IND vs WI: 3rd ODI Review – India register their maiden whitewash over Windies

India continued their dominance over West Indies to close the series 3-0 after clinching the final ODI by a whopping 96 runs as the visitors tumbled out for 169 in pursuit of 265. It was three times in as many games that West Indies could not bat their quota of 50 overs, surviving only 37.1 in the third fixture. 

They were reduced to a dismal 82/7 inside 20 overs, with three wickets falling within the first five overs courtesy of the pace trio, with Deepak Chahar claiming both his wickets in the powerplay. The slide continued before some lower-order resistance from Alzarri Joseph (29 off 56) and Odean (36 off just 18), who added 40 runs for the eighth wicket, followed by another 47-run stand for the ninth between Joseph and Hayden Walsh Jnr frustrated the Indians. 

However, the loss of early wickets meant those were efforts could only delay the loss. Krishna and Siraj picked three wickets each in economic spell including a maiden each, while Chahar and returning Kuldeep Yadav got two apiece. 

Earlier, India made a rocky start themselves after opting to bat. They were reduced to 42/3 inside the powerplay, with Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli combined scoring 23 off 43 before half-centuries from Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant, who mustered a century partnership for the fourth wicket, brought India back on track. 

Pant was once again in his aggressive avatar, hitting six boundaries and one six in his 56 off 54, while Iyer played the anchor from the other end in their 110-run stand for the fourth wicket. Despite the Iyer-Pant alliance, India could not have reached a competitive 265 had it not been for the calculatedly aggressive knocks from Washington Sundar (33 off 34) and Chahar (run-a-ball 38). 

Top Performers

Shreyas Iyer

Iyer was composed and looked well-set for converting his half-century into a triple-digit score but perished for a 111-ball 80, laced with nine fours, as he picked long-off against the bowling of Hayden Walsh Jnr.

Prasidh Krishna

Krishna continued his rich vein form in the series, as he added three more scalps in the game to take his series tally to nine wickets, bagging the Player of the Series award. 

What next for the teams?

The ODI series is to be followed by a three-match T20I leg, all matches to be played in Kolkata between February 16 to 20.