India vs West Indies: 5 unnoticed things from the 3rd ODI 

After a brilliant game of cricket in the 2nd ODI at Vishakhapatnam where the game ended in a tie, it was all to play for in the 3rd ODI at Pune. The Indian team went in with an aggressive approach in hopes of taking a 2-0 lead while the visitors looked to taste victory for the first time on this tour.

After winning the toss on a relatively green pitch, India decided to bowl first as they brought back the magic duo of Bhuvi-Bumrah to lead their charge with the ball. Bumrah didn’t disappoint by picking up two early wickets within the first ten overs to push Windies on the backfoot.

The innings never saw a move on as the bowlers continuously struck at regular intervals to halt Windies’ progress towards a formidable total. Kuldeep Yadav was once again brilliant with his skills to trap two batsmen off his bowling. It was an all-around show by the bowlers as Windies could only manage 283 for 9 despite Shai Hope top scoring with 95 in the innings.

In response, India was jolted early on with the wicket of Rohit Sharma. However, skipper Virat Kohli held the innings nicely as he stitched partnerships with Dhawan, Rayudu, and Pant. But in the end, Windies did make the chase tricky for India as India lost wickets at regular intervals. The last nail in the coffin was the wicket of Kohli who departed for a well made 107 as India succumbed to defeat by 43 runs to see the scoreline leveled at 1-1 after the end of three games.

Here's a look at some of the unnoticed things from the match.

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah bowls the first maiden over of the series

After a decent break from the game, Jasprit Bumrah was once again back in action as he led his team’s bowling attack from the front. The experienced campaigner in this version of the game, Bumrah was once again back to picking wickets and inflicting damage in the opposition camp. He was the star with the ball and didn’t disappoint his skipper.

He was accurate, consistent and made the job easier for his team. His first over of the game was a maiden over, a commodity which had become a rare sight in the series so far. He finished his spell with figures of 4 for 35 and he was the most effective bowler for India for yet another time on the field. His variations and the deadly consistent accuracy to bowl those toe-crushing yorkers was once again on display as he led his team’s charge.

#2 Windies batting rely upon Hope and Hetmyer

For the third consecutive time in the series, Windies would feel fortunate that their batters put up a fighting total on the board. However, in the previous two occasions, they failed to get past the line but at Pune, they were in a position to rule the game. But one thing would concern Holder and the management and that is the lack of contribution from each one of the batsmen.

So far only Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope have looked to dominate the Indians. The rest of the batters have failed to get going and this was evident even at Pune. Hetmyer failed for the first time in the series but Hope showed consistency as he led his team’s damage control after an early setback in the powerplay overs. Shai kept one end tight as he top-scored with an innings of 95 in the match.

#3 Windies record second highest 9th wicket partnership vs India

Windies' innings was dwindling after Bumrah rattled Shai Hope’s stumps. However, Ashley Nurse and Kemar Roach had some other plan as they went on to register the second highest 9th wicket partnership for Windies against India in ODIs. The pair added 56 valuable runs for the penultimate wicket as they extended their team’s total to 283 in their allotted fifty overs.

They targeted the bowlers efficiently as Nurse played a blinder of an innings to score 40 off just 22 deliveries. He paced his innings well and opted a cautious approach against an in-form Bumrah and took charge against Bhuvneshwar, who struggled to pitch it in the right areas and missed his length on more than a couple of occasions. Kumar was caught at the receiving end of Nurse’s onslaught in the death, as the batsman helped his side muster more runs than they would have expected, especially after the dismissal of Shai Hope.

#4 Virat Kohli scales fastest 6000 ODI runs in Asia

Virat Kohli has become the epitome of batting in world cricket in recent times. The master at his job, Kohli carries out his business with utmost ease. His dedication and the appetite to score runs is second to none. In the recent past, he has scaled himself to greater heights and the current pace at which he is taking huge strides in international cricket is astounding to see.

He is on his way to make every batting feat his own. After becoming the quickest to 10000 ODI runs, Kohli also became the fastest to 6000 ODI runs in Asia. He overtook Sachin Tendulkar’s record of achieving the feat in 142 innings by reaching the milestone in just 117 innings. Though at times it is unfair to compare batting eras, Kohli’s class and the temperament often make it a tempting factor to draw a comparison of whether he is the greatest ever batsman born on the planet.

#5 Virat Kohli becomes first Indian to score three consecutive ODI hundreds

Scoring runs and developing a habit of notching up tons game after game has made Virat Kohli a modern great in ODI cricket. India's marathon man with the bat is as good a player to any and often he rides his side single-handedly to victory. In his third innings in the ongoing series, Virat was in his elements once again as he scored yet another century to guide his team's run chase. He stacked up his third consecutive century and No.38 for himself in his ODI career.

This is just an indicative for Virat's deadly accurate consistency and the ease at which he goes about his business. He became the first Indian batsman to score three consecutive centuries for India in ODI cricket. Virat sees a list of batsman who have acquired this feat before him in the same format with Kumar Sangakkara being the only player to score four consecutive ODI centuries in 2015. It could well be a matter of time that Virat also scores another century to equal Sangakkara in that elusive list.