Rahul, Kohli shine as India seals T20I series 2-1: As it happened

Fifties from Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli powered India to 240/3 before Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami restricted West Indies to 173/8.

Openers Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul get India off to a lighting quick as they stitch up their first 50+ stand of the series.

Hello and welcome to the highlights of the third T20I between India and the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

 

India beats West Indies by 67 runs to win the series 2-1

 

Thank you for joining us. Until next time, it's goodbye . CIAO!

The three-match ODI series is up next and the first one takes place in Chennai on Sunday, 15th December.

Impressive show from the Indian team to cap off an interesting series. West Indies fought hard till the end but simply had too many runs to chase today.

AND THAT'S THAT! India beats West Indies by 67 runs to clinch the series.  173/8 is all West Indies can manage.

He hits a boundary over long off. Swing and miss from Cottrell on the last one and that's the end of the match.

Sheldon Cottrell is the new man in.

10:39 pm 72 runs needed from the last over. Catching practice. Pierre opens the face of the bat and tries to run it past point for a single, but ends up handing an easy catch to Jadeja. Chahar gets his second wicket.

Now, Washington Sundar comes on to bowl! He concedes just five runs off his first over. 

Kesrick Williams is the new man in.

10:30 pm BOWLED HIM! Shami castles Hayden Walsh, who loses his leg stump while trying to play a paddle sweep.

Khary Pierre walks in to bat and joins Hayden Walsh in the middle.

10:21 pm POLLARD BLITZ COMES TO AN END! Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the Indian team breathe a sigh of relief! 68 runs off just 39 balls and he has to go back after mistiming one. Pulls the ball high in the air and is caught by Jadeja at wide long on. A brilliant effort from the Windies captain nonetheless.

10:17 pm Pollard has gone berserk at the Wankhede! Welcomes Bhuvneshwar Kumar with a six and two fours off the first three balls. The first one is a full-toss and it is thwarted well over the long on fielder. The next two are pitched up and Pollard smashes them down the ground for powerful boundaries. First one past the long on fielder and the second on past the long off.

10:15 pm FIFTY FOR POLLARD AND IN ASTONISHING FASHION! He makes some room and plays a back foot punch that almost clears the boundary. He has to settle for a four but that's enough to take him past 50. Brute power this, from the big man!

10:12 Shot of the day? Pollard smashes Kuldeep Yadav for a flat six over extra cover. It was a cover drive hit for a six.

10:10 pm Toe end of the bat and he still clears a few rows in the stands! That's the power of Kieron Pollard. Kuldeep pitches it outside off while Pollard tries to make room. Which means Pollard has to work extra hard to get bat on ball. He slog sweeps it over the cow corner boundary for six.

10:09 pm Two runs from the Dube over and Windies still requires 134 runs from 42 balls.

Hayden Walsh, left handed bat, comes to the crease

10:02 pm YADAV REMOVES HOLDER!  Yadav floats this one outside off and entices Holder to go fishing. Holder tries to tonk the ball, outside off and spinning away from him, over long off but ends up skying it. Substitute fielder Manish Pandey  completes the catch comfortably. He has a safe pair of hands. Pollard is running out of partners.

9:55 pm He gets off the mark with a boundary through the off side. 18 runs and wicket off the Kuldeep over.

Jason Holder walks in next

9:51 pm SIX! SIX! WICKET! Kuldeep Yadav redeems himself instantly after being hit for two sixes by sending the danger man Shimron Hetmyer packing. Hetmyer slog sweeps the first delivery over mid-wicket and follows it up with a flat six over wide long-off. He falls on the next ball when he is unable to clear the deep mid-wicket boundary on one leg and skies the ball. KL Rahul collects a good running catch.  

9:45 pm DROPPED! Hetmyer is dropped by Shami at mid-off and how costly is it going to prove later on? Shimron takes on the bowler once again and tries to clear the in field. The connection isn't clean and the ball is hit hardly to Shami. He stretches high to his right and just cannot hold on. Pollard continues to make merry. Length ball from Dube and the strong bottom hand of Pollard comes into play as he hits it cleanly over the cow corner boundary for a flat six.

50-RUN PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN HETMYER AND POLLARD

9:42 pm TONKED FOR SIX! Kuldeep Yadav bowls a quicker one, in an attempt to outsmart Pollard, but the Windies skipper smashes the bowler over his head for a monstrous six.

Kuldeep Yadav is introduced into the attack.

9:36 pm Poor start from the medium pacer as Shimron welcomes him with a six and a four off his first two balls. The first delivery is short and is muscled over mid-off for a monstrous six. The next ball, Dube pitches it short and outside off but the batsman is up to the task as he clears the inner ring with ease for a boundary over mid-off. Pollard is back on strike and places a short ball to perfection behind square leg for four. He finishes it off with a hit to the fence through the mid-wicket region. Horrendous start from Dube as he concedes 19 off his first over.

