Batters shine as India post 351/5 in 3rd ODI vs West Indies

Ishan Kishan (77 off 64), Shubman Gill (85 off 92), Sanju Samson (51 off 41) and stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya (70* off 52) struck half-centuries as India posted 351/5 after being asked to bat first in the third ODI against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Tuesday.

Despite the series being on the line, the visitors rested skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the second game in a row. India again got off to an excellent start with the bat as openers Kishan and Gill added 143 in 19.4 overs. However, there was no batting collapse this time.

Kishan got an early life in the second over as he cut Kyle Mayers to backward point, where Keacy Carty dropped the catch. Gill smacked two fours off Jayden Seales in the fifth over, while Kishan hammered consecutive boundaries off Mayers in the next. The big hits kept flowing as India reached 73/0 after 10 overs.

Kishan smashed the first maximum of the game by pulling Alzarri Joseph over deep square leg. The left-hander reached his third consecutive fifty in the series by whipping Gudakesh Motie for a single to long-on. A few overs later, Gill brought up his first half-century of the tour by smacking Yannic Cariah through backward square leg for four.

Kishan collected a six and a four off consecutive deliveries from Romario Shepherd before perishing to Cariah. The left-hander was stumped as he jumped down the track and was beaten. Ruturaj Gaikwad (8) did not last long, nicking a pitched-up delivery from Joseph to first slip. Gill and Samson then added 69 runs for the third wicket.

Samson was in aggressive mode, lofting Cariah for two sixes in a space of four balls. After the halfway stage of their innings, India were well-placed at 175/2. Samson smashed his third maximum by clubbing Seales over deep midwicket. He hammered another six off Cariah as he eased towards a half-century.

Samson, however, fell immediately after crossing fifty, miscuing Shepherd to mid-off. At the end other, Gill was looking good for his century but fell 15 short. After a few quiet overs, the opener spooned a catch off Motie to midwicket, ending a fine knock that featured 11 fours.

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Hardik Pandya powers India at the death

Hardik Pandya and Suryakumar Yadav added 65 for the fifth wicket to take India past 300. Pandya, who got off to an extremely slow start, broke the shackles by pulling Seales for four to end the 41st over.

In the next over, he slapped a maximum off Cariah. Suryakumar also joined the six-hitting action with a pick-up pull off a full-toss from Joseph. He took India past 300 in style, carving another low full-toss from Seales behind cover.

Suryakumar fell for 35 off 30, mistiming a slower ball off Shepherd towards backward point where Cariah took a well-judged catch. Following Suryakumar’s exit, Pandya swatted a couple of sixes and reached his fifty by slapping Joseph for a couple down the ground.

The stand-in skipper provided India with the perfect final flourish, clobbering Shepherd for two sixes and a four in the 50th over.