Team India registered yet another series win to finish the sensational year on a positive note. The brilliant batting display by Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul upfront, followed by the skipper Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja, in the end, helped India seal a 3-match series with 2-1 in Cuttack against the West Indies on Sunday.
Earlier in the game, Kohl won the toss and deiced to chase first. However, Evin Lewis and Shai Hope started things well by adding 57 runs for the first wicket. It was Ravindra Jadeja, who churn out the first scalp of India by dismissing Lewis. Following him, Roston Chase walked back when Navdeep Saini bowled a stunning yorker, which reminded Waqar Younis for the cricket fans.
Despite losing Chase, Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard kept on smashing the Indian bowlers. Surprisingly, Kuldeep Yadav had an off-day with the bowl as he went wicketless. The chinaman went on to concede 67 runs in his spell of 10 overs.
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Just when things like drifting away, Pooran came to the party for the visitors alongside Pollard. Both have never settled the bowlers in the middle and received all the accolades from the Indian stalwarts in the dugout. In reply to the chase, the Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul started things well with a 122-run partnership for the first wicket.
Though Rohit Sharma walked back, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli ensured India stay in the hunt. India was in a spot of bother when Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Kedar Jadhav were dismissed in a matter of few overs, but Kohli and Jadeja formed a brilliant partnership to put a full stop to the worries.
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Just when India need 30 runs off 25 balls, Keemo Paul gave a perfect twist by scalping the wicket of Virat. However, Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur finished things off in style as they won the game by 4 wickets and 8 balls to spare.
Brief Scores:
India – 316/6 in 48.4 overs (V Kohli: 85, KL Rahul: 77; K Paul: 3/59) defeated West Indies – 315/5 in 50 overs (N Pooran: 89; N Saini: 2/58, R Jadeja: 1/54) by 4 wickets and 8 balls to spare
Here is how Twitter reacted to India’s series win:
In the last five years this is the first time Kohli has got out in the 80s or 90s in an ODI chase. #IndvWI
— Bharath Seervi (@SeerviBharath) December 22, 2019
Thakur is my name ! #INDvsWI
— Vikram Sathaye (@vikramsathaye) December 22, 2019
Congratulations @BCCI for winning the series.. it’s been a good series.. top class batting from @ImRo45 @klrahul11 @imVkohli @imjadeja and apna thakur @imShard West Indies seems like getting better everyday congratulations @KieronPollard55 nd team for playing brilliantly 👌✅
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 22, 2019
Congratulations #team 🇮🇳 India on the series win !! Well fought series by the Windies !! #Ind Vs WI.
— Mithun V Manhas (@MithunManhas) December 22, 2019
So what if he wasn't not out till the end, @imVkohli still played a very fine innings in ensuring a decisive win. 10 series against West Indies! Well played Team India.#INDvsWI #INDvWI #INDvWIN pic.twitter.com/uLageduVCj
— R P Singh रुद्र प्रताप सिंह (@rpsingh) December 22, 2019
Why are some of these commentators being so arrogant??
It might come back to bite your team…. being openly so disrespectful towards the Windies bowlers 😯
Therz a difference between being aggressive and disrespecting your opponents!#INDvsWI #StayHumble
— Tabraiz Shamsi (@shamsi90) December 22, 2019
Hard fought series win by team India this.big gain this series #rahul and middle order batting. Well tried #WestIndies #indvswi
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 22, 2019
Wel played @windiescricket. They had given a run of money to India in 2018 and did the same this year.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) December 22, 2019
India beat West Indies by 4 wickets to win the ODI series by 2-1. No individual centuries yet we chased 315. Great team work and a good surprise package by Shardul Thakur. Congrats Team India 👏🙌🇮🇳 #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/nThoIKFKcm
— Sir Jadeja fan (@SirJadeja) December 22, 2019
Fabulous run chase by India. Among best I’ve seen in, more so as stiff target wasn’t achieved by 1 or 2 players. Rohit, Rahul, Virat, Jadeja, Thakur all made significant contributions. West Indies competed hard but India just that shade better. Well played!
— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) December 22, 2019
"If I was to think about Kohli getting out, it would have been a lot of pressure. Instead I thought I have a set batsman at the other end."
– Shardul Thakur#INDvWI
— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) December 22, 2019
