India hand Windies record drubbing

MUMBAI, India (CMC):

Captain Jason Holder's unbeaten half-century spared the Windies embarrassment, but they still suffered a record 224-run drubbing, as India registered their largest-ever victory over a Test-playing nation in the fourth one-day international (ODI) here yesterday.

Chasing a mammoth 378 at Brabourne Stadium after opener Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu blasted high-quality hundreds, the Windies slumped to 20 for three in the sixth over and never recovered, bundled out in the end for 153 in the 37th over, to also record their heaviest-ever defeat to the Indians.

At 77 for seven in the 19th over, the Caribbean side were staring at one of their lowest totals in five years and potentially their ninth total under 100, but Holder stroked a responsible unbeaten 54 to help his escape humiliation.

The top order imploded with two needless runouts but the rest of the innings was wrecked by left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed, who ripped out the middle order with three for 13 and left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who polished off the tail with three for 42.

Rohit had earlier lashed a sizzling 162 off 137 deliveries with 20 fours and four sixes, while Rayudu hit exactly 100 from 81 balls, including eight fours and four sixes, as India, choosing to bat first, embarked on a run-spree to rattle up 377 for five -their second highest-ever total against the Caribbean side.

Third-wicket partnership

The pair put on a rollicking 211 for the third wicket after Shikhar Dhawan (38) and captain Virat Kohli (16) had fallen after getting starts, leaving India on 101 for two in the 17th over.

Left-hander Dhawan again looked ominous in striking four fours and two sixes off 40 balls before pulling seamer Keemo Paul to Kieran Powell at short midwicket in the 12th over.

And Kohli, with a century in each of his previous three innings, perished cheaply this time around when he nicked a prod at one from Kemar Roach (2-74) which seamed and was taken behind.

Rohit then dominated the Windies bowling, gathering his half-century off 60 balls with a pull forward of square off Paul, before reaching triple figures off another 38 balls when he punched left-arm spinner Fabian Allen to the point boundary in the 33rd over.

He required 33 more deliveries to raise his 150 in the 43rd over, but then fell eight balls later to off-spinner Ashley Nurse, top-edging to Chandrapaul Hemraj at short third man.

Rayudu, meanwhile, reached his half-century off 51 balls in the 37th over before speeding to his third ODI hundred off only another 29 deliveries.

He was run out shortly afterwards by Allen's direct hit at the bowler's end in the 48th over but India still plundered 116 runs from the last 10 overs.

Faced with a daunting task, West Indies wilted under the pressure, and there was never any real doubt about the outcome once wickets started tumbling.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA

R Sharma c Hemraj b Nurse 162

S Dhawan c K. Powell b Paul 38

V Kohli c wkp Hope b Roach 16

A Rayudu run out 100

MS Dhoni c Hemraj b Roach 23

K Jadhav not out 16

R Jadeja not out 7

Extras (b6, lb1, w7, nb1) 15

TOTAL (5 wkts, 50 overs) 377

Did not bat: B Kumar, K Yadav, K Ahmed, J Bumrah

Fall of wickets: 1-71, 2-101, 3-312, 4-344, 5-355.

Bowling: Roach 10-0-74-2, Holder 9-0-62-0 (w3), Nurse 8-0-57-1 (w2), Paul 10-0-88-1 (w2), R Powell 4-0-23-0, Allen 8-0-52-0, Samuels 1-0-14-0.

WINDIES

C Hemraj c Rayudu b Kumar 14

K Powell run out 4

+S Hope run out 0

M Samuels c Rohit Sharma

b Khaleel Ahmed 18

S Hetmyer lbw b Khaleel Ahmed 13

R Powell b Khaleel Ahmed 1

*J Holder not out 54

F Allen c Rohit b Kuldeep Yadav 10

A Nurse c Rohit b Kuldeep Yadav 8

K Paul st Dhoni b Jadeja 19

K Roach b Kuldeep Yadav 6

Extras (lb4, w2) 6

TOTAL (all out, 36.2 overs) 153

Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-20, 3-20, 4-45, 5-47, 6-56, 7-77, 8-101, 9-132, 10-153.

Bowling: Kumar 5-1-30-1, Bumrah 8-1-25-0, Khaleel Ahmed 5-0-13-3, Jadeja 10-1-39-1, Kuldeep 8.2-0-42-3.

Result: India won by 224 runs.

Series: India lead five-match series 2-1

Man-of-the-Match: Rohit Sharma.

Toss: India

Umpires: Ian Gould, Anil Chaudhary; TV - Paul Wilson.