India outclassed West Indies by a whopping 200 runs in the third ODI to win the series 2-1 but the lingering questions on the team combination ahead of the World Cup remained in the horizon despite four half-centuries and a top notch bowling effort on Tuesday.
Skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli once again opted out to give World Cup hopefuls a fair go but the dominant result isn’t a good enough indication that all boxes have been ticked as the team looks far from settled. Shubman Gill, who has had a quiet Caribbean sojourn so far, finally found some rhythm with 85 off 92 balls and his opening stand of 143 with an in-form Ishan Kishan (77 off 64 balls) set the platform for a commanding score of 351 for 5 after being put into bat. Sanju Samson (51 off 41 balls) made a compelling case to be picked as a reserve middle-order batter while skipper Hardik Pandya’s (52-ball-70 not out) five sixes and four boundaries added the finishing flourish on a good batting strip. The chase was always out of question and Mukesh Kumar’s (3/30 in 7 overs) three-wicket burst with some quality seam bowling in the first Powerplay dashed West Indies’ hopes as they were shot out for 151 in only 35.3 overs. Gudakesh Motie (39 not out) and Alzarri Joseph (26) delayed the inevitable with a 55-run stand for the ninth wicket. Shardul Thakur (4/37 in 6.3 overs), Jaydev Unadkat (1/16 in 5 overs) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/25 in 8 overs) were also among the wickets as the series decider turned out to be a lopsided contest. But there would be questions that will beg answers ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup and subsequent World Cup at home.
For Kishan, the performance in this series will keep him in good stead ahead of Asia Cup but the bigger question remains about his batting position in case KL Rahul isn’t fit for the tourney. The chances of Rohit Sharma sacrificing his place at the top of the order to accommodate Kishan are slim. And then if Kishan is asked to bat in the middle-order — No 4 or 5, would it be fair to ask him to perform at that slot straightaway? Samson, one of the contenders for the No. 4 slot in case Shreyas Iyer doesn’t get fit in time for the World Cup, gave a good glimpse of his talent and enthralled his millions of followers on social media.
