India vs Windies, 5th ODI Review: India dominate the final match to take the series 3-1

After what Windies pulled off in the second and third ODIs, a lot was expected from them heading out in Thiruvananthapuram with the series on the line. But like it happens so often with expectations, they were shattered and Windies were at their paltry best in the final match. As a result, the game didn’t even last 50 overs in all. A day/night match ended before the lights could be turned on. The visitors batted for one ball less than 32 overs and Team India chased the target down in less than 15 overs.

For a change, it was Jason Holder who won the toss and decided to bat first. They’d seen what the Indian team could do when they were posting totals. The Green Field Stadium offered a sticky wicket not a flatbed for batting and the Indian bowlers made the most of it. Bhuvneshwar Kumar pitched it up and Kieran Powell obliged edging it to MS Dhoni behind the wickets for a duck. Shai Hope lost his stumps in the next over from Jasprit Bumrah and it was a downhill journey thereafter.

It all goes downhill

Marlon Samuels and Rovman Powell who walked out to open the batting were just starting to build a partnership but Ravindra Jadeja got Samuels caught by Kohli. The left-arm spinner soon had two when the big man Shimron Hetmyer missed one that hit him right in front of the stumps. The umpire didn’t think it was out and it took Jadeja a lot of convincing before skipper Virat Kohli opted for a review, it was three reds and Hetmyer was on his way back for just 9 runs.

At this point, Windies were officially in deep trouble and the fact that they just had 53 runs on the board almost threw them out of contention. Powell fell to the left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed for 16 and Windies were 57/5. A total of 100 looked like a distant dream at this point. Skipper Holder like he always does hung in there and tried to add runs with the lower order. India having let the pressure off in the previous few matches came hard at the tail this time.

Bumrah, Kuldeep and Jadeja wrapped things up really quickly and with Holder’s 25 being the top score all Windies managed was 104 in 31.5 overs. Jadeja was the pick of the Indian bowlers returning with figures of 4/34 and bowled his full quota while most other bowlers were just halfway through their spells.

Rohit riot in the chase

The chase wasn’t expected to strain India tad bit, especially with the firepower they have at the top of the order. Shikhar Dhawan who failed to fire right through the series chopped it on to his stumps in the 2nd over and departed for just 6 runs. But Rohit Sharma was in his zone and so was Virat Kohli.

Windies bowlers weren’t determined enough to make this a tough challenge either. The likes of Oshane Thomas, Kemo Paul, Holder and even Devendra Bishoo spent big runs in the few overs that they bowled. The fact that both Rohit and Kohli were on a boundary hitting spree their economies ranged between 8 and 15. Rohit hit five boundaries and four sixes on his way to a 63 off 56 balls. Kohli, on the other hand, was content with his partner dominating the proceedings. He hit six boundaries and remained unbeaten on 33 from 29 balls.

The teams were expected to take a lunch break after 15 overs in the Indian innings but the game didn’t last that long as they won with a ball to spare from there. Team India completed a romping win with 9 wickets and 35 overs in hand, thus also claiming the series 3-1.

Brief Scores:

Windies: 104 all out in 31.5 overs (Jason Holder 25, Ravindra Jadeja 4/34)

India: 105/1 in 14.5 overs (Rohit Sharma 63*, Virat Kohli 33*)

Man of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja

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