MUMBAI: Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly on Thursday said 'we should move on' from the controversy surrounding Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul's sexist comments because he is sure the two will learn from it and become better persons.

Speaking at an event here, Ganguly said he hasn't seen the 'Koffee with Karan' episode in which Pandya and Rahul's misogynistic comments on women led to a provisional suspension on them. But he offered a sympathetic view on the under-fire duo.

"People make mistakes, let's not go too far here. I am sure, whoever has done it will realise and come out a better person. We are human beings not machines that we will always be perfect. We should move on and make sure it doesn't happen again," Ganguly said on the raging controversy.

Pandya and Rahul were forced to return midway through the ongoing ODI series against Australia and India captain Virat Kohli condemned their statements on hookups with multiple women as 'inappropriate'.

They have been show caused twice by the BCCI since then and are also being put through an inquiry.

Ganguly said most cricketers are 'great guys'.

"...they (cricketers) are humble, every now and then one or two make mistakes but I know most of them personally and they are great guys," Ganguly said during the trailer launch of '22 Yards' at a suburb here.

Pandya and Rahul, pending the outcome of the inquiry, will not be a part of the Indian team. After missing the ongoing ODI series, they are set to miss the upcoming New Zealand Tour as well.

Ganguly, who has been credited with shaping Indian cricket during his captaincy stint, said it's not that modern-day cricketers are not obedient.

"Look at Virat Kohli, he is such a fantastic role model. India is a fortunate country, every generation produces players who all of us cherish, there was (Sunil) Gavaskar, then came (Sachin) Tendulkar, when Tendulkar finished people thought who's next, now it's Virat Kohli.

"A lot of these cricketers are fantastic human beings because they come from middle class backgrounds and fight their way up. Can you imagine 11 selected out of the millions play the game."

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NEW DELHI/SYDNEY: Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul will be sent home on the first available flight from Australia as the BCCI suspended them on Friday for their outrage-evoking comments on women, hours after the duo's on-field leader Virat Kohli expressed his disapproval.

The under-fire players have been suspended pending an inquiry into their sexist comments on a TV show, ruling them out of the three-match ODI series against Australia, beginning Saturday in Sydney.

READ ALSO: Pandya, Rahul in danger of missing New Zealand series

"Both Pandya and Rahul have been suspended pending an inquiry," the Committee of Administrators (CoA) chairman Vinod Rai told PTI.

A few hours later it was confirmed that a decision has been taken to send them home from Australia.

"It's confirmed. The duo are being sent back. If they can book tickets then tomorrow they will be leaving (for India) or latest by day after," a senior BCCI official said.

He added that at this point their chances of making the squad for the New Zealand tour is also "bleak".

The suspension letter, as per clause 41 (6) of BCCI, states: "CoA suspends Pandya, Rahul from participating in 'any match or function or event or activity that is authorized, organized, sanctioned, recognized or supported in any way by the BCCI, the ICC or any State Association, until final adjudication of the matter'."

"The duo is now called upon to provide an explanation as to why they should not be proceeded against for misconduct and indiscipline under Rule 41 of the BCCI Constitution within a period of seven days. This is without prejudice to the BCCI’s rights and contentions, all of which are hereby expressly reserved," stated a BCCI release.

The all-India senior selection committee will soon name their replacements for the ODI series against Australia and the tour to New Zealand.

The 'Koffee with Karan' episode featuring the cricketers has since been taken down by the channel's online platform.

On the show, Pandya had boasted about hooking up with multiple women and being open about it with his parents. Rahul was, however, a shade more restrained in his responses on relationships and women.

A source in the BCCI said the two will be issued fresh show cause notices before a formal enquiry begins.

"Whether it will be an internal committee of the BCCI or an ad hoc ombudsman who will conduct an inquiry, is yet to be ascertained," the official said.

Pandya has regretted his comments twice since the show went on air on Sunday -- first on his official Twitter page and then in response to the BCCI show cause notice on Wednesday.

Rahul, on the other hand, is yet to react to the controversy.

The decision to hand them suspensions came after Rai's CoA colleague Diana Edulji recommended the same till further action against the two. This was after the BCCI's legal team refused to declare the comments a violation of the code of conduct.

The copy of the legal opinion, in possession of PTI, states: "We feel that present matter doesn't fall under the ambit of Code of Conduct and procedure of Code of Conduct can't be invoked in present circumstances."

Edulji had initially suggested a two-match suspension for the duo but referred the matter to the legal cell after Rai agreed with her and recommended the same.

"It is imperative that players be put under suspension till further course of action is decided for this misconduct as was done in case of (BCCI) CEO ( Rahul Johri) when he was sent on leave on sexual harassment matter," read Edulji's response to the legal opinion.

In Sydney, on the eve of the ODI series, captain Kohli condemned the two for what he termed "inappropriate" comments but said he was not too stressed about the possibility of a ban on the all-rounder.

"...it's good that we have someone like (Ravindra) Jadeja who can do the all-rounder's role if a scenario like that occurs," Kohli said.

Days after their historic maiden Test series triumph, Kohli asserted that the side does not stand by the "individual opinions", which have triggered a social media storm.

The likes of Rishabh Pant and Manish Pandey will now be in contention to be their replacements. While Pandya was a certainty in the playing XI, an out-of-form Rahul was not in contention to play on Saturday.

It is speculated that the BCCI might bar players from appearing on entertainment shows owing to the ongoing furore.

SYDNEY: Captain Virat Kohli on Friday said the Indian team doesn't stand by Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul for making "inappropriate" comments on women during a TV show but insisted that the controversy won't affect the dressing room morale.

Kohli said that the availability of both Pandya and Rahul for the ODI series against Australia would depend on any action that the BCCI might take on Friday.

"From the Indian cricket team point of view, any inappropriate comments that are made in that scenario are something that we definitely don't support. We definitely as the Indian cricket team do not support views like that and that has been communicated (to the two players)," said Kohli on the eve of the ODI series opener.

"I can definitely say that as the Indian cricket team and responsible cricketers we definitely don't align with those views and those are purely individual views. The two concerned players (have) felt what has gone wrong and they have understood the magnitude of what's happened.

"Definitely it has to hit anyone hard, they will definitely understand the things that have not gone right. We are still waiting for a decision to be made," he said.

When asked if this had an impact on the dressing room after a first-ever Test series' win in Australia, and if it causes a distraction as the Men in Blue start their preparation towards the 2019 World Cup, Kohli said, "Whatever has happened is unfortunate but there are certain things that are out of your control.