Shivam Dube is introduced into the attack.

9:32 pm Unsuccessful review from Kohli and Co. Bhuvneshwar's knuckle ball outsmarts Hetmyer and rams into his pads. The Indian team appeals for an LBW and is given not-out. Kohli reviews and it is an unsuccessful one as the ball pitched outside the leg stump line.

9:31 pm Shimron Hetmyer and Kieron Pollard are beginning to switch gears now. After Hetmyer hit Shami for sixes on consecutive balls in the previous over, Pollard joins the party. He flicks the ball over deep mid-wicket region for a six. Effortless shot from the Windies skipper.

Update from the WI team: Evin Lewis has gone to hospital for scans on the right knee and he is unlikely to bat. Has soft tissue damage to right knee which will significantly restrict his ability to run between the wickets.

Windies Skipper Kieron Pollard joins Shimron Hetmyer in the middle.

9:17 pm POORAN IS GONE! Spectacular grab from Shivam Dube as Pooran has to walk back on a golden duck. Pooran makes room for a cut over point but is outdone by extra pace from Deepak Chahar. He is rushed into the shot and the ball, that finds the thick outside edge of the bat, flies down to the third man region. Dube does well to cover a lot of ground, dives forward to complete the catch.

Nicholas Pooran is the next bat in.

9:13 pm OUT AND WINDIES IS TWO DOWN! Mohammad Shami picks up his first wicket of the night!  Simmons clears his front leg to a ball shaping away from him and tries to slog it over covers. But he ends up edging it and the ball flies to third man where Shreyas Iyer grabs it comfortably.

Shimron Hetmyer has joined Simmons. Shami brought into the attack.

UPDATE: Evin Lewis has gone to hospital for scans on the right knee.

9:07 pm WI 16/1 after 2 Overs: Lendl Simmons and Brandon King are at the crease. Deepak Chahar will open the attack. Good start from Chahar. Just six runs coming off it. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to share the new ball. Simmons give Bhuvi the charge, and hammers it over extra cover for four. GONE! King perishes, trying to go for the big hit.

We are back with the second innings

 

16 sixes and 19 fours! Indian batsmen ran riot in the first innings of the series decider at the Wankhede Stadium. Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul laid the foundation with a 135-run stand before Sharma fell for 71. Rishabh Pant was promoted to no. 3 and went back three back three balls later without troubling the scorers. Then, Kohli joined the party and there was no stopping him. Rahul departed for 91 and Kohli remained unbeaten on 70 off just 29 balls to help India post a mammoth first innings total.

 

8:47 KOHLI FINISHES IT OFF IN STYLE AS INDIA POSTS 240/3 IN 20 OVERS. What was turning out to be an excellent last over from Cottrell is ruined by Kohli, who kneels down and thwarts the over pitched delivery for a fierce six down the ground.

Shreyas Iyer is the new man in.

8:45 pm GONE FOR 91! What an excellent innings from the Indian opener. He misses out on his third T20I century by a whisker. Cottrell pitches another one short and directs it into the body of the batsman. Rahul is late on the pull, top edges it and is caught behind by Nicholas Pooran.

8:45 pm Given out, review taken and adjudged not-out! The first ball off the final over from Cottrell grazes the top of Kohli's helmet and is caught by the keeper. Windies appeal and the original decision is out. Kohli reviews it immediately and it was the right thing to do.

8:39 pm FIFTY FOR SKIPPER KOHLI! Another wristy flick over the cow corner for a six as he brings up his 24 T20I fifty in just 21 balls.  The next ball is no-ball from Pollard and Kohli makes the most of the free-hit by smashing the ball through the sweeper cover for four. The ball is hit straight to Hetmyer but the pace is such that he barely gets his hands on it.  Kohli finishes the over with six over the cow corner. 27 runs off the over.

8:35 pm FIFTY PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN KOHLI AND RAHUL! 200 UP FOR INDIA! KL Rahul is nearing his hundred. Moves to 87 with a six over long off. Slower ball from Kesrick Williams and Rahul latched on to it alright. Kohli follows it up with a wristy flick over the cow corner for a monstrous six. A few "kind" words exchanged.

8:30 pm It doesn't matter how they come as long as they come. 11 runs off it, but it was a very decent over from Cottrell. He conceded just two runs off the first balls before Kohli egded the fourth up and over the keeper Nicholas Pooran for a boundary. KL Rahul capped off the over with tennis forehand-like shot. Cottrell pitched it short and Rahul swatted it with a horizontal bat down the ground for four.

8:26 pm Excellent over from Williams! Just three runs off it!

Last five overs to go!

