India vs West Indies 2019: Top order shines as hosts fend off Kieron Pollard scare to seal the series

The T20I series decider between India and West Indies lived up to expectations. The hosts crushed West Indies by 67 runs after posting a formidable total of 240/3 on the board.

In the process, the Men in Blue bagged the hard-fought series 2-1 and will take heart from this encouraging performance keeping in mind the T20 World Cup next year.

India's refreshing approach

Kieron Pollard won the toss and unsurprisingly asked the hosts to bat first. Rohit Sharma kick-started his innings in archetypal fashion, nailing Sheldon Cottrell through extra cover. KL Rahul also channeled his instincts and helped propel India to 116 without loss at the halfway stage.

Rohit eventually perished to Kesrick Williams, lobbing a sitter to mid-wicket. India promoted Rishabh Pant to No. 3, providing the youngster with the license to unleash his attacking game. However, Pant creamed one straight down Jason Holder's throat and departed without troubling the scorers.

Kohli's pyrotechnics

India briefly lost momentum after Rohit and Pant departed in quick succession. However, Virat Kohli produced a masterclass, drilling 7 sixes in his ferocious 29-ball 70.

At the other end, Rahul broke the shackles with a lofted, inside-out six off Holder, ushering India towards the 200-run mark. Cottrell accounted for Rahul in the final over of the game but Kohli's blitzkrieg meant the visitors stared at a monumental chase.

Early setbacks

In pursuit of 241, West Indies got off to a horrendous start. Shouldering the responsibility to open the innings in Evin Lewis' absence, Brandon King fell prey to a deceptive knuckle-ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Lendl Simmons perished to Mohammed Shami while Nicholas Pooran was dismissed for a golden duck, leaving the visitors in dire straits.

Captain's knock

Shimron Hetmyer flexed his muscles and produced some audacious strikes before chipping a full-toss to Rahul off the bowling of Kuldeep Yadav. Holder too was sent packing by the chinaman, who proved a tad expensive on his comeback.

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Pollard took charge thereafter, keeping Windies' hopes alive with his destructive stroke-making. The skipper struck a magnificent 68 before Bhuvneshwar removed him, quashing the possibility of a miraculous turnaround. Pollard's dismissal spelled curtains for the visitors, who eventually fell to a 67-run loss.

Brief scores: India 240/3 (KL Rahul 91, Rohit Sharma 71, Virat Kohli 70*) defeated West Indies 173/8 (Kieron Pollard 68; Deepak Chahar 2-20) by 67 runs.

CHAMPIONS 🔥🔥 #INDvWI pic.twitter.com/unZ79dhP5U

— BCCI (@BCCI) December 11, 2019