Thanks To Shai And Ashley, Windies Nurse Hope

India tumbles to its first defeat of the series despite skipper Kohli’s third successive hundred

- Amol Karhadkar

Virat Kohli became the first Indian to score three successive ODI hundreds but his 38th hundred wasn’t enough to steer India home in the third one­-dayer against the West Indies on Saturday.

Lack of support from the other end, after the Windies’ tail had built on Shai Hope’s impressive knock, meant the visiting team levelled the series with a convincing 43­run win at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium here.

When India began its chase of 284, a combination of slowish surface and a long tail meant the reliable top three had to fire for the hosts to overhaul the target.

However, the Windies out­ fit, inspired from the tie in Visakhapatnam three nights earlier, continued to strike regularly right through the chase to prevent the India skipper from running away with the game.

Perfect start

Captain Jason Holder gave Windies a perfect start in the second over, knocking down Rohit Sharma’s middle stump with a full­length ball that moved away. The stunned silence in the stands turned into the loudest roar of the day when skipper Kohli walked out.