"You just need to sit back and wait and watch them unfold. From the combination and team balance point of view, yes when something like that happens you will have to think of what is the combination you need to go in with now."

The Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai on Thursday recommended a two-ODI ban on Pandya and Rahul but fellow COA member Diana Edulji referred the matter to the BCCI's legal cell.

Kohli said the team remains in high spirits following the unprecedented success in the recently concluded Test series.

"You don't have control over these things so you have to adjust with the situation and address it the way it comes to you and the way it unfolds. That's how we're looking at it. The combinations will have to be thought about once the decision comes out (from the BCCI) and from there on, we will see what needs to be done about the whole situation. We all are waiting just like everyone to understand what the decision will be.

"But from the Indian cricket team point of view this changes nothing in terms of our beliefs in the change room. It does nothing to the spirit that we've been able to create within the change room and these are purely individual opinions and something which as I said is inappropriate," Kohli added.

SYDNEY/NEW DELHI: Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were on Wednesday issued show cause notices by the BCCI for their comments on women on a TV show that triggered a massive outrage and might prompt the Board to bar players from such appearances.

READ ALSO: After backlash, Hardik Pandya apologises for comments on TV show

Pandya, whose remarks on 'Koffee with Karan' were criticised as sexist, apologised for his remarks, saying he got "carried away by the nature" of the show. Rahul, on the other hand, has not yet responded to the criticism.

"We have sent showcause notices to Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul for their comments. They have been given 24 hours to give an explanation," Chairman of the Committee of Administrators that runs the BCCI, Vinod Rai, said.

The 25-year-old all-rounder and Rahul appeared on the celebrity chat show, hosted by film-maker Karan Johar, together.

Taking to Twitter, Pandya posted, "After reflecting on my comments on Koffee with Karan, I would like to apologise to everyone concerned who I may have hurt in any way."


"Honestly, I got a bit carried away with the nature of the show. In no way did I mean to disrespect or hurt anyone's sentiments. Respect."

On the show, Pandya boasted about hooking up with multiple women and also how open he has been about it with his parents.

When asked why he didn't ask women their name in a club, Pandya responded by saying, "I like to watch and observe how they (women) move. I'm little from the black side so I need to see how they move."

Criticism started coming Pandya's way soon after and it is learnt that he was ticked off by the BCCI top brass.

According to a source, his comments were deemed "crass and cringeworthy" and might have a bearing on whether Indian cricketers appear on "such non-cricket shows" after this.

"It will be considered whether players should even be allowed to appear on such shows which have got nothing to do with cricket," a BCCI source said.

Pandya is currently with the Indian team in Australia where it recently recorded a historic maiden Test series win.

Pandya had joined the team before the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne after recovering from a back injury which he had suffered during the Asia Cup in UAE last year.

He will be seen in action in the three-match ODI series against Australia which starts on January 12 in Sydney.
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NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and his men made history as India registered their maiden Test series victory on Australian soil after the fourth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground was drawn due to rain on Day 5 on Monday.

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Cheteshwar Pujara was declared the Man of the Match and the Man of the Series.

Rain prevented any play on Day 5 with Australia needing to bat out the last day to salvage a draw.

India won the series 2-1 with victories in the first Test in Adelaide by 31 runs and in the third Test in Melbourne by 137 runs to retain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Australia had won the second Test in Perth by 146 runs.

No Indian team had managed to win a Test series since they began touring Australia in 1947-48.

The hosts were 6/0 at stumps on a weather-affected Day 4 after being forced to follow-on by India.

Australia were dismissed in their first innings for 300 in reply to India's 622/7.

India had taken a stranglehold after making Australia to follow-on at home for the first time in 30 years on Day 4.

Play started almost four hours late due to rain, with the home team resuming on 236/6 after lunch.

But needing a win to level the four-match series, Australia crumbled to 300 all out, compounding the misery after some soft dismissals by the top order.

Kohli sent them straight back into bat -- the first time Australia have been asked to follow on at home since Mike Gatting's England did the same in 1988, also in Sydney.

Marcus Harris, not out two, and Usman Khawaja, unbeaten on four, survived four overs before tea was taken early for bad light. They didn't come back with play abandoned for the day.

India's spinners had picked up five of the six wickets on Day 3, but under overcast skies when play finally began on Day 4 Kohli took the new ball straight away and threw it to his pacers.

It immediately paid dividends with Pat Cummins, who scored a gutsy 63 in the Melbourne Test, lasting just three balls, clean bowled by Mohammed Shami without adding to his overnight 25.

The recalled Handscomb began with purpose, confidently stroking two boundaries to move to 37 before swiping at a Jasprit Bumrah delivery and dragging it onto his stumps.

That brought Nathan Lyon to the crease but he only lasted five balls, out lbw to a full toss from Kuldeep Yadav.

Hanuma Vihari dropped a sitter when Josh Hazlewood was on nought, and it proved costly with the tailender putting on 42 with Mitchell Starc for the last wicket before he fell to Yadav, who was the pick of the bowlers with 5-99 -- his second career five-wicket haul.

SYDNEY: Australia were forced to follow-on on home soil for the first time in 30 years after being dismissed for 300 as India went for the jugular in search of a maiden series triumph Down Under on the fourth day of the final Test on Sunday.

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Openers Usman Khawaja (4) and Marcus Harris (2) safely negotiated four overs until bad light and light drizzle forced an early end to an already heavily rain-disrupted day just before the re-scheduled tea break.

Australia will resume on six without loss on Monday, still without a century in the series and 316 runs adrift of India's mammoth first innings effort of 622-7 declared.

The tourists, leading 2-1 in the four-Test series, only need a draw to secure a breakthrough triumph in Australia but skipper Virat Kohli did not hesitate to send the hosts back in when they fell well short of the 423 runs needed to avoid the follow-on.

Play at the Sydney Cricket Ground had finally got underway after a rain delay of almost four hours and India needed just 80 minutes to take the last four wickets at a cost of 64 runs.

Mohammed Shami immediately took the second new ball and removed Pat Cummins's off stump with the sixth delivery of the day to dismiss his fellow paceman for 25.

Peter Handscomb, recalled for his ability to play spin, followed for 37 after adding nine runs to his overnight tally, dragging the ball onto his stumps to give quick Jasprit Bumrah his first wicket of the match.

Nathan Lyon faced just five balls before he was adjudged lbw to fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav for a duck, a decision Australia decided against reviewing despite a question mark over whether the ball would have hit the stumps.