8:19 pm What a beautiful shot! Holder is stunned and so is everyone in Wankhede! Rahul goes inside out and carves out enough room to hit the ball over the extra cover region for a six. Next ball, there is a mix-up between the two and Rahul survives! Kohli commits to the quick single after the ball rams into Rahul's pads and dies down instantly. Rahul is late on the run and Holder has all the time in the world to get a direct hit at the bowler's end, but he misses. Kohli continues to onslaught by hitting a four, six and another four off the next three balls. 

8:15 pm Virat Kohli joins the party. Walsh gives a bit too much air to the ball, allowing Kohli enough time to get down on one knee and slog sweep it over long on for a maximum. Boy, he is pumped!

OUT! RISHABH PANTS FALLS FOR A DUCK! Pollard pitches it full just outside off, Pant gets down on knee and tries to clear the long off fielder and fails as he is caught by Jason Holder.

Pollard brings himself into the attack.

Rishabh Pant is the new man in.

 

8:05 pm OUT! Rohit Sharma has to depart after a blistering 34-ball 71. After Ewis Lewis was stretchered off the field, as he jarred his knee while sliding at the boundary, Rohit Sharma tries to pull the next ball from Kesrick Williams. The length wasn't quite short for him to pull and he pays teh price by top-edging it. The ball flies high into the night sky and Walsh does well to hold on to it. With his index finger on his lips, trust Williams to do his "mute" celebration.

Kesrick Williams has been brought back into the attack.

7:55 pm CARNAGE! Hayden Walsh's leg spinner goes horribly wrong as he digs it short. For Rohit Sharma, that's a freebie and he treats it like one by hitting it into the crowd over long leg for another six. If not Sharma, then it's Rahul. Back-to-back boundaries for the Karnataka opener. First one is hit past the sweeper cover for four, next one is full-toss that pierces the gap between long on and deep-mid wicket for another boundary. 16 off the over and nine overs still remain. 

7:50 pm FIFTY UP FOR KL RAHUL! A nudge down to mid-wicket to bring up his fifty off just 29 balls. Holder can only look up to the heavens and shake his head. Rohit takes wild swing a straighter one and the ball finds the thick edge and races down to the third man fence for four. Next up, Holder drags the slower ball wide of Rohit Sharma. Nine off the over.

7:44 pm Good over from Walsh as he concedes just five off it.

 

7:41 pm FIFTY FOR ROHIT SHARMA! and he has done it in style! Back-to-back sixes! His 19th fifty in T20I cricket. First six comes off a sweep from the 'Hitman' and then gets to his 50 with massive maximum down the ground. You pitch it short, Rohit will go down on one knee and tonk it over mid-wicket. You pitch it short, he will hit it right over your head. At the moment, West Indies bowlers are clueless about what to do.  Finishes the Khary Pierre over with a four. It was full toss outside off and all Rohit has to do was just guide it past into the gap.

7:34 pm Nine runs off his first over.

Hayden Walsh replaces Khary Pierre

7:30 pm 4! 6! 4! KL Rahul gives a warm welcome to Williams. Full length delivery first up and Rahul obliges as he drives the ball through covers for four. Next ball, which is short outside off, Rahul leans back, opens the face of his bat and upper cuts it for a six. Rattled Williams concedes a boundary through the covers next up by pitching it right in the slot.

Kesrick Williams replaces Jason Holder.

7:23 What an effort from Ewin Lewis in the deep! Khary Pierre is welcomed by Rohit Sharma with a sweep that travels over the long-on boundary. Next ball, Sharma thwarts the short-pitched delivery to deep mid-wicket where Ewin Lewis times his jump to perfection to grab the ball right in front of the boundary. He is able to throw it back it on time before running over the ropes and the hoardings. He runs back in and almost runs Rohit Sharma out, who has to dive to complete the double. Next ball, Sharma cuts the ball past backward-point for four. It's all happening at the Wankhede.

Khary Pierre replaces Sheldon Cottrell.

7:19 pm Poor fielding from the Windies. K.L. Rahul taps the ball to covers and runs for a quick single. Shimron Hetmyer picks up the ball on the run and has a shy and misses it by a whisker. Kesrick Williams, who was covering up, misses it and allows the batsmen take another run. K.L. Rahul whips the fifth ball of the over mid-wicket for a classy boundary. Pitched up and it was wristy flick. Rahul caps off the over with an upper cut over third man for a six.

Most sixes in international cricket
Batsman	Matches	Innings	Sixes
Chris Gayle (West Indies)	462	530	534
Shahid Afridi (Pakistan)	524	508	476
Rohit Sharma (India)	354	360	400*
Bredon McCullum (New Zealand)	432	474	398
M. S. Dhoni (India)	538	526	359
*Innings still on.

