West Indies won the toss and elected to bat in Thiruvananthapuram but survived just 31.5 of their 50 overs under overcast skies to register their lowest ODI total against India. Jadeja claimed four wickets with his left-arm spin as India romped to their target in 14.5 overs to take the five-match series 3-1. The second game was a tie. It is India’s sixth successive ODI series win at home soil. Opener Rohit Sharma, who smashed 63, and skipper Virat Kohli, who made 33, put on an unbeaten 99-run stand as the hosts raced to their target before the sun had set in the day-night game.
Fast bowler Oshane Thomas bowled opener Shikhar Dhawan for six but the wicket proved just a hiccup in India’s march towards an easy win. Jadeja set up the convincing victory after returning figures of 4-34 from his 9.5 overs. Jasprit Bumrah combined with pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar to get two West Indies batsmen in the first two overs. Bumrah bowled Shai Hope for zero. Marlon Samuels tried to steady the innings with counter-attacking boundaries but he fell to Jadeja’s spin for 24.
Jadeja also trapped big-hitter Shimron Hetmyer lbw for nine to rattle the West Indies middle-order. Skipper Jason Holder top-scored with 25 to raise hopes of a West Indies fightback but the rest of the batting folded. Young paceman Khaleel Ahmed also made his presence felt for India, with two key strikes including the wicket of Holder. Jadeja polished off the West Indies’ tail and India did not need the customary break after end of the first innings to get past their target. The two sides now head to Kolkata for the first of three Twenty20 internationals on November 4.