Josh Hazlewood was dropped by Hanuma Vihari off Kuldeep's bowling when he had yet to score and he and fellow tailender Mitchell Starc (29 not out) fought a dogged rearguard to put on 42 for the final wicket.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (5-99) finally got his man to secure a second five-wicket haul in his sixth Test, though, trapping Hazlewood leg before wicket for 21, in a decision confirmed after a review.

England were the last team to force Australia to follow-on at home in the drawn 1988 Sydney Test, a result the hosts are unlikely to repeat unless the weather intervenes decisively.

LIVE SCORECARD | BLOG

5:15 am If no further rain, play on day four will begin at 0530 IST





5:05 am Rain has stopped, ground staff peeling off the covers.



4:45 am Bit of rain now in Sydney as the SCG ground staff brings the covers on.

4:30 am Bad light delays start.



4:25 am Hello and welcome to day four of the fourth and final Test between India and Australia at Sydney.

With a bit of rain forecast on the Sunday, following a shortened third day due to bad light and rain, India would want to make the most of the active sessions the Test would see on its last two days. Play was scheduled to start half an hour early today due to early stumps on day three, but the light is not good enough to get on the park.

The visitors took control of the match on Saturday after spin twins Kuldeep Yadav (3/71) and Ravindra Jadeja (2/62) reduced the hosts to 236/6, still 386 behind India's 622/7 declared.

The not-out batsmen on the crease -- Peter Handscomb and Pat Cummins -- will thus have a task at hand once the day's play gets underway.

Day 4 Round-up

Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236/6 when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622/7 declared.

The tourists only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch.

Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and fast bowler Pat Cummins, who had made 25, were at the crease when the rain clouds gathered over a Sydney Cricket Ground swathed in pink for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer support charity day.

Most of the Australian batsmen made starts but only opener Harris was able to get past the half century mark -- his 79 the highest score by the home side in a series during which India have pillaged five centuries.

SYDNEY: Australia's batting woes returned on the third day of the fourth Test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236 for six when bad light and rain brought an early end to their response to India's mammoth first-innings tally of 622-7 declared.

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The tourists only need a draw to claim a first series win in Australia and the home side's hopes of preventing even that faded as they blew a solid start to lose five wickets after lunch.

Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Shaun Marsh and Travis Head were all dismissed after lunch and captain Tim Paine followed soon after the tea break.

Peter Handscomb, unbeaten on 28, and fast bowler Pat Cummins, who had made 25, were at the crease when the rainclouds gathered over a Sydney Cricket Ground swathed in pink for the McGrath Foundation breast cancer support charity day.

Most of the Australian batsmen made starts but only opener Harris was able to get past the half century mark -- his 79 the highest score by the home side in a series during which India have pillaged five centuries.

The left-hander showed plenty of intent but just when it seemed he could be heading for a maiden Test ton he calamitously played the ball onto his own stumps off the bowling of Ravindra Jadeja.

India's disciplined pace attack played a leading role in the victories in Adelaide and Melbourne that gave the tourists a 2-1 series lead coming to Sydney but it was the spinners who did most of the damage on Saturday.

Jadeja (2-62) also accounted for Marsh, who must surely have exhausted his supply of Test recalls after departing for eight having left his bat hanging to gift Ajinkya Rahane the simplest of catches at first slip.

Rahane had to work considerably harder for the catch at short midwicket that dismissed Labuschagne (38), diving low to his left to grab the ball with both hands off the bowling of quick Mohammed Shami.

Kuldeep Yadav (3-71) made Travis Head his second victim of the day shortly before tea, the batsman charging down the track to take on the left-arm wrist spinner only to send the ball straight back to him for the catch.

Paine gave the 24-year-old his third wicket, a peach of a delivery that clean bowled the Australia captain through his gaping gate for five.

The surface that India's batsmen had plundered almost at will for two days was still offering little movement for the bowlers and the Australians will be cursing themselves for some soft dismissals after the solid start to the day.

The openers had put on 72 when Usman Khawaja, moved up from number three to replace the dropped Aaron Finch, miscued a slog off Kuldeep to depart for 27 in the opening session.

कटरीना कैफ बॉलिवुड की सबसे स्‍टनिंग ऐक्‍ट्रेसेस में से एक हैं। उनकी जबरदस्‍त फैन फॉलोइंग है और जब भी उनकी कोई नई तस्‍वीर सोशल मीडिया पर आती है, लोग उसे पसंद करते हैं।

फिलहाल, कटरीना अपनी आने वाली फिल्‍म ' जीरो' के प्रमोशन में बिजी हैं। हाल ही में वह एयरपोर्ट पर स्‍पॉट की गईं जहां वह एक फैन पर गुस्‍सा हो गईं। दरअसल, कई फैन्‍स सेल्‍फी लेने के लिए उनकी तरफ दौड़े लेकिन उसमें से एक फैन ऐसा था जो फोटो के ल‍िए ज्‍यादा एक्‍साइटेड था और कटरीना को ऐसा लगा कि यह उनकी पर्सनल स्‍पेस में दखल है।

इसी वजह से कटरीना गुस्‍सा हो गईं और अब इस घटना का विडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल हो रहा है। विड‍ियो में कटरीना अपने फैन से यह कहते हुए दिख रही हैं कि वह फोटो खिंचाने के ल‍िए जल्‍दबाजी न करे। वह बार-बार उससे कहती हैं, 'आराम से'। आखिर में कैटरीना फैन्‍स के साथ सेल्‍फी लेती हैं।

देखें विडियो:

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A post shared by Viral Bhayani (@viralbhayani) on Dec 16, 2018 at 3:33am PST

इस विडियो पर तमाम लोगों ने कॉमेंट्स किए। लोगों ने कहा कि फैन को कटरीना के पर्सनल स्‍पेस का ख्‍याल रखना चाहिए। फिल्‍मों की बात करें तो वह 28 दिसंबर को रिलीज होने वाली 'जीरो' में नजर आएंगी जिसमें अनुष्‍का शर्मा और शाहरुख खान जैसे स्‍टार्स भी दिखेंगे।

ऐक्‍ट्रेस सारा अली खान इन द‍िनों फ‍िल्‍म 'केदारनाथ' और 'सिंबा' को लेकर चर्चा में हैं। जहां 'केदारनाथ' में उनके रोल को पसंद किया गया, वहीं दर्शकों को उनकी फ‍िल्‍म 'सिंबा' का भी बेसब्री से इंतजार है।

