give West Indies A a chance of winning the series when the two sides meet in Thursday’s decider.
“At first when I went to the crease the Indian bowlers were getting it (the ball) to seam a lot and it was difficult to get going. The bowlers were bowling in good areas and it was hard to score. I knew I had to be patient and look to get it. It was my first knock on tour and I wanted to make it count,” Carter said.
“The pitch had a lot of moisture and was ‘spongy’ so I really had to apply myself and spend time at the crease. In the end it worked out and I was able to relax a bit more at the crease. Then, the spinners came on I was relaxed and rotated the strike.”
In his first innings of the tour, the stylish left-hander made an immediate impact, to pilot the visitors to 277-6 off 50 overs.
“When we batted there was a lot of cloud – it was overcast for a long time,” he said.
“Things got better for the team batting second so as a bowling unit we knew we had to be very good”.
When India A batted, Carter took the first and last wickets of the innings with his lively right-arm medium pace, as the hosts were bowled out for 224 off 48.4 overs.
Carter’s half-century came off 82 balls and he reached triple-figures off 117 balls with 13 boundaries and two sixes.
During the course of the knock, he shared two major partnerships — 79 for the third wicket with Kirk Edwards (36) and 131 for the fifth wicket with Leon Johnson (39).
“I was patient and waited ‘til I got a couple bad balls. After I got in I decided I could take charge. Batting with Kirk…I like to bat with him…he gives you a lot of feedback, [he is] always alert and looking for singles and rotates the strike,” said Carter.
“Johnson played really well. He is full of confidence and always brings a positive outlook to the game. He came in and played really well and helped to take some of the pressure of me”.
Carter said the team was boosted by the series-levelling victory and will look to clinch the series when they play the final match today.
