India’s 59-run win in the fourth one-day international against the West Indies was overshadowed by a bizarre row as the series came to a premature end.
Midway through India’s innings in Dharamsala, a statement from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said that the West Indies Cricket Board had cancelled the remainder of the tour – the fifth ODI, a one-off T20 international and three Tests. The WICB later denied that was true but the BCCI stood by their announcement.
The Windies players looked distracted in the field as India piled up 330 for six having been put in, Virat Kohli leading the way with 127, his 20th ODI century, while there were half-centuries from Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina.
Despite an improved batting effort based around Marlon Samuels’ defiant 112, his second century of the series, there was never a serious prospect of them chasing down the imposing target and they finished 271 all out. India therefore took a 2-1 lead in what appears to be a concluded series.
India started quickly and Shikhar Dhawan made 35 before a wild hook was caught at deep mid-wicket by Darren Bravo off Andre Russell. Rahane was then trapped lbw sweeping at Sulieman Benn for 68, having earlier been badly dropped by Jerome Taylor.
That brought Raina to the crease and he provided the acceleration in a stand of 138 with Kohli.
When a ball-boy stepped inside the rope to handle a ball fielded by Russell, on-field controversy at least was negated as the umpires spoke to players from both teams and awarded just the two runs completed, rather than the four specified in the laws of the game.
Raina’s half-century came up in 46 balls and he raced to 71 from 58 before he was well taken off Taylor by diving wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin.
Captain MS Dhoni was run out for six and Ravindra Jadeja made just two but Kohli survived another shambolic drop, this time uncharacteristically from Dwayne Bravo, and responded by hitting the next ball for six en route to a further 26 in 11 deliveries before being run out off the last ball.
In the chase, Dwayne Smith failed to score from 11 balls and Kieron Pollard struggled to six from 31 but Darren Bravo and Samuels put on 56 before the former was bowled for 40 swiping at Akshar Patel.
Samuels hit two sixes and two fours off successive deliveries from Jadeja and reached a 48-ball half-century in the next over.
Ramdin made just nine and Dwayne Bravo failed to scored but Samuels found a big-hitting partner in Andre Russell, who smashed 46 from 23 balls with three sixes – the last of which lost the ball on the stadium roof – before being bowled by Umesh Yadav.
