MS Dhoni and spinners lead India to crushing win against West Indies

Sport360 staff 03:15 01/07/2017
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  • A sedate half-century from MS Dhoni and a fine effort from spinners helped India beat the West Indies by 93 runs in the third fixture of their five-match ODI series at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Friday night.

    Dhoni hit 78 not out from 79 balls as India scored 251-4 batting first on a sluggish pitch, before the hosts were bowled out for 158; the tourists taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

    Jason Mohammed top-scored for the West Indies with 40 but the Indian spinners were a class apart. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3-41) and Ravi Ashwin (3-28) did the bulk of the damage on a pitch that not only offered spin but occasional bounce as well.

    Ashwin, bowling with a different bowling action, caused the most trouble as he maintained a tight line and got the ball to drift.

    However, the star of the day was Dhoni, who overtook Aussie great Adam Gilchrist as the second most prolific wicketkeeper batsman in ODI history.

    Earlier, Kedar Jadhav triggered a late run explosion in partnership with Dhoni as India struggled to reach 251 for four.

    Dhoni top-scored with his unbeaten 78, a knock that included four hits to the fence and two over it. However, the real impetus came from Jadhav, who blazed 40 off 26 balls in an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 81 runs off just 46 deliveries.

    Ajinkya Rahane had earlier held the innings together after the loss of early wickets, the opening batsman extending his excellent run of form in the series with 72 off 112 balls, his third consecutive score over 50 in the Caribbean.

    Comprehensively beaten by 105 runs in the second match in Trinidad five days earlier following a rain-ruined no-result to start the series, West Indies took early advantage of the pitch conditions which made free scoring difficult.

    Miguel Cummins removed Shikhar Dhawan in just the third over of the match to a catch at third man while Jason Holder justified his decision to field first on winning the toss when he claimed the prized scalp of Virat Kohli, his Indian counterpart being brilliantly caught by Kyle Hope at gully.

    From 34 for two in the 10th over, Rahane found a reliable partner in Yuvraj Singh, the pair putting on 66 for the third wicket before Devendra Bishoo trapped Yuvraj lbw for 39, the original ‘not out’
    decision on the field being overturned on review.

    Dhoni then joined Rahane in another important stand of 70, although both found the spinners especially hard to get away on the turgid surface. Bishoo and off-spinner Ashley Nurse completed a combined 20 overs at a cost of just 72 runs.

    But the acceleration finally came with the arrival of Jadhav in the 43rd over as India scored 100 runs in the final 10 overs.

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