Rohit, Rahul hundreds crush Windies - India level ODI ­series 1-1 ahead of Sunday’s decider

VISAKHAPATNAM, India, (CMC):

In-form Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran carved out contrasting half-centuries, but Kuldeep Yadav’s dramatic hat-trick crippled West Indies’ run chase and propelled India to a series-levelling 107-run victory in the second One-Day International here yesterday.

Chasing a mammoth 388 at the ACA-VDCA Stadium after openers Rohit Sharma (159) and KL Rahul (102) slammed scintillating hundreds, West Indies were challenging at 192 for three in the 30th over and creating some worry in the Indian ranks

But Kuldeep intervened with his left-arm spin to knock over Hope, Jason Holder (11), and Alzarri Joseph (0) in successive deliveries in the 33rd over as West Indies lost their last seven wickets for 88 runs to be all out for 280 in the 44th.

Hope stroked a top score of 78 off 85 deliveries while Pooran unleashed a breathtaking 47-ball 75, but their dismissals ended all hope of pulling off the record run chase.

With the game gone, all-rounder Keemo Paul lashed a stroked-filled 46 from 40 balls in an attempt to take some of the shine off India’s convincing win.

Kuldeep finished with three for 52 while seamer Mohammed Shami picked up three for 39, including the key wickets of Pooran and captain Kieron Pollard (0) off successive deliveries in the 30th over.

The victory saw India avoid a series defeat to West Indies and turn Sunday’s final game in Cuttack into a series decider.

Sent in, India flourished through Rohit and Rahul, the pair posting an astonishing 227 at the top of the order – a record first-wicket stand for the hosts against West Indies.

Rohit, a deserving Man-of-the-Match, crunched 17 fours and five sixes in a knock lasting 138 balls while Rahul chipped in with eight fours and three sixes off 104 deliveries.

Rahul, though, was first to his 50 off 46 balls in the 16th over and Rohit followed in the 22nd over, bringing up his landmark off 67 balls by pulling seamer Paul to the square boundary.

Capitalising on a dropped chance on 70, Rohit raced to his 28th ODI hundred off 107 balls in the 34th over, and Rohit joined him three overs later, reaching his fifth one-day century off 103 balls.

The stand ended when Rahul was taken at third man off pacer Alzarri Joseph off the final ball of the same over, and the Caribbean side struck again in the next over, the 38th, when Pollard removed his opposite number, Virat Kohli, for a first-ball ‘duck’.

However, Shreyas Iyer, who slammed 53 from 32 deliveries, then put on a further 60 for the third wicket with Rohit and 73 for the fourth wicket with Pant (39) to get India up to their second highest-ever total against West Indies and ninth highest total overall.

SCOREBOARD

INDIA

Rohit Sharma c wkp Hope b Cottrell 159

KL Rahul c Chase b Joseph 102

*V Kohli c Chase b Pollard 0

S Iyer c wkp Hope b Cottrell 53

+R Pant c Pooran b Paul 39

K Jadhav not out 16

R Jadeja not out 0

Extras (b1, lb3, nb1, w13) 18

TOTAL (5 wkts, 50 overs) 387

Did not bat: D Chahar, Mohammed Shami, S Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav

Fall of wickets: 1-227 (Rahul), 2-232 (Kohli), 3-292 (Sharma), 4-365 (Pant), 5-373 (Iyer)

Bowling: Cottrell 9-0-83-2 (w2), Holder 9-0-45-0 (w1), Pierre 9-0-62-0 (w2), Paul 7-0-57-1 (w1), Joseph 9-1-68-1 (w3), Chase 5-0-48-0 (w3, nb1), Pollard 2-0-20-1 (w1)

WEST INDIES

E Lewis c Iyer b Thakur 30

+S Hope c Kohli b Yadav 78

S Hetmyer run out 4

R Chase b Jadeja 4

N Pooran c Kuldeep Yadav b Mohammed Shami 75

*K Pollard c wkp Pant b Mohammed Shami 0

J Holder st Pant b Kuldeep Yadav 11

K Paul b Mohammed Shami 46

A Joseph c Jadhav b Kuldeep Yadav 0

K Pierre c Kohli b Jadeja 21

S Cottrell not out 0

Extras (b1, lb2, w8) 11

TOTAL (all out, 43.3 overs) 280

Fall of wickets: 1-61 (Lewis), 2-73 (Hetmyer), 3-86 (Chase), 4-192 (Pooran), 5-192 (Pollard), 6-210 (Hope), 7-210 (Holder), 8-210 (Joseph), 9-260 (Pierre), 10-280 (Paul)

Bowling: Chahar 7-1-44-0 (w2), Thakur 8-0-55-1 (w2), Shami 7.3-0-39-3 (w1), Jadeja 10-0-74-2 (w1), Yadav 10-0-52-3, Iyer 1-0-13-0 (w2).

Result: India won by 107 runs.

Series: Three-match series level 1-1.

Man-of-the-Match: Rohit Sharma.

Toss: West Indies

Umpires: Anil Chaudhary, Rod Tucker; TV – Shaun George