That's all from us folks! Hope you enjoyed this coverage. Until next time then ...
That's all from us folks! Hope you enjoyed this coverage. Until next time then ...
Rohit Sharma - Man of the Match: It was a much needed victory for us. We wanted to get out act together. We had a very very crucial partnership. KL batted brilliantly and allowed me to take my time. KL is such a talent when you watch it from the opposite end. He is growing in confidence. New partner and you saw the running between wasn't up to the mark. But we will get better. We can take a lot of confidence from how we built that partnership. I have said it many a times, once you get past your 100, you should bat as long as possible. As long as a set batter is out, you can get how much you want. I have played 200 plus ODIs, it is my responsibilty to get as many runs as I can for the team.
Virat Kohli: I think what has been good is the last three, we have batted pretty well in the first half. Batting second has never been an issue. It is always good to see the team getting 40-50 extra. Shreyas and Rishabh, the way they played. It was fantastic hitting. Credit has to go to openers. Look, the more we get confident while batting first in T20 cricket, the better. We want to bat the opposition out of the game if we bat first. If the number 4 doesn't get to bat consistently, then it doesn't help. We are just happy that a youngster has come in and is playing freely. Reviews are always left upon the keeper and the bowler. Wasn't really pleased with how we take the review. Catching has been disappointing. It is very important to maintain standards.
Kieron Pollard: I thought we gave away too many runs at the back end. We thought and saw that it will be a good wicket. They were able to get away from us at the back end. It was a matter of execution for us. We were not able to execute our plans how we want to. 40-50 runs less, it might have been little different. Rohit batted well and Rahul batted well as well. There are some youngsters and there are some talented ones. Pooran we got a glimpse of him tonight. Nothing happens overnight and they are a work in progress. Didn't spend much time in there. Virat would look to come hard in the final game.
Kuldeep Yadav: It has been a perfect day for me, taking a second hat-trick in ODIs. Still can't find words to describe the feeling. It has been tough for me in the last 4-5 months. I have worked hard and been bowling well, it was a very satisfying performance. There was not a lot of turn on offer but we had 380 runs and we knew they would come hard. I was just varying my pace. I was a bit confused as to which one to bowl; whether to bowl the chinaman or wrong 'un, I went for the wrong 'un and put an extra fielder at slip (on the hat-trick ball).
ALL OVER - India win by 107 runs
Shami finishes things off. A superb yorker Keemo Paul. Clinical win this. A 227-run stand between Rohit and Rahul. They both got their centuries while Kuldeep became the first bowler to pick up two hat-tricks. Golden ducks for both Pollard and Kohli. This is the first time both captains were dismissed for golden ducks in a game. Not to forget the run out from Iyer to dismiss Hetmyer and the sixes from Pooran. Good entertainment overall.
Good comeback from India after that Pooran onslaught
It began with that Shami over. A quick short ball to hurry Pooran changed the course of the game. 5 for 18 runs from 23 ballswhich included that stunning hat-trick. Pierre and Paul are merrily swinging for now. We wait for the final formalities only but it does help their individual cases!
Visakhapatnam - Prelude
West Indies have not won an ODI series against India in 13 years. On evidence of what they're capable of and their record in Vizag (A win and a tie last year), they'll be pretty optimistic of pulling a fast one on India.
The hosts, despite missing Bumrah, are still a formidable unit although their attentions may have narrowed on the T20 format. They wouldn't want to lose another ODI series at home after conceding one earlier this year to Australia.
So if you are really looking for context, there is some right there. And as our man Pratyush Sinha found out, there are also chaos and combination questions for Kohli and Shastri. You should read this preview while I get myself a cuppa and get ready for the toss!