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OVERS 45.4: OUT! Rohit (133) pulls to mid-wicket for Maxwell to take the catch. India 221/7

OVERS 45.3: FOUR! Rohit mistimes a hit over mid-off for his tenth boundary

OVERS 44.1: OUT! Jadeja (8) cuts a Richardson delivery to deep point for Shaun Marsh to take the catch. India 213/6

OVERS 43.6: FOUR! Rohit pulls to the mid-wicket fence

OVERS 43.5: BIG HIT! Rohit hits a Stoinis delivery over mid-wicket into the crowd

OVERS 42.3: BIG HIT! Lyon continues. Rohit hits over long-on for his fifth six

OVERS 41.6: Four byes are conceded

OVERS 39.5: 22nd ODI century for Rohit Sharma as he flicks behind square leg for two. WHAT A KNOCK!

OVERS 39.2: OUT! Dinesh Karthik (12) edges a Richardson delivery onto his stumps. India 176/5

OVERS 38.5: FOUR! Rohit scoops over short fine-leg to move to 98

OVERS 38.4: FOUR! Rohit pulls to the mid-wicket fence for another boundary

OVERS 38.2: FOUR! Siddle brought back, Rohit pulls to the mid-wicket fence

OVERS 32.2: OUT! Behrendorff traps Dhoni (51) plumb in front. India 141/4. Replays show the ball was pitched outside leg stump, but India don't have reviews left

OVERS 31.1: FOUR! 68th ODI fifty for Dhoni as he on drives for his third boundary

OVERS 29.5: BIG HIT! Rohit comes down the pitch off Lyon and hits over long-on into the crowd

OVERS 28.6: FOUR! Rohit hits over mid-off for another boundary

OVERS 28.2: FOUR! Rohit goes down on one knee and scoops to the fine leg fence

Jason Behrendorff replaces Jhye Richardson in the attack

100-run stand up between Rohit and Dhoni off 136 deliveries

100 up for India in 25.2 overs

OVERS 23.5: FOUR! 38th ODI fifty for Rohit as cuts to the point fence. That's his sixth ODI fifty against Australia

OVERS 23.3: FOUR! Dhoni sweeps from outside off-stump to the square leg fence

Glenn Maxwell replaces Stoinis in the attack

OVERS 22.2: FOUR! Siddle continues, Rohit drives on the up through the covers

OVERS 20.1: FOUR! Siddle back in the attack, Dhoni square cuts for four

50-run stand up between Rohit and Dhoni as Stoinis replaces Siddle in the attack

OVERS 16.6: BIG HIT! Rohit charges down the pitch and hits a Lyon delivery over mid-wicket for his third six

OVERS 14.5: BIG HIT! Dhoni charges down the pitch and smashes a Lyon delivery over long-on for his first six

OVERS 13.4: BIG HIT! Siddle pitches it short and Rohit effortlessly pulls over square leg for his second six

Nathan Lyon has been introduced in the attack

10 overs gone, first Powerplay over, India 21/3

Peter Siddle replaces Jhye Richardson in the attack

OVERS 5.6: 10,000 ODI runs for Dhoni for India as he gets off the mark with a single

OVERS 4.5: BIG HIT! Rohit Sharma get off the mark off a free hit delivery which he flicks over deep square leg

India in trouble, MS Dhoni is the new man in and Rohit Sharma is yet to get off the mark

OVERS 3.5: OUT! Ambati Rayudu is trapped plumb in front by Richardson for a duck, the umpire raises his finger, he takes a review, but the replays show the ball was going to hit the stumps. India 4/3

OVERS 3.2: OUT! Virat Kohli (3) flicks to short square-leg for Stoinis to take the catch off Jhye Richardson. India 4/2

OVER 0.6: OUT! Shikhar Dhawan falls for a golden duck as he is trapped plumb in front by Jason Behrendorff. India 1/1

Jason Behrendorff bowls the first over, Rohit Sharma on strike

Australia score 288/5 in their 50 overs

OVERS 49.5: FOUR! Maxwell flicks to the mid-wicket fence

OVERS 49.3: FOUR! Stoinis edges to the third man fence

OVERS 49.1: BIG HIT! Bhuvneshwar gives a juicy full toss and Stoinis pulls over mid-wicket for his second six

OVERS 48.2: FOUR! Stoinis pulls a Shami delivery to the mid-wicket fence

OVERS 47.2: OUT! Handscomb (73) hits to sweeper cover for Dhawan to take the catch. Australia 254/5

OVERS 47.1: BIG HIT! Handscomb pulls a Bhuvneshwar delivery over fine leg for his third six

OVERS 45.6: FOUR! Handscomb hits a Bhuvneshwar delivery behind square leg

50-run stand up between Handscomb and Stoinis off 50 balls

OVERS 45.2: FOUR! Handscomb hits a Bhuvneshwar delivery over the covers

OVERS 43.6: BIG HIT! 50 up for Handscomb as he hits a Kuldeep delivery over long-on for another six

OVERS 43.3: BIG HIT! Stoinis goes down on one leg and hits a Kuldeep delivery over long-on for the first six of the match

