Sixes galore as India clinch T20 series

MUMBAI: Skipper Virat Kohli led the sixes charge with seven hits over the fence to set up India’s series-clinching 67-run win over the West Indies in the third Twenty20 International on Wednesday.

Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Kohli, who smashed an unbeaten 70 off 29 balls, combined to hit 16 sixes between them as the hosts posted 240 for three in Mumbai.

The Indian bowlers then kept the West Indies to 173 for eight to win the three-match series 2-1. Sharma, who hit 71, and Rahul, who top-scored with 91, put on 135 runs for the opening wicket to lay the platform for India’s imposing total.

Kohli soon joined the party to flay the West Indies attack as he completed his fifty in just 21 deliveries. Kohli and Sharma will end the year at the top of the batting charts with 2,633 runs each in all T20 cricket.

West Indies slipped to 17-3 and were forever playing catch-up with the towering run-rate despite a valiant 39-ball 68 from skipper Kieron Pollard who hit six off the 12 maximums in the chase.

Pacemen Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Chahar and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav claimed two wickets each. “Hitman” Sharma led the batting onslaught with an attacking fifty that was brought about with two sixes and a boundary, delighting the home crowd.

Sharma became the first Indian batsman to hit over 400 international sixes with his first of five strikes over the fence. West Indies’ Chris Gayle leads the sixes show with 534 across all three formats.

He finally fell while attempting another big heave to be caught by Hayden Walsh Jr off Kesrick Williams. Four balls later, Pollard got wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant trudging back to the pavilion for nought to check India’s surge but Rahul remained firm.

Rahul, who completed his third fifty in four T20I innings and hit four sixes in his 56-ball knock, then put on 95 runs with Kohli before getting out in the last over.

West Indies also suffered an injury blow after Evin Lewis hurt his right knee while fielding and did not return to bat with the team management saying the opening batsman has “soft tissue damage”.

The two teams will next play three One-day Internationals on December 15 (Chennai), December 18 (Visakhapatnam) and December 22 (Cuttack).

West Indies won toss

India

R Sharma c Walsh Jr b Williams 71

K L Rahul c Pooran b Cottrell 91

†R Pant c Holder b Pollard 0

*V Kohli not out 70

S Iyer not out 0

Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 4, nb 1) 8

Total (3 wickets; 20 overs) 240

Did not bat: S Dube, W Sundar, D Chahar, B Kumar, K Yadav, M Shami

Fall: 1-135, 2-138, 3-233

Bowling: Cottrell 4-0-40-1 (w 1); Holder 4-0-54-0 (w 1); Pierre 2-0-35-0 (w 1); Williams 4-0-37-1; Walsh Jr 4-0-38-0; Pollard 2-0-33-1 (w 1, nb 1)

West Indies

L Simmons c Iyer b Shami 7

B King c Rahul b Kumar 5

S Hetmyer c Rahul b Yadav 41

†N Pooran c Dube b Chahar 0

*K Pollard c sub (Jadeja) b Kumar 68

J Holder c sub (Pandey) b Yadav 8

H Walsh Jr b Shami 11

K Pierre c sub (Jadeja) b Chahar 6

K Williams not out 13

S Cottrell not out 4

Extras (lb 5, w 5) 10

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 173

Did not bat: E Lewis

Fall: 1-12, 2-17, 3-17, 4-91, 5-103, 6-141, 7-152, 8-169

Bowling: Chahar 4-0-20-2 (w 1); Kumar 4-0-41-2 (w 1); Shami 4-0-25-2; Dube 3-0-32-0 (w 1); Yadav 4-0-45-2 (w 1); Sundar 1-0-5-0 (w 1)

Result: India won by 67 runs

Man of the Match: K L Rahul (India)

Series: India won three-match series 2-1

Man of the Series: Virat Kohli (India)

Umpires: Nitin Menon and C K Nandan (India). TV umpire: Chettithody Shamshuddin (India). Match referee: David Boon (Australia)