5th ODI: India seal series with thumping nine-wicket win over West Indies

India have beaten West Indies by nine wickets in the fifth ODI in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday to wrap up the contest 3-1, extending to six the number of bilateral series wins in a row at home.

It was a win set up in the field by the bowlers, chiefly Ravindra Jadeja who claimed 4/34 after India’s trio of quick bowlers made early inroads. West Indies were bowled out for 104 in 31.5 overs – their lowest ODI total against India – and India needed 105 to overhaul that with Rohit Sharma (63*) and Virat Kohli (33*) each using reprieves to hasten the win.

Little went West Indies’ way from the time Jason Holder opted to bat. Kieran Powell edged the fourth ball of the match to MS Dhoni to give Bhuvneshwar Kumar first strike and in the second over Jasprit Bumrah got big inwards movement off a lively pitch to breach Shai Hope’s forward prod. West Indies were 2/2 and in early trouble.

Marlon Samuels produced his most fluent innings of the series, striking three fours and a six to welcome the left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed into the attack, but then contrived to airily drive an inviting delivery from Jadeja to extra over. His 24 was the second-highest score of an insipid innings, after Holder’s 33-ball 25.

Jadeja then won an lbw shout against Shimron Hetmyer and when Rovman Powell, sent to open the innings, swung a bouncer from Khaleel straight to deep square leg, the scorecard read 57/5 after 17 overs. Bumrah added a third in the shape of Fabien Allen who hooked to long leg at 66/6, by which stage this match was all but over as a contest.

Holder’s 25 was another pleasing effort from the skipper, ended when he drove Khaleel to mid-off. With the ball spinning big, Jadeja mopped up the tail with 4/33 in 9.4 overs, the last two falling in his final over. Kedar Jadhav proved an irritant for West Indies too, taking catches at mid-off, long leg and long-off.

Oshane Thomas, back after three games, got Shikhar Dhawan for the second time in the series when the batsman dabbed and got an inside-edge onto the stumps. Thomas should have had Kohli too, but Holder could not hold onto an edge at first slip. Not long after, Thomas had only himself to blame when he over stepped and gave Rohit a life 18 after the batsman edged to Hope.

Throughout the series, West Indies have been at the receiving end of the Rohit-Kohli show. The pair that took India to a win in the first ODI was fittingly the one that wrapped up the series for them. Kohli, dismissed for 16 in the previous game, struck three boundaries off his first four deliveries and scored two more off Kemar Roach and Keemo Paul. Rohit, who began steadily, scored his 200th six in ODIs and brought up his half-century off 45 deliveries.

Dating back to October 2016, India have won ODI series over New Zealand (twice), England, Australia, Sri Lanka and now West Indies at home. They last lost a home series in 2015 to South Africa.

Brief scores: India 105/1 (Rohit Sharma 63*, Virat Kohli 33*) beat West Indies 104 in 31.5 overs (Holder 25, Jadeja 4/34) by nine wickets.