इस बीच खबर है कि सारा को साजिद नाडियाडवाला की तरफ से ' बागी 3' के लिए अप्रोच किया गया है। बता दें, 'बागी 2' बॉक्‍स ऑफ‍िस पर हिट साबित हुई थी और इसी को देखते हुए मेकर्स अब इंडस्‍ट्री की मौजूदा सेंसेशन सारा को अगली इंस्‍टॉलमेंट के लिए कास्‍ट करना चाह रहे हैं।


हालांकि, सारा की तरफ से हामी भरना बाकी है कि वह इस प्रॉजेक्‍ट का हिस्‍सा बनेंगी या नहीं। वह पहले भी साफ कर चुकी हैं कि वह मेनस्‍ट्रीम फिल्‍मों का हिस्‍सा बनना चाहती हैं। ऐसे भी इस बात की संभावना जोरों पर है कि वह इस ऑफर को स्‍वीकार कर लें।

सैफ अली खान और अमृता सिंह की बेटी सारा की कम वक्‍त में ही अच्‍छी-खासी फैन फॉलोइंग हो गई है। 28 द‍िसंबर को रिलीज होने वाली 'सिंबा' में वह रणवीर सिंह के ऑपोज‍िट नजर आएंगी।

इस महीने की शुरुआत में हुई प्रियंका चोपड़ा और निक जोनस की शादी के सभी कार्यक्रमों में प्रियंका की कजिन और बॉलिवुड ऐक्ट्रेस परिणीति चोपड़ा शामिल हुई थीं। पूरी शादी में परिणीति भी काफी उत्साहित दिखाई दे रही थीं। अब ऐसा कहा जा रहा है कि दरअसल प्रियंका की शादी के दौरान परिणीति अपनी शादी का रिहर्सल कर रही थीं।

माना जा रहा है कि जल्द ही परिणीति चोपड़ा अपने कथित लॉन्ग टाइम बॉयफ्रेंड चरित देसाई से शादी कर सकते हैं। बता दें कि प्रियंका के प्री-वेडिंग फंक्शन के डिनर में भी चरित, परिणीति के साथ मौजूद थे। इस डिनर की फोटो भी प्रियंका ने शेयर करते हुए लिखा था, 'फ्रेंड्स...फैमिली...'। कहा जा रहा है कि जोधपुर में शादी में बुलाए गए मेहमानों की लिस्ट में चरित देसाई का नाम भी शामिल था।

बता दें कि चरित असिस्टेंट डायरेक्टर हैं और उन्होंने रितिक रोशन, प्रियंका चोपड़ा और संजय दत्त की 'अग्निपथ' में करण मल्होत्रा को असिस्ट भी किया था। इसके अलावा चरित ने राम गोपाल वर्मा की 'रण' में भी उन्हें असिस्ट किया था और वह कई सालों से करण जौहर के प्रॉडक्शन हाउस में काम कर रहे हैं। इसके अलावा उन्होंने कुछ गानों का भी डायरेक्शन किया है।

बताया जाता है कि परिणीति 2016 में ड्रीम टीम टूर के दौरान चरित से मिली थीं। इस टूर में कटरीना कैफ, आलिया भट्ट, सिद्धार्थ मल्होत्रा, वरुण धवन और आदित्य रॉय कपूर।

SYDNEY: Virat Kohli fired the opening salvo on the Australia tour with a match-winning 61, helping India win the third T20 International by six wickets and draw the three-match series 1-1 here on Sunday.

Scorecard: India vs Australia, 3rd T20I

Kohli's sublime 41-ball knock and his 60-run unbeaten stand with Dinesh Karthik (22 not out off 18) gave India the much needed series-levelling win ahead of the all-important Test series beginning December 6 at Adelaide.

The captain's perfectly executed chase in 19.4 overs came after Shikhar Dhawan (41 off 22 balls) and Rohit Sharma (23 off 16 balls) provided a flying start to the innings.

Earlier, Krunal Pandya took career-best figures of 4-36 as Australia were restricted to 164/6 in 20 overs.

Australia won the opening T20I by four runs while the second game was a washout, putting additional pressure on India who came here at the back of winning six T20I series in a row.

Chasing 165, Dhawan and Sharma put on 50 runs off just 28 balls.

Both batsmen took the aerial route with aplomb and hit seven fours and four sixes between them to leave the Australian bowlers clueless. Overall, India scored 67/1 in the powerplay overs.

Mitchell Starc (1-26) had got the breakthrough in the sixth over, trapping Dhawan lbw via DRS referral. It put a momentary break on scoring as no runs were scored off the next eight balls, resulting in Sharma's dismissal, who played on off Adam Zampa (1-22).

KL Rahul (14) started off by scoring a monster six, and added 41 runs for the third wicket with Kohli. India crossed 100 in the 12th over, but the former started struggling for timing and holed out shortly afterwards.

It became a double blow as Rishabh Pant was out for a first-ball duck, gloving behind off a slower short ball from Andrew Tye (1-32).

India were in bit of a bother at that stage, but Kohli and Dinesh Karthik brought out their shots. The latter played a perfect foil to Kohli as he struck a four and a six to bring down the asking rate.

Kohli meanwhile reached his 19th T20I half-century off 34 balls and took India home with two balls to spare.

This was after Pandya's orthodox left-arm spin came in handy during the middle overs after the hosts had sped to 68/0 after winning the toss and opting to bat.

Australia made one change to their line-up, with Mitchell Starc coming in for Jason Behrendorff. India picked an unchanged eleven.

Aaron Finch (28) and D'Arcy Short (33) then provided a cautious start to the innings, albeit they picked up momentum quickly as the Indian pacers struggled in conditions vastly different from Brisbane and Melbourne.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-33) and Khaleel Ahmed (0-35) both proved expensive, while first-change Jasprit Bumrah (0-38) too didn't stem the flow of runs, as Australia raced to 49/0 at the end of powerplay overs.

The Finch-Short partnership put pressure on the Indian fielding, shoddy again, and Rohit Sharma put down a sitter off Finch (on 22) at the start of the eight over off Pandya.

Kuldeep Yadav (1-19) then provided the much-awaited breakthrough as Finch was out caught sweeping at short fine leg.

It opened the doors to the Australian middle order. Glenn Maxwell (13) survived an lbw shout via DRS off Yadav, but Short and Ben McDermott (0) were dismissed lbw off successive balls in the tenth over as Pandya pegged Australia back.

The quick wickets disturbed Australia's momentum and they never really recovered, losing wickets at regular intervals in the second half of their innings. They had held back Chris Lynn (13) but he couldn't provide the requisite impetus, run-out in the 18th over.

