Standing-in India captain Hardik Pandya said that he spoke with previous leader Virat Kohli before the third One-Day International, which enabled him to hit significant runs for his team in the series-clinching match. Pandya, who did not contribute much in the previous two games, scored an unbeaten 70 runs off 52 deliveries to assist India in compiling a massive 351/5 while batting first at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.
After the team’s subpar batting efforts in the first two ODIs, Pandya took his time before unleashing on the hosts’ bowling attack in the slog overs to help India surpass the 350-run mark in the series decider.
In order to score huge runs in ODIs, he said that Kohli advised him to take his time in the middle and become used to the format.
I deliberately went deep because I wanted a break in the middle. I had a nice talk with Virat before the game, and he advised me to practice the 50-over format by spending some time in the middle of the field, Hardik stated in the post-game press conference.
A beautiful off-drive from Hardik signaled his presence, and Cariah’s straight six was also beautiful. For the fifth wicket, Hardik and Suryakumar scored 65 runs in 8.1 overs, however the latter is entirely responsible for himself for not taking use of his chances.
The acting captain complimented batting ace Kohli for his guidance, which allowed him to find his form again.
I’m really appreciative that he shared that experience with me. Once you hit one ball and get your rhythm, everything changes dramatically. The ball was moving very little. It was always important to get a 350,” he said.
Pandya was not the only significant contributor; Ishan Kishan (77), Shubman Gill (85), and Sanju Samson (51) all made significant contributions with the bat.
The West Indies’ reaction saw them fall to 50 for six before being dismissed for 151 runs in 35.3 overs. For the visitors, Mukesh Kumar picked up three kills while Shardul Thakur collected four wickets.
Rohit Sharma and Kohli, the team’s captains, decided against playing in order to give World Cup hopes a fair shot. It doesn’t, however, provide many answers since India seems to be far from established and this West Indies squad is floundering.