Riding on skipper Virat Kohli's unbeaten century, India defeated West Indies by eight wickets in the fifth and final One-Day International (ODI) at the Sabina Park Stadium here.Kohli (111 not out) and middle-order batsman Dinesh Karthik (50 not out) helped India on Thursday to outplay the hosts and clinched the five match ODI series 3-1.Chasing 206, India started on a poor note as opener Shikhar Dhawan (4) was sent back to the pavilion in the first over by pacer Alzarri Joseph.Incoming batsman Kohli and opener Ajinkya Rahane (39) then added 79 runs for the second wicket to stabilise the Indian innings.But, just when things seemed to be in control, Rahane was adjudged leg before wicket off Devendra Bishoo in the 19th over. Unperturbed by the fall of Rahane's wicket, Kohli displayed his class and waited for the bad balls. Soon, Kohli along with Karthik, started thrashing West Indies bowlers all around the park and chased down the total with 79 balls remaining.Kohli slammed 12 boundaries and
two sixes in his 115 ball knock while Karthik's 52-ball knock was comprised of five boundaries.For West Indies, Joseph and Bishoo chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, Mohammed Shami bagged a four-wicket haul as India restricted West Indies to 205/9.The Bengal pacer decimated the hosts' lower-middle order to return figures of 4/48 in his 10 overs.Fellow pacer Umesh Yadav also did well to return figures of 3/53.Shai Hope was the most successful among the West Indies batsmen with 51 runs of 98 balls.Shai waged a lone battle along with opener Kyle Hope who scored a breezy 46 off 50 deliveries before being sent back by Umesh Yadav.The hosts were off to a slow start with openers Evan Lewis and Kyle struggling to find the gaps.Lewis crawled his way to nine runs off 20 deliveries before a mistimed attempt to hit pacer Hardik Pandya over mid-off saw him hand an easy catch to Indian skipper Virat Kohli.Kyle and Shai joined forces and was building up what seemed to be a potentially promising partnership before the former pulled a Yadav delivery into the hands of Shikhar Dhawan at midwicket.Yadav tasted success with his very next delivery when he trapped Roston Chase leg before.The twin blows prompted the hosts to become extra cautious and the run rate crawled along at snails pace as Shai and Jason Mohammed added just 39 runs between them over the next 14.3 overs.Following Mohammed's dismissal, Jason Holder tried to up the ante with 36 runs off 34 deliveries before being sent back by Shami. Shai followed him back to the pavilion soon after.However, Rovman Powell seemed set to end the West Indies innings on a high note with a 32-ball 31. But he did not too much support at the other end as the Indians picked up wickets at regular intervals.
Brief scores:
West Indies: 205/9 in 50 overs (Shai Hope 51, Kyle Hope 46; Mohammed Shami 4/48, Umesh Yadav 3/53) vs India: 206/2 (Virat Kohli 111 not out, Dinesh Karthik 50 not out; Alzzari Joseph 1/39).