Kohli does a Dhoni, finishes off in style

When the runners up of Champions Trophy 2017 toured West Indies, a side which didn’t even qualify for the aforementioned tournament, not many would have expected that the fifth and final One-Day International would be do-or-die for India.

After the first ODI was washed out due to rain, India won the second and third one, but the Windies sprang up a surprise in the fourth ODI in which the Indian batsmen largely failed. This meant India either won the fifth one or made peace with a draw.

But the eager beaver captain Virat Kohli obviously could not have made peace with a draw. The 28-year-old, who himself didn’t perform up to expectations through the series, had perhaps saved his best for the big day. Kohli scored an unbeaten century to prove why he is known as the best chaser in the world, and with that, he also broke yet another record of his idol Sachin Tendulkar.

With his 111 against West Indies, he scored his 18^th ODI century while chasing, whereas Tendulkar scored 17. Overall, this was his 28^th ODI ton. What was special about Kohli’s knock was that he took the winning runs with a six, reminding us of Dhoni in his prime days. And coincidentally, the six came on MS Dhoni’s birthday.

This celebration @imVkohli ??? ??#Virat King #Kohli#ViratKohli #Video #CaptainFearless #WIvIND #WIvsIND #century #TeamIndia #bleedblue pic.twitter.com/C3ZelzlD8o

— Messi ? Antonela (@ImSSuresh) July 6, 2017

Earlier, the Indian bowlers restricted the hosts to 205-9. Mohammed Shami bounced back to form with his four for 48, while Umesh Yadav also took three wickets. During the chase, India suffered an early collapse as Shikhar Dhawan failed again and walked back for 4. But Ajinkya Rahane’s 39, Kohli’s 111 and Dinesh Karthik’s unbeaten 50 took India home.

Time for a T20

The two sides will now square off in the one-off T20 in Jamaica. India can expect a tougher competition from the hosts who are the World Champions in the shortest format of the game. They will also be boosted by the return of the big man Chris Gayle.