Ahmedabad, Feb 11 (FN Agency) Shreyas Iyer’s responsible 80 off 111 balls coupled with bowlers’ brilliance helped India beat West Indies by 96 runs in the inconsequential third ODI here at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Friday. With the win, India clinched the three-match series 3-0. West Indies’ batting unit once again let them down while chasing the challenging 266-run target. Skipper Nicholas Pooran and Odean Smith chipped in with 34 and 36, respectively, but others fell cheaply. Mohammed Siraj and Deepak Chahar made early inroads before pacer Prasidh Krishna and spinner Kuldeep Yadav joined the party. The Indian attack bundled out West Indies for 167 in 37.1 overs.
The match became a one-sided affair as the visitors could not manage to build a partnership. Although Pooran looked in great form, but the lack of support from the other end left him helpless. Smith played a cameo, which saw three maximums and as many fours, but the task at hand was too big for him. Towards the end, Alzarri Joseph (29) and Hayden Walsh (13) frustrated India with their 47-run stand for the ninth wicket. Earlier, a solid 110-run partnership for the fourth wicket by Iyer and Rishabh Pant powered India to post 265 after opting to bat. The duo rebuild India’s innings following an early collapse, which had reduced them to 42/3. West Indies controlled the powerplay overs, with Joseph getting rid of both the current skipper Rohit Sharma (13) and former captain Virat Kohli (0) in the space of just two balls. Rohit got an inside edge while attempting a cover drive and his middle stump flattened, while Kohli was caught by Shai Hope after nicking a leg-side. Odean Smith further added to India’s top-order batting woes as Shikhar Dhawan departed for 10. Iyer and Pant steadied the ship and soon found some momentum to accelerate. The right-hander targeted Smith for a couple of boundaries.
Iyer, who had missed the first two ODIs due to Covid-19, brought up his half-century off 74 balls. However, Hayden Walsh got the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Pant for 56. Suryakumar Yadav, who had lifted India in the first two games, failed to carry his momentum as Fabian Allen got rid of him cheaply for 6. Walsh returned and got the crucial wicket of Iyer (80), who gave a simple catch to Darren Bravo at long off. Nonetheless, Washington Sunder (33) and Deepak Chahar (38) ensured a strong finish.
Brief scores: India 265/10 in 50 overs (Shreyas Iyer 80, Rishabh Pant 56; Jason Holder 4/34) beat West Indies 167/10 in 37.1 overs (Odean Smith 36; Prasidh Krishna 3/27, Mohammed Siraj 3/29) by 96 runs.