Riding on Virat Kohli’s 85 along with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul’s 63 and 77, respectively, India chased down 316 runs to clinch the three-match ODI series against the West Indies 2-1 at the Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on Sunday.
Earlier after getting an invitation to bat, captain Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran took West Indies to a fighting score of 315 for 5 in their stipulated quota of 50 overs. The duo put up a 135-run stand for the fifth wicket to steady the West Indies ship which was stumbling at the middle.
Pooran scored 89 off 64 balls, whereas Pollard smashed 74 off 51 balls.
For India, Rahul and Rohit stitched 122 runs for the first wicket in just 21.2 overs to put India firmly in the driving seat.
Wickets at regular intervals brought West Indies back in the game but skipper Kohli’s 85 ensured India remained in the fight. However, he fell to Keemo Paul after chopping a rather loose delivery on to the stumps.
To the spectators’ surprise, Shardul Thakur came in and took the chase by its horns. He hit a four off the very first ball he faced and ended up smashing 17 off just six balls. He hit one more four and a six and practically took the game away from the visitors.
Brief scores: West Indies 315 for 5 in 50 overs (Nicholas Pooran 89, Kieron Pollard 74; Navdeep Saini 2 for 58) was defeated by India 316 for 6 in 48.4 overs (Virat Kohli 85, K.L. Rahul 77, Rohit Sharma 63; Keemo Paul 3 for 59)