Thiruvananthapuram: All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja scalped a four-wicket haul to help India register a massive nine-wicket victory over West Indies in the final ODI of the ongoing five-match series here at the Greenfield International Stadium on Thursday.
With the win, India have also clinched the ODI series 3-1.
Chasing a lowly target of 105 runs, it was a complete cakewalk for the Indian batsmen as they easily crossed the line at the loss of just one wicket.
After left-hand batsman Shikhar Dhawan was dismissed cheaply for six, Indian opener Rohit Sharma (63) and skipper Virat Kohli (33) stitched a match-winning partnership of 99 runs to drive their side to a comfortable victory.
Earlier, it was the Indian bowlers who had set the tone right for the team. Proving the decision of the Caribbean side to bowl first wrong, the Indian bowling attack led by left-arm bowler Ravindra Jadeja bowled out the entire opposition team inside 31.5 overs.
The pitch, which had a bit of dampness in the surface, provided a solid grip to the Indian spinners as the host restricted the visitors to 104 runs.
Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar created a disruption at the top order of the West Indies as he picked his first wicket, opener Kieran Powell, for a duck.
As Shai Hope, who had snatched Vishakhapatnam ODI from India, came on the field, Jasprit Bumrah bowled an absolute stunner to him which scattered the stumps of the wicket-keeper-batsman. He departed the Caribbean batsman for a duck.
After Hope’s early departure, Marlon Samuels, with the first six of the match, cautiously tried to provide stability to the West Indies along with Rovman Powell. However, Ravindra Jadeja removed Samuels for 24 runs as he gave a simple catch to Virat Kohli.
West Indies skipper Jason Holder contributed crucial 25 runs to the team’s total, but no other batsman managed to stick to the pitch much longer.
While right-hand batsman Fabian Allen (four) fell to a short delivery by Indian pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Keemo Paul (five) was trapped by spinner Kuldeep Yadav.
The final two wickets, Kemar Roach (5) and Oshane Thomas (0), were scalped by the Man of the Match, Ravindra Jadeja.
While pacers Jasprit Bumrah and Khaleel Ahmed scalped two wickets each, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Kuldeep Yadav also chipped in with a wicket each in the match.
India and West Indies will now head into the three-match T20I series, beginning November 4 at Eden Gardens.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]