In between Pandya also accounted for Maxwell, caught by Sharma in the end, as also the vital wicket of Alex Carey (27) who held the Australian middle order together after the initial setbacks.

Marcus Stoinis (25 not out off 15 balls) played an attacking cameo at the end, and put on 33 runs with Nathan Coulter-Nile (13 not out) as Australia finished with a score just above average (151) at this ground.

SYDNEY: Staring at an imminent defeat after seven successive series wins on trot, India will be looking for yet another solid bowling performance against a brittle Australian top-order in third and final T20 International on Sunday.

ALSO READ: Pace spearhead Mitchell Starc summoned for final T20I

India were in with a very good chance of levelling the series in Melbourne on Friday after reducing Australia to 132 for 7 in 19 overs but rain put paid to their hopes.

Now a win at the SCG will at least let Virat Kohli's team share the bragging rights and more importantly remain in a good frame of mind before the real test begins at Adelaide on December 6.

India are unbeaten in T20I engagements since July 2017, when they last lost to West Indies in a one-off game in the Caribbean. They have won 20 out of 27 T20Is since then in different conditions and against varying opposition.

In doing so, India are unbeaten in nine consecutive T20I series since August 2017, including a drawn two-match contest against Australia at home (October 2017).

They have won seven consecutive T20I series since – the Nidahas Trophy win in the tri-series in Sri Lanka (also including Bangladesh) and beating England away 2-1 in the summer gone past, are the highlights of this unbeaten run.

Last time in Australia, back in 2016, India had won the T20I series with an unprecedented 3-0 margin.

Rain though has played spoilsport with their chance of winning a second consecutive T20I series Down Under. Perhaps the only silver lining is that they still can maintain their unbeaten record in this format with victory on Sunday.

In order to achieve this, India will like to carry on from where they left off in Melbourne. The surprisingly unchanged bowling attack put in a more disciplined performance as compared to their Brisbane outing, and both pacers and spinners were able to put the Australian batting order under constant pressure.

There were hiccups in the field of course – two dropped catches in keeping with a shoddy display in Brisbane as well. This is one area that the Indian team will be keen to improve on when the final game begins, for it could well be the difference again if the Australian batting clicks.

Pre-game in Melbourne, there was talk that the Indian team management might revert to type and bring back Yuzvendra Chahal to re-ignite his partnership with Kuldeep Yadav in a must-win game.

The stakes haven't changed going into the series decider, yet India's improved showing with the ball gives reason for picking an unchanged side.

Given the situation, skipper Virat Kohli showed surprising consistency in team selection and continued to back Krunal Pandya in the all-rounder guise.

The latter put in an improved showing of 1-26 in four overs, bowling Glenn Maxwell with a slow turner. The SCG wicket is known to be helpful to spinners and thus there is no case to leave Pandya out.

It remains to be seen if India will be tempted to play Chahal nevertheless, if conditions do turn out to be drier than in Brisbane and Melbourne.

The only option to do so is in leaving out Khaleel Ahmed then, who despite being a touch expensive in the first game has justified his selection thus far.

Dropping Ahmed won't be easy, as Kohli adopted stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma's plan (used against West Indies at home) to pair him with Bhuvneshwar Kumar first and bring in Jasprit Bumrah as first-change.

Leaving him out would mean Kumar-Bumrah sharing the new ball, and unless conditions demand it, the team management again might not be too keen to change what clearly worked in Melbourne.

Whilst the Indian team was waiting for the rain to stop and play to resume, it was also noticeable that Kohli was sitting padded up in the dugouts even as openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma warmed up.

It hinted at a possible re-promotion for the skipper to number three, in light of KL Rahul's struggles off late. It is again improbable that the latter will be left out at Sydney, but Kohli batting at number three and boosting the top-order in the series' finale could be India's best bet.

Australian pacer Billy Stanlake, who twisted his ankle during pre-match warm-up on Friday, is slated to undergo a scan on Saturday.

His availability for Sunday's game thus is under doubt but the hosts haven't yet named an alternative with Nathan Coulter-Nile stepping in to take his spot in the side in the second T20I.

Weather is set to relent on Sunday and unless conditions are drier than anticipated, Aaron Finch has no reason to change his playing eleven.

His side now stands on the cusp of a surprise series' win against India, one thought inconceivable at the start of this week given the current turmoil in Australian cricket.

Teams:

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant, Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Washington Sundar.

Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Ben McDermott, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.

Match starts at: 1.20 pm IST.

MELBOURNE: The second T2O International between India and Australia was called off due to intermittent rain on Friday, undoing the visitors' good work with the ball and denying them an opportunity to level the three-match series.

India were naturally disappointed at not getting a go at the target which was revised thrice due to rain. Australia had scored 132 for seven in 19 overs when the first spell of rain arrived at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

India's target was initially revised to 137 runs in 19 overs before more rain made it 90 runs from 11 overs and then 46 from five overs. Nearly 90 minutes were lost due to the fickle weather before the game was eventually called off at 10.02 pm local time.

Rain playing hide and seek was not just frustrating for the players but also for the 60,000 plus crowd gathered at the iconic venue.

With the match not producing a result, India now can only level the series in the final game in Sydney on Friday. Virat Kohli and his team had come into the T20 series after winning six bilateral contests in a row.

India put up a much improved with the ball on Friday, following the disappointment of the series opener at the Gabba on Wednesday.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-20) and Khaleel Ahmed (2-39) shared four wickets to rock the Australian top-order and reduce them to 41-4 at one stage.

This was after India won the toss and opted to bowl. The visitors went in with an unchanged side while Australia made one change, bringing in Nathan Coulter-Nile for Billy Stanlake who picked up an ankle niggle during warm-up.

Kumar then struck with his second delivery, dismissing Aaron Finch (0) caught behind. From there onwards, India exerted themselves on the field and there was never any let up.

But there were hiccups. The swing bowler should have had at least a couple more wickets, but was twice unlucky in the third over.

First, Rishabh Pant spilled a difficult diving catch behind the wickets with D'Arcy Short (14) getting a life on 7. Two balls later, Chris Lynn (13), on nought, should have been caught at fine leg, only for Jasprit Bumrah (1-20) to spill it over the rope and for a six.

Ahmed did strike in the fourth over and pegged Australia back as Lynn was caught in the deep going for another big one. Two overs later, he bowled Short and India's missed chances didn't cost them too much.

The longer boundaries further aided India as Bumrah had Marcus Stoinis (4) caught in the deep in the seventh over to put the hosts under more pressure.

