India received a lot of criticism for experimenting too much in the first two one-day internationals against the West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium, with the World Cup less than three months away. Hardik Pandya captained the team in the second ODI, while Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli rested. The youth were given a try but they failed to impress as Shai Hope’s men managed to keep the series alive with a victory.
Many people believed that regular captain Rohit and legendary batter Virat would rejoin the team for the pivotal third ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad; however, the team management relied on the younger group and supported them in the series finale.
Shubman Gill (85 in 92 balls), Ishan Kishan (77 in 64 balls), and Sanju Samson (51 in 41 balls), among others, scored fluid half-centuries. Stand-in captain Hardik Pandya also found his form and scored an unbeaten 70 off just 55 balls, demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategy. Ruturaj Gaikwad was the only one to be left out, getting out for just eight after coming out to bat at No. 3. Suryakumar Yadav also put up a respectable performance, scoring 35 in 30 balls. The “Men in Blue” scored an intimidating 351/5 in the opening inning. The West Indies would have hoped for a solid start and big scores from their top three, but that was just what they didn’t manage.
Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, and Shai Hope were all major wickets that Mukesh Kumar, who was playing in just his fifth international match, took with the new ball to put the hosts in trouble.
Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat further hurt the expectations of the home side as the West Indies crashed to 50/6 in the 14th over. Despite their 25-run partnership, Yannick Cariah and Alick Athanaze were unable to stop the inevitable. Gudakesh Motie spun his bat around and remained undefeated on 39 off 34 balls, batting at No. 10.
Before Shardul grabbed the final two wickets to finish with a four-for and assist India win easily, he enabled the West Indies to reach the three-figure mark with a 55-run stand with Alzarri Joseph. Kuldeep Yadav also claimed a few wickets. The away team won by a massive 200 runs to take the series 2-1.
🇮🇳🏆 Onto the T20s pic.twitter.com/G79gSJzanE
— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) August 2, 2023
I this 3-Match ODI series, India batted three different No. 3 and three different No. 4. #WIvInd
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 1, 2023
Mucncredible batting performance by India after losing the toss in the series decider! 🏏
Shubman Gill – 85(92)
Ishan Kishan – 77(64)
Hardik Pandya – 70*(52)
Sanju Samson – 51(41)
Suryakumar Yadav – 35(30)Well played lads! 👌👌#WIvsIND #IndianCricket #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/ZGdz0mypCw
— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) August 1, 2023
Inh better batting show today from team India 👏🏽😄 #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/lVZIgFZ9Ge
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) August 1, 2023
“special thanks to Captain Rohit Sharma for valuable tips before mine batting , he is the true leader leading the team with great example” – Sanju Samson pic.twitter.com/pLHLbn96sU
— 𝗔𝘆𝘂𝘀𝗵 🇮🇳 (@RofiedAyush) August 1, 2023
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