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India vs West Indies: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul guide hosts to 10th straight series win against the Windies in Cuttack
India beat West Indies by four wickets in the third and final One-day International to win the series 2-1 in Cuttack on Sunday.
To the list of one-day wonders India have produced as openers—one that has Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar; Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma —add the new firm of Sharma and KL Rahul. In 11 innings, they have accumulated over 1000 runs, 122 of which came on the way to a series-deciding 2-1 win against West Indies here on Sunday.
Producing a masterclass in wristy business and drives, one that was risk-free yet had at least a boundary in 13 of the 21.2 overs they were together, the openers set India on course to what could have been an intimidating chase of 316.
Sharma’s run-a-ball 63 (8x4, 1x6) was his sixth half-century in 2019, a year where he also has seven ODI centuries. Rahul’s 77 (89b, 8x4, 1x6) was his third half-century of the year. Till Rahul fell to Alzarri Joseph’s pace, he looked set for the year’s third hundred. Sharma too looked for a big score till Jason Holder tempted him to drive.
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En route the four-wicket win with eight balls to spare—India’s 10th successive against West Indies—Virat Kohli more than righted a statistical blip while adding Cuttack to the list of venues where he has scored a half-century.
READ: India vs West Indies: Rohit Sharma breaks 22-year-old record in third ODI
Kohli, named Man-of-the-Match, got going with two early cover-drives and hit two successive boundaries off Joseph in the 32nd over, and two more in Khary Pierre’s over, the innings’ 43rd. In between, there was an imperious off-drive off Holder.
Pant flops
Rahul and Shreyas Iyer fell in quick succession and when Rishabh Pant ended 2019 with shoddy glovework—he failed to take five catches, three of which were difficult—and shoddier batting, dragging one from Keemo Paul on to his stumps, India, on 188/3 after 32.3 overs, had hit an air pocket. Kedar Jadhav’s fall sucked them deeper into it but with a lot of help from Ravindra Jadeja, the class and calculation of Kohli steered India close. They added 58 from 44 balls for the sixth wicket.
When Kohli fell on 85 (81b. 9x4) there were still 30 runs to get in four overs. Kohli indicated to Jadeja that he should stay till the end. Jadeja 39 (31b, 4x4) did but it was two lusty blows from Shardul Thakur (17 – 6b, 2x4, 1x6) off Sheldon Cottrell in the 48th over that released the pressure.
West Indies’ approach was the opposite of India’s. They began cautiously—the innings’ 100 came in the 26th over; India reached theirs in the 16th—but with Nicholas Pooran showing happy feet and Kieron Pollard muscle primed for power-hitting they jetted past 300 after being 161/4 after 35.
Pooran and Pollard added 135 runs in 98 balls before Pooran fell in the 48th over after hitting Thakur for two fours and a six. Thakur leaked 21 in that over. Pollard continued the mayhem, staying unbeaten on 74 (51b, 3x4, 7x6) with West Indies adding 36 in 13 balls. West Indies scored 118 off the last 10 overs, 77 coming off the last five.
Dropped on 52 and 72 by Pant—he also spilled an easy chance off Roston Chase on zero and two sharp ones from Shimron Hetmyer before he got into double digits—Pooran made 89 (64b, 10x4, 3x6). Jadeja dropping Evin Lewis on 14 showed India’s catching continued to be ordinary.
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Pollard and Pooran changed what till the 46th over looked like an impressive debut by pacer Navdeep Saini to a good one. Saini went for 14 in his ninth over— Pooran hitting him for three boundaries the pick of which was the last when he walked across to wing one past midwicket. He leaked 16 in his last over, Pollard’s strength fetching a four and six after Holder had opened the 49th over with a boundary off a full toss.
The wiry bowler with a whippy action though showed he could be dangerous with bouncers and Yorkers—the first got Hetmyer and the next dismissed Chase. A Saini yorker left Pollard needing treatment to his left leg.
Till Pooran and Pollard exploded, Saini’s ability to hit the toes and the nose and get the length right in between stood out. Surprisingly demoted in the batting order to No. 4, Hetmyer couldn’t control his pull and holed out to Kuldeep Yadav at fine-leg—Saini striking when West Indies, put into bat, were looking to accelerate.
They had scored 35 runs in three overs between the 26th and 28th, Hetmyer getting 24. He hit the innings’ first six, over deep midwicket off Yadav, in the 26th over. Next over, Jadeja teased him outside off-stump and Hetmyer smacked it over the bowler’s head. When Thakur bounced him in the 28th over, he pulled, and though he wasn’t in control, it fetched a six despite Rahul’s spectacular effort to catch it. Unlike Lewis and Shai Hope, Hetmyer was unfazed by chin music.
Yet, backing his ability to deliver the short ball, Saini won this battle. In his next over, Saini, 27, fired a sand-shoe crusher that disturbed Chase’s furniture. After going for eight in his first over, Saini’s first spell read 4-0-12-0; his second 3-0-10-2.
West Indies lost both the T20I and ODI series, but that they stretched India showed they are taking steps long due on the road to revival.
