India skipper Virat Kohli and wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant mixed caution with aggression to help India win the third and final T20I against the West Indies, in Guyana on Tuesday.
Chasing 147 to win, Kohli scored 59 runs while Pant remained unbeaten on 65, with the latter finishing the match with a six. India thus made a clean sweep of the three-match T20I series, having won the first two matches in the US-leg of the tournament.
With Rohit Sharma being rested, K.L. Rahul opened with Shikhar Dhawan. The latter continued his horrendous form in the series, falling for three to Oshane Thomas.
Rahul looked steady during his 20-run knock, but fell to spinner Fabian Allen trying to give him the charge. This brought Pant to the crease, who paced his innings beautifully with four fours and an equal number of sixes, putting on 106 runs with skipper Kohli for the third wicket.
Though Kohli fell while trying to close out the match, Pant and Manish Pandey (2*) ensured there were no further hiccups.
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Earlier, Kieron Pollard once again proved to be the saviour for the West Indies, as his well-crafted fifty and a late assault from Rovman Powell took them to a respectable total of 146/6. Pollard's 58 had one four and six sixes, while Powell provided the late flourish with a 20-ball 32.
Debutant Deepak Chahar was the pick of the Indian bowlers, with exceptional figures of 3-1-4-3. He, however, did not bowl his full quota of four overs. He took three wickets his first two overs to leaving West Indies tottering at 14 for 3. He got the ball to swing both ways as he removed pinch-hitter Sunil Narine (2), Evin Lewis (10) and Shimron Hetmyer (1).
However Pollard counter-attacked with great gusto, hitting his first half-century for the West Indies in seven years.
Along with Nicholas Pooran (17), who played the second fiddle, Pollard added 67 for the fourth wicket as the Caribbeans looked to have recovered from their initial slump.
However Navdeep Saini came back for his second spell to first dismiss left-hander Pooran with an off-cutter (leg-cutter for the batsman) which was edged to Rishabh Pant behind the stumps.
Saini (2/34 in 4 overs), who had trapped Pollard leg-before with a dipping full-toss in the first game then bowled a slower delivery that pegged back the middle stump breaching through his bat and pad. West Indies were once again reeling at 105 for 5 before Deepak's younger cousin Rahul (1/27 in 3 overs) got his maiden wicket in the form rival skipper Carlos Brathwaite.
However Powell smashed his way to an unbeaten 32 off 20 balls to prop up the Windies total.
India and the West Indies will now lock horns in a three-match ODI series, starting August 8, followed by two Tests.
