Virat Kohli scored 85 in 81 balls and Ravindra Jadeja applied the finishing touch with 39 not out as India beat West Indies by four wickets on Sunday to win the three-match ODI series 2-1.
West Indies reached 315/5 in the final one-day international after being put in to bat and India finished at 316/6, winning with eight balls to spare.
Kohli put on 58 runs with Jadeja for the sixth wicket after India was reduced to 228/5.
India’s top three- Rohit Sharma (63), K L Rahul (77) and Kohli (85) — fired in unison in a 316-run chase but it got slippery in the end when the Indian captain left the scene with 30 required off 23 balls.
It was then that Thakur, in the company of a composed Ravindra Jadeja (39 not out), smashed 17 runs off six balls with the help of a six and four off Sheldon Cottrell to seal the issue in his team’s favour with eight balls to spare.
Speaking at the post-match presentation the Indian captain reflected back not only on the Indian team’s performance in Cuttack but also for the calendar year-
“Having done it so many times, you obviously have a bit more calmness and you understand how the dew is playing and all you need is a short partnership. From there the opposition usually crumbles. It was outstanding to see others finishing the game. Honestly when I got out I had a nervous phase, but I looked back at Jaddu and he looked confident. They just changed the game in three overs. Watching from outside is way more difficult.”
“2019 has been one of the best years for Indian cricket. Apart from the 30 minutes in the World Cup, it’s been a great year. We’ll keep chasing that ICC trophy. But apart from that, the way we’ve played has been satisfying. Having a bunch of fast bowlers who can bowl out any opposition anywhere – them taking the attention away from the spinners in India is a huge achievement.”
“We feel we have it in us to win series overseas, not just the odd game. We are in the process of trying out people, see how they react under pressure. Whether people want to accept it or not, the younger people will have to step up in a few years.”
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