 

7:13 pm SIX NO. 400 FOR ROHIT SHARMA in all formats. Sharma tonks first ball over mid-on for a six. The ball hits the boundary cushions on the full. Cottrell pitches the next one full and pays the price as Sharma threads the ball past the mid-off fielder for a four. Full face off the bat at show from Rohit. The 'Hitman' ends the over with a late cut past the short third man fielder for four.

7:09 pm K.L. Rahul is off the mark with consecutive boundaries. He tries to slash the first ball outside off hard and the ball flies off the edge and past the slip cordon for four. Next one, he holds his swing and guides it fine down the third man for another boundary. Holder beats Rahul's in the next two deliveries to cap off the over.

Jason Holder is sharing the new ball with Cottrell.

7:05 pm What a start from Cottrell. Starts with an inswinging yorker to Rohit Sharma. Next ball is pitched up and wide of off and Sharma runs his hands through the ball for cracking boundary through to the covers for four. Another inswinging yourker from Cottrell and Rohit manages to get his bat down on time and take single in the mid-wicket region. Good first over from the bowler, only five off it.

Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul are out to open. Sheldon Cottrell with the new ball in hand. Here we go!

India has lost only once in last eight bilateral series deciders! Will it make it 8/9 today? Let's get going and find out!

What a good toss to win for West Indies. The team batting second at the Wankhede has won more matches than the team batting first. This is a going to a high scoring encounter. Expect a lot of fireworks from both ends. Will Rohit Sharma finally find form today? Will the two changes work in favour for captain Kohli. 

 

Team news: India has made two changes

Mohammed Shami replaces Ravindra Jadeja | Kuldeep Yadav replaces Yuzvendra Chahal

On the other hand, Kieron Pollard has retained the same XI that won the second T20I in Trivandrum.

 

Playing XIs for the match:

India: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami

West Indies:  Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran(w), Kieron Pollard(c), Jason Holder, Khary Pierre, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Kesrick Williams

 

Here's what both the captains said at the toss:

Kohli: I think it's a great wicket to score runs. We have been tentative while batting first. T20 cricket goes that way. We were about 15 runs short (in the last game). Fielding is an important part in this format. If we had taken our chances, things could have been different. As a batsman, you try to get into your zone first. This is a ground where you can always catch up. Those who get a fifty, need to ensure that they carry on and score those extra 25 runs for the side. We've got two changes - Shami comes in for Jadeja, Kuldeep comes in for Chahal

Pollard: We're gonna field first. Obviously here, dew plays a factor when you bat second. It's a new wicket, hopefully we can restrict them to a chaseable total. I think it was a good performance (in the last game). We're always looking to improve and there are a couple of areas to improve on. It's a fresh wicket and hopefully, our guys can make use of it with the new ball. We're unchanged!

TOSS UPDATE: West Indies has won the toss and opted to bowl.

 

Pitch report:

"This is a pitch where the ball comes on to the bat nicely. There is a bit of movement initially due to the sprinkling of grass. It's a bit damp and new ball might move a bit but it's a white ball, so there won't be too much movement. There will be plenty of runs on offer and it should be a high scoring game. Captains have opted to chase because it gives them an idea of the run rate that they need to maintain. The other factor is clearly the dew which aids the team batting second." Sunil Gavaskar presented the pitch report on live telecast.

 

• India started the series extremely well by chasing down 207 with eight balls to spare in the first ODI in Hyderabad. Captain Kohli's masterclass proving to be too good for the Windies. Who can forget Kohli's notebook celebration when he took Kesrick Williams to cleaners.

• In the second ODI in Trivandrum, the visitor pulled one back as it chased down India's 170 with nine balls to spare. Lendl Simmons was the top scorer and received handy support from Evin Lewis and Nicholas Pooran. Kesrick Williams scalped Kohli's wicket and followed it up with a "mute" celebration.

 

PREVIEW | “It’s coming home” was actually the theme song for the 2018 FIFA World Cup but by the time England started living up to the tag of the favourite, it had been adopted as the unofficial theme song for the ICC World Cup earlier this year.

The fans in the Maximum City while entering the Wankhede Stadium for the deciding rubber of the three-match T20I series between India and West Indies could well be humming the same song. Not just in anticipation of India’s series triumph but even with multiple ‘home’ connects the match offers, from both the teams. | India vs West Indies 3rd T20I

Mayank Agarwal has replaced Shikhar Dhawan in the India squad for West Indies ODIs. | Mayank included in ODI squad

Virat Kohli, who has made fitness a key part of the Indian team culture, can touch greater heights in that aspect, according to former India trainer Shanker Basu. | Difficult to get a student like Kohli: former India trainer Shanker Basu

The match will be streamed live on Hotstar.