Cuttack: A customary chasing masterclass from Virat Kohli helped India come from behind to seal a 2-1 series win against West Indies.
The match and finish was an exciting one, a fitting end to a hard-fought series. West Indies set the game up by making a strong total of 315/5, and were still in the game when Kohli fell in the 47th over, but Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur held their nerve to guide the hosts home.
Batting first, the tourists received a steady start, with each of their top four taking their time to get set but none able to go onto a half-century. Evin Lewis was first to go for a 50-ball 21, holing out off Jadeja in an attempt to break the shackles, and while Shai Hope and Roston Chase were slightly more fluent, it was only when Shimron Hetmyer arrived at the crease that West Indies truly got going.
His 33-ball 37 contained two fours and sixes apiece, but that was soon put in the shade by a thrilling 135-run stand between Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard. The former creamed 10 fours and three sixes in his 64-ball 89, while the latter favoured the aerial route, smoking seven sixes in his 74.
West Indies ended well past 300, and India faced a tough ask to seal a series win. They got the perfect start with Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul putting on yet another century stand. The former fell for a run-a-ball 63, but he had laid the perfect platform, and Kohli, perhaps the greatest chaser in ODI history, didn’t need a second invitation.
The only thing surprising about his 81-ball 85 was that it didn’t end with a * next to it, and, with Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Kedar Jadhav all having fallen for single figures, West Indies were seemingly into the tail, still with 30 runs to defend and 23 balls left.
The game was on a knife-edge, but a cameo from Thakur swung it India’s way, striking 17 from just six balls. With Jadeja ice-cool at the other end, victory, and with it the series, was sealed with eight balls and four wickets to spare.
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