India beats WIndies by 119 runs in 3rd ODI

Shubman Gill was stranded on 98 not out by rain Wednesday as India beat the West Indies by 119 runs in the shortened third one-day international to sweep the three-match series.

Gill’s innings of 98 balls lifted India to 225-3 before its innings ended amid showers after 36 overs at the Queens Park Oval. The West Indies was left to chase 257 in 35 overs at 7.3 runs per over under the Duckworth-Lewis system and fell well short, dismissed for 137 in the 26th over.

India already held a 2-0 lead in the series after winning the first match by three runs and the second by two wickets while the West Indies slumped Wednesday to its ninth-straight loss in one-day internationals.

India won the toss and batted, and its innings began in cloudy conditions but with the prospect of 50 overs per side. It reached 45-0 after the first 10-over powerplay, guided by openers Gill and Shikhar Dhawan.

Gill brought up his half century from 60 balls in the 22nd over when India was 112-0. The opening stand was broken shortly afterwards at 113 when Dhawan was caught by West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran at midwicket from the bowling of Hayden Walsh.

The rain began after the 24th over when India was 115-1. It continued heavily for more than two hours and when play resumed the match had been reduced to 40 overs per side.

India blasted 110 runs from 12 overs before the rain returned and ended the innings after the 36th over.

Gill selflessly yielded the strike in the latter part of the innings which may have cost him his maiden century in ODIs. His 98 included seven fours and two sixes. Dhawan made 58 from 74 balls and Shreyas Iyer gave impetus to the innings around the rain break with 44 from 34 deliveries.

“I was expecting myself to get a hundred,” Gill said in a television interview after the match. “But it was not in my control.

“I was very disappointed with the way I got out in the first couple of matches. My game plan in this match was to rotate a bit more and try to spend a bit more time in the middle.”

The West Indies innings got off to a poor start when it lost Kyle Myers and Shamarh Brooks, both for ducks, to the bowling of Mohammed Siraj in the second over. Shai Hope held the top order together with 22 before being stumped from the bowling of Yuzvendra Shahal, who finished with 4-17.

The West Indies was given hope by the efforts of Brandon King and Pooran in the middle order. King made 42 from 37 balls and Pooran had taken 42 from 32 balls when he was out at a critical moment, caught at mid-on by Dhawan from the bowling of Prasidh Krishna in the 22nd over when the West Indies was 119-6. He had just been joined by former captain Jason Holder in what might have been a pivotal partnership.

Soon afterward the required run rate ticked over 12 runs per over with only three wickets in hand. The West Indies last hope faded when Walsh was out for 10 in the 26th over, leaving the West Indies 137-9 and still 120 runs behind.

“It was a tough one for us,” Pooran said. “We came out on other side of this series but I thought we could have won it. We thought we had it halfway today but with the DLS setting seven runs per over it was a challenge. Not getting a good start and not stringing partnerships led to the loss.”

The teams now meet in a five-match Twenty20 series with the last two matches to be played at Lauderhill in Florida.