200 up for Australia in 41.2 overs

Shami replaces Bhuvneshwar in the attack

OVERS 37.3: OUT! Marsh (54) hits a Kuldeep delivery to Shami at long-on. Australia 186/4

Kuldeep replaces Khaleel in the attack

50-run stand up between Marsh and Handscomb off 49 deliveries

OVERS 35.5: FOUR! Handscomb cover drives for his fourth boundary, lovely timing

OVERS 35.2: FOUR! 13th ODI fifty for Marsh as he pulls a Khaleel delivery to the mid-wicket fence

OVERS 34.2: FOUR! Handscomb pulls past mid-on for his third boundary

OVERS 34.1: FOUR! Handscomb square drives a Bhuvneshwar delivery

OVERS 33.2: FOUR! Marsh hits a Khaleel delivery over point to move to 46

Khaleel replaces Shami in the attack

Bhuvneshwar replaces Jadeja in the attack

150 up for Australia in 32 overs

OVERS 30.6: FOUR! Peter Handscomb hits a Jadeja delivery through the covers for his first boundary

OVERS 28.2: OUT! Khawaja (59) goes for the sweep, is hit on the pad, Jadeja appeals, umpire gives it out, Khawaja goes for the review and the replays show Khawaja is plumb in front

OVERS 25.2: Fifth fifty for Khawaja as he taps to square leg for a single. That's his first ODI fifty in Australia and he has got it off 70 deiveries

Khaleel is back in the attack

OVERS 23.3: FOUR! Khawaja pulls another short delivery over short fine leg

OVERS 23.1: FOUR! Rayudu continues, Khawaj pulls to the fine leg boundary

OVERS 22.5: FOUR! 100 up for Australia as Khawaja reverse hits a Jadeja delivery to the point fence

Ambati Rayudu has been introduced in the attack

50-run stand up between Khawaja and Marsh off 61 deliveries

OVERS 19.4: FOUR! Marsh cuts a Kuldeep delivery to the point boundary

Jadeja concedes three runs in his first over

Ravindra Jadeja replaces Mohammed Shami in the attack

OVERS 15.6: FOUR! Kuldeep drags it short and Khawaja pulls to the mid-wicket fence

OVERS 14.2: FOUR! 4 byes are conceded, a rare error by MS Dhoni behind the stumps as the ball did not bounce

OVERS 12.4: FOUR! Shami continues, Marsh flicks through mid-wicket for his first boundary

Australia's 50 has come up in 11.3 overs

OVERS 10.4: FOUR! Khawaja hits through the covers for his first boundary

Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh have some rebuilding to do now

OVERS 9.5: OUT! Carey (24) cuts to first slip for Rohit Sharma to take the catch. Kuldeep strikes in his first over

OVERS 9.4: FOUR! Carey cuts through backward point

Double bowling change: Kuldeep Yadav replaces Khaleel Ahmed in the attack. Powerplays are still on

Shami concedes 2 runs in his first over

Mohammed Shami replaces Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the attack

OVERS 7.5: FOUR! Khaleel continues, Carey flicks through mid-wicket for his fourth boundary

OVERS 4.4: FOUR! Carey cuts through point for his third boundary, superb timing there

OVERS 3.4: FOUR! Carey cuts to the third man fence

OVERS 3.1: FOUR! FREE HIT! Carey makes room and hits over mid-on for the first boundary of the match

OVERS 3.1: Khaleel oversteps for a no-ball, that's a big one

OVERS 2.2: OUT! 100th ODI wicket for Bhuvneshwar as Finch (6) is clean bowled through the gate

OVERS 1.6: Finch hits through the covers for three runs

Khaleel Ahmed bowls the second over for India

2 runs off the first over by Bhuvneshwar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowls the first over, Alex Carey on strike

Australian captain Aaron Finch wins toss, opts to bat against India in Sydney

India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Khaleel Ahmed

Australia (Playing XI): Aaron Finch, Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nathan Lyon, Peter Siddle, Jhye Richardson, Jason Behrendorff

Australia have won just 3 out of their last 24 ODIs.

The last time Australia played India in a bilateral series, they lost 1-4.

The Indians have lost just 1 out of their last one-day internationals.

Hit hard by an unexpected controversy after the high of the Test triumph, India will look to fine tune their World Cup preparations in the three-match ODI series against an under-fire Australia.

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: 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.

KOLKATA: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly Wednesday said that Indian team under Virat Kohli has the "best chance to beat Australia" in absence of their premier players Steve Smith and David Warner.

Cricket Australia's board has resolved to respond to the call to lift the bans on Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft by next week, but all indications are they are not ready to bring the trio back to international cricket early.

"This is like the Indian team not having Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. It's a huge factor," Ganguly said on the sidelines of Complan's prize winners of the 'Dream More and Grow More' contest here.

"It's a great moment for Indian cricket. This is their best opportunity to beat Australia," the former India captain added.

Having suffered defeats in their earlier overseas Test series in South Africa and England, the Virat Kohli and