Glenn Maxwell (19) and Ben McDermott (32 not out) added 21 runs for the fifth wicket to stem the rot, but Krunal Pandya (1-26) struck to remove danger-man Maxwell. The spinner found some grip and a hint of turn as Maxwell was bowled in the 11th over.

Kuldeep Yadav (1-23) too made his presence felt, chipping in with Alex Carey's (4) dismissal, sending the prominently Indian crowd into raptures.

Australia somehow managed to cross the 100-mark in the 16th over, thanks to a 27-run partnership between Nathan Coulter-Nile (18) and McDermott.

Coulter-Nile hit two sixes and a four during his nine-ball stay. McDermott held one end together and put on 31 runs off 20 balls with Andrew Tye (12 not out), providing a little impetus to the innings before rain halted proceedings.

BRISBANE: A sloppy India failed to get an ideal start to the Australia tour, losing the rain-hit opening T20 International by four runs at the Gabba on Wednesday.

FULL SCORECARD

India first faltered in the field, letting Australia score 158 for four after rain shortened the contest to 17 overs a side. Glenn Maxwell was the star batsman for Australia, hammering 46 runs off 24 balls.

The 45-minute rain stoppage meant India were set a revised target of 174 runs in 17 overs.

Opener Shikhar Dhawan smashed a sublime 76 off 42 balls in the run chase before Dinesh Karthik came up with a pulsating 30 off 13 balls towards the end but India still finished agonisingly short on 169 for seven.

It was a morale boosting win for Australia, who have endured a dismal run of late in limited overs cricket.

The second match of the three-match series will be played in Melbourne on Friday.

Dhawan got India off to a quick start, putting on 35 off 25 balls for the opening stand with Rohit Sharma (7).

The latter was caught at long on off Jason Behrendorff (1-43) in a bid to accelerate his strike-rate. In keeping with the strategy used during the T20I series in England, KL Rahul (13) came out to bat at number three.

Dhawan and Rahul put on 46 runs for the second wicket, but it was mostly down to the left-hander's belligerence. He hit ten fours and two sixes overall, and reached his ninth T20I half-century off only 28 balls.

Rahul though was patchy at best and struggled for timing. He was stumped off Adam Zampa (2-22) in the ninth over, with the leg spinner also accounting for skipper Virat Kohli (4) who never really got going coming down at number four.

Zampa should have had a third wicket but he dropped a return chance from Dhawan (on 65). The batsman enjoyed another life at 74, when substitute Nathan Coulter-Nile put him down at square leg off Billy Stanlake (1-27).

The asking rate was climbing up and it took a toll on Dhawan, who finally holed out of Stanlake, leaving Rishabh Pant (20 off 15 balls) and Karthik with a mountain to climb.

They nearly achieved the impossible, putting on 51 off a mere 24 balls, toying around with the Australian bowling. But what is becoming increasingly frustrating with Pant, he played yet another loose and unnecessary stroke, throwing his wicket away.

It left Karthik to finish off things, but he found the going tough without enough support from the other end. With 13 needed off 6 balls, Krunal Pandya (2) and Karthik holed out on consecutive deliveries off Marcus Stoinis (2-27).

This was after Maxwell hit four sixes in a whirlwind knock before rain came, after Chris Lynn scored 37 runs off 20 balls to help Australia recover from a slow start.

India had won the toss and opted to bowl on a surprisingly green wicket. Kuldeep Yadav was picked ahead of Yuzvendra Chahal as expected, while the hosts also included a spinner in Adam Zampa and left out medium pacer Coulter-Nile.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (0-15) and Jasprit Bumrah (1-21) got India off to a good start but Aaron Finch (27) pulled things back a bit. Khaleel Ahmed (1-42) got the initial breakthrough as D'Arcy Short (7) was caught at long on. The left-arm pacer proved expensive thereafter.

Kuldeep took a sensational catch running back to dismiss Short, and from there onwards, he had a marked influence on the game.

Later he also picked up 2-24 in his four-over spell. He dismissed Finch and then sent back Lynn as well, thus reducing Australia to 75-3 in the 11th over.

Apart from Yadav's stunning effort, India were rather poor in the field. Skipper Kohli had dropped Finch in the fourth over, a straight chance spilled at cover, and then miss fielded later on as well.

Ahmed too dropped Stoinis (33 not out off 19 balls) late in the Australian innings, while Maxwell should have been run-out.

Finch took advantage of the reprieve and put on 40 runs off 26 balls with Lynn for the second wicket.

But it was Maxwell who stole the show with his belligerent hitting as Australia crossed 150 in the 16th over. He put on 78 runs off 37 balls with Stoinis as Indian bowlers proved expensive even before the death overs began.

Krunal Pandya had a forgettable day with both bat and ball. He went for 0-55 in his four overs before rain intervened, sucking out momentum from the Australian innings and leaving them only five deliveries on resumption of play.

Bumrah bowled cleverly, conceding only five runs after the disruption, while Australia still finished with a challenging total on the board.

LUCKNOW: It’s always a gamble to predict winners in the shortest format of cricket. More so, if the game is between world T20 champions West Indies and India. But the hosts, after their win in the opener in Kolkata, will be on a high and look to wrap up the three-match series here at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, before the bandwagon moves to Chennai for the final game of what has been a long and testing tour for the visitors.

Tuesday’s contest will be this venue’s inaugural international game.

With India experimenting with alternatives in search of resources before the ODI World Cup next year, there will be an opportunity for youngsters to showcase their talent. Krunal Pandya and Khaleel Ahmed did well in their debut matches in Kolkata, and the side is likely to field a few more new faces in the next two games.

Dhoni’s absence will provide both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik yet another chance to showcase their ability. Pant, so far, has been bold with the bat but needs to tighten up things while wearing the gloves. Karthik, on the other hand, came up with a responsible innings to guide India to victory after initial wobble in the opening game.



The presence of five spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Nadeem – in the squad points to the fact that the selectors want to test all the probable tweakers before deciding the team for the World Cup.

The sudden dip in form of opener Shikhar Dhawan has been a worry. The Delhi opener hasn’t been able to make an impact. He will have to take a leaf out of his opening partner and skipper Rohit Sharma’s book on how to build an innings. Another concern has been the rustiness of new-ball bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Coming back from an injury, the Meerut lad has so far been a shadow of his earlier self, unable to hit the right areas, and has leaked runs.

The biggest plus of the side has been the way their two premier bowlers Kuldeep Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah have shaped up. Bumrah has helped in containing things upfront and in the ‘death’ overs, while Yadav has asked the batsmen some difficult questions in the middle phase.

The visitors have their share of problems. The biggest has been the lack of consistency. The batting, except for some bright patches from Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope, has looked clueless. Now with Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite back in the side, they will have more choices to attack the Indians.

West Indies’ bowling too has lacked sting. Paceman Keemo Paul has displayed some spark, but has lacked variations to cage in the Indians. Rest of his partners have been nothing more than mediocre.

This being the inaugural international game at the venue, the wicket can hold some surprises. The strip, though, is devoid of grass and seems set for a runathon.

KOLKATA: India ended a four-match winless run against the West Indies with a five-wicket victory that came on the back of debutant Krunal Pandya's flourish and Dinesh Karthik's poise on Sunday.

BLOG | SCORECARD

This was India's first win against the World T20 champions since 2014, spanning five matches.

WATCH: Mix-up between Hope and Hetmyer turns into comical run-out

Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/13) led the Indian bowlers' fine show to restrict West Indies to 109 for eight after stand-in skipper Rohit Sharma opted to field on a dew-laden Eden Gardens.

India responded well with the pacers giving them a fine start after Umesh Yadav dismissed Denesh Ramdin in the third over.

Playing their first match at home without the inspirational Mahendra Singh Dhoni, India were 45 for four in eight overs, leaving their fragile middle order exposed.

But the 'local boy' Karthik, who leads Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL, stayed calm in his 31 not out from 34 balls (3x4, 1x6) to steer India home with 13 balls to spare.

Hardik's brother, Krunal, hit the winning boundary off Keemo Paul in the 18th over. The new Pandya smashed 21 off nine balls.

The 21-year-old debutant pacer Oshane Thomas (2/21) gave Windies a flying start, removing both the openers -- Rohit Sharma (six) and Shikhar Dhawan (three) -- for 16 inside the third over.

He bowled a peach of a delivery that clocked 147kph, the extra bounce taking an inside edge off Rohit's blade to dismiss the stand-in skipper on his happy-hunting ground.

In his next over, he struck once again, rattling Dhawan's middle-stump.

It was a perfect scenario for dashing Delhi wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant as he had ample time in the middle to play a match-winning knock and justify his inclusion in the side.

But Pant (1) got out playing a rash shot in his four-ball stay to become skipper Brathwaite's first victim.

Back at the ground where he hit four sixes in an over to help his side win the World T20 two years ago, Brathwaite next dismissed KL Rahul (16) in a wicket maiden over to put India on the backfoot.

Fortunately for India, the target was not a steep one and all they needed was a sensible partnership, which turned out to be the 38-run stand from 45 balls between Manish Pandey (19) and Karthik.

Earlier, debutant Khaleel Ahmed (1/16) and Jasprit Bumrah (1/27) ensured that the Windies run-rate dried up before the spin duo of Krunal Pandya (1/15) and Kuldeep made merry. Kuldeep (3/13) also completed 100 wickets in T20 cricket.

Tottering at 63 for seven inside 15 overs, the Windies looked to fold up inside 100 but Fabian Allen (27 from 20 balls) and Khary Pierre (15 not out from 13 balls) lifted the total past 100.

Krunal finished with excellent figures of 1/14 bowling his four overs at a stretch.

After being hit for a six by Kieron Pollard in his first over, the left-arm spinner not only dismissed the explosive batsman but conceded just four runs in his final three overs to finish on a high.

Down with a "gastric complaint", Bhuvneshwar Kumar pulled out in the last minute despite being named in the XII, but his absence was hardly felt with Yadav and debutant and Khaleel doing a fine job.

Left-arm pacer, Khaleel, was sensational giving away just 10 runs from his three overs, including a maiden over to Pollard.

It was in the same over the Windies batsmen made a mockery of running between the wickets and were sprinting against each other after confusion.

Opener Shai Hope, who had impressed with an unbeaten 123 and 95 in the ODI series, was the poor victim.

Introduced in the fifth over, Bumrah picked up another in-form batsman, Shimron Hetmyer (10), in his fourth over.

Runs dried up early as the visitors struggled at 31 for three, and the World T20 champions never looked at ease in their favourite format, taking 62 balls to complete 50 runs.

KOLKATA: The 'end of Dhoni era' notion has been dismissed unequivocally but then India, for the first time, will still be without the figure with a monumental body of work when they face West Indies in the opening T20 International Sunday.

Less than a week after two-time World Cup-winning skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni was left out of India's T20I squad, captain Virat Kohli has said he remains an integral part of India's plans.

Chief selector MSK Prasad also said that it was not the end of the road for Dhoni in T20Is.

With Kohli rested for the three matches, Rohit Sharma will lead the side against the reigning T20 champions.

Under Jason Holder, West Indies were mauled 0-2 in the Test series in six days' of action. In the following five-match ODI series, they posed some challenge before being thrashed 1-3 with a nine-wicket loss in Thiruvananthapuram in the final one-dayer.

But it will not be an easy task for India against the Carlos Brathwaite-led team as the two-month long series begin its final leg, giving the visitors a chance to regain some pride.

Brathwaite will be back at the same venue where he hit four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes to break the hearts of English fans by winning their second World Twenty20 title in 2016.

The Windies, who missed the big names in the Test and ODI series, will be bolstered by the arrival of star players Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell, who will be back at his IPL home venue.

The stats also favour the World T20 holders who have a five-two record from eight exchanges from 2009-17.

India failed to overcome Brathwaite's men in their last four encounters and the Windies ended the home team's campaign in the 2016 T20I World Cup, defeating them in the semi-finals in Mumbai.

India's last win against West Indies came way back on March 23, 2014 in the World T20 in Bangladesh, and Sharma will have his task cut out in his quest to start well at his happy hunting ground.

The 31-year-old has a world record score of 264 in ODIs at the Eden Gardens in 2014, besides winning two IPL titles, in 2013 and 2015. He would look to carry his fine form from the ODI series, in which he finished behind Kohli, with 389 runs, at a staggering average of 129.66.

Captaincy seems to bring out the best in Sharma who notched up 317 runs (average 105.66) in five innings in their title-winning campaign at the Asia Cup.

The Windies, on the other hand, will look forward to their youngster Shimron Hetmeyer, who scored 259 runs in the ODI series, including a century in Guwahati.

Kohli's absence would mean KL Rahul will come into the picture while Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant are expected to add firepower in the middle order alongside Krunal Pandya.

Pant is expected to fulfil the wicket-keeping responsibilities while Karthik could take on one of the positions in the outfield.

The Indian seam attack will be led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah, which now includes additional variation in the form of left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed.

In the spin department, Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav will look to continue their chemistry, and India have also named uncapped Krunal Pandya and Shahbaz Nadeem, who returned with a record List A figures of 8/10 for Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

The Eden centre strip promises to be full of runs, and batsmen from both sides will look to make merry.

Squads:

India: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, K Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Shahbaz Nadeem.

West Indies: Carlos Brathwaite (Capt), Fabian Allen, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Oshane Thomas, Khary Pierre, Obed McCoy, Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ball swung from the beginning for the seamers and it spun for the spinners. It also stopped on the batsmen making batting a tricky business. Add to that some mindless shots by the West Indies batsmen and what had the potential to be a thrilling series decider turned out to be a damp squib here at the Sports Hub on Thursday as India cruised to a nine-wicket win and took the series 3-1.

West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 104 in 31.5 overs and India chased down the target in 14.1 overs losing just one wicket finishing the match in just over three-and-a-half-hours and in the process making the threat of possible evening showers irrelevant. Ravindra Jadeja (4/34) capitalized on the good start given by the seamers to set up India's sixth consecutive series win at home. This was also India's eighth successive series triumph against West Indies.


The pitch at Sports Hub was not a batting paradise as most expected and even Jason Holder seemed to have misread it electing to bat. But on a track where 230-250 would have given them a golden chance, five batsmen perished going for ambitious lofted shots, four among them caught in the deep.

West Indies decided to go for an all-Powell opening partnership with Rovman Powell, who had struggled against spin promoted to open the batting in place of Chandrapaul Hemraj. The troubles of Kieron Powell (0) though had no end as Bhuvneshwar Kumar got the ball rolling with a delivery that moved away from the left-hander and got the nick. Dhoni did the rest to snap his 425th dismissal as a wicketkeeper, rising to third in ODIs, pipping Mark Boucher. He has only Kumar Sangakkara (482) and Adam Gilchrist (472) ahead of him.


Jasprit Bumrah then got the big wicket in his first over. Shai Hope, the joint top-scorer for Windies till then in the series with 250 runs, could not add to his tally. Bumrah surprised Hope (0) with prodigious movement off the deck to dislodge the timber.

Marlon Samuels had a history of coming good in crunch matches and for a while, it looked he was getting into the groove. Samuels welcomed Khaleel Ahmed by launching him over long-on for a six and then picking him over mid-wicket for a four.

However, Jadeja who had started with a maiden against Samuels (24) got the better of the veteran the next over with a ball that gripped and turned. Samuels' half-hearted poke landed safely in the hands of skipper Kohli at extra cover.

Shimron Hetmyer, already a hit among locals because of his swashbuckling batting style, was greeted with huge cheers. But Jadeja trapped him in front for nine. The umpire did not give it initially but on review, India got their man.

From then on, the batting was inexplicable at best. Rovman Powell (16) pulled Khaleel straight to deep-square leg. Fabian Allen (4) top-edged a hook off Bumrah to fine-leg. Captain Holder (25), solid till then, attempted to loft Khaleel over mid-off and perished to Jadhav again, at mid-off. Any hope of a West Indies revival was over once Holder was gone as the seventh wicket.

Keemo Paul (5) and Kemar Roach (5) also could not control the adrenaline rush and were holed out in deep. Jadeja completed the formalities dismissing Oshane Thomas (0) leg-before for his fourth.

Shikhar Dhawan had the chance to get a decent hit but Oshane Thomas cramped him for room as the left-hander dragged the ball back on to his stumps, attempting a cut. But fittingly, the most prolific Indian batsmen of this series, Rohit Sharma (63 no) and Virat Kohli (33 no) finished off the chase without further hiccups.

Injured Nurse out of tour

West Indies off-spinner Ashley Nurse has been ruled out of the rest of the India tour with a pectoral muscle injury. Nurse, who was the Man of the Match in the visitors' only win of the tour in the third ODI in Pune, injured his shoulder during the previous match in Mumbai and was forced to sit out of the final game here on Thursday. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo came into the Windies eleven in place of Nurse. Nurse will miss the three T20 matches also starting Sunday.

NEW DELHI: A ruthless India completed a nine-wicket demolition of the West Indies in the fifth and final ODI on Thursday for their sixth successive series win at home.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja took four wickets to help India bundle out the West Indies for 104 in just 31.5 overs. Pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two wickets each.

The home team took just 14.5 overs to reach the paltry target, courtesy an unbeaten 99-run stand between Rohit Sharma (62 off 54) and captain Virat Kohli (33 off 29), following another low score from Shikhar Dhawan.

It was a complete surrender from the West Indies, who let themselves down after competing hard in the first three ODIs. The previous game at Mumbai too was dominated by the hosts before they romped to a 3-1 series win here.

India last a lost a series at home in 2015, when they went down 2-3 against South Africa.

The hosts wasted in no time completing the 105-run target after the bowlers laid the foundation of a massive victory.

Rohit continued his fine form, notching up a half-century, in the process going past the 1,000-run mark for the calendar year 2018 and also hitting his 200th six in ODIs.

The India vice-captain had a lucky escape when he was caught behind by Shai Hope off Oshane Thomas' bowling on 18. He made most of that reprieve as he hit five boundaries and struck five imperious sixes. Kohli too was solid at the other end and his innings comprised six fours.

Dhawan's soft dismissal would probably be one of the lows for India as he chopped on a delivery from Thomas, who worked up good pace but was inconsistent with his line and length.

Earlier, the West Indies were in trouble right from the start after skipper Jason Holder chose to bat. Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar had Kieran Powell caught behind by M S Dhoni for a duck off the fourth ball, giving India their first wicket.

Shai Hope, who has been one of the best West Indies batsmen on tour alongside Shimron Hetmyer, was castled by Bumrah off a beauty in the second over to leave the team at 2 for 2.

The experienced Marlon Samuels, from whom a lot was expected, led a brief revival, hitting some crisp boundaries and the only six of the innings.

The Indian domination could be gauged from the fact that the first boundary came in the sixth over when Rovman Powell lofted one from Bumrah over the infield.

Samuels' resistance ended in the 12th over when he fell to a soft dismissal of Jadeja for 24, spooning a catch to skipper Virat Kohli.

As has often been the case in the series, Holder showed patience and skill to resist the rampant Indian bowlers but his dismissal hastened the end.

The lanky Holder was taken by Kedar Jadhav, running in from the deep when he tried to go ariel against Khaleel Ahmed. He was the top-scorer with 25.

The spinners took over and polished off the tail.