India ease to win over Windies in final ODI

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad, (CMC):

Irrepressible India captain Virat Kohli stroked his second successive hundred and 43rd of his career to spearhead a remarkable run chase and send West Indies tumbling to a six-wicket defeat under Duckworth-Lewis-Stern in the final One-Day International yesterday.

Set a daunting 255 for victory off just 35 overs after rain had caused an earlier three-hour break during West Indies’ innings, India effortlessly chased down the target, with 15 balls to spare, to take the series 2-0 and condemn the hosts to their 13th defeat in 22 ODIs this year.

Winless Windies

Further, West Indies have now won only four of their last 21 ODIs against India, and their latest defeat keeps them winless on the current tour after suffering a 3-0 whitewash in the preceding Twenty20 series.

Kohli lay at the centre of India’s brilliance, carving out a quite superb unbeaten 114 off 99 deliveries to follow up his 120 in last Sunday’s second ODI also at Queen’s Park Oval, and clinch the Man-of-the-Match and Man-of-the-Series awards.

Dropped on 11 in the sixth over by wicketkeeper Shai Hope off seamer Keemo Paul, Kohli made West Indies pay for the error, hitting 14 fours – the last of which was a clip to fine leg off seamer Carlos Brathwaite, which took his side over the line.

Shreyas Iyer struck 65 off 41 balls while opener Shikhar Dhawan gathered a run-a-ball 36 as India expertly controlled a run chase which could have proved tricky.

Veteran opener Chris Gayle had earlier blasted 72 from 41 deliveries as West Indies raced to a competitive 240 for seven off their allotted 35 overs.

His opening partner, Evin Lewis, struck 43, Nicholas Pooran chipped in with a quick-fire 30 while Shimron Hetmyer (25) and Shai Hope (24) both got starts.

Gayle, in possibly his last ODI, handed West Indies a sensational start as he blasted eight fours and five sixes, dominating a 115-run opening stand off a mere 65 deliveries with fellow left-hander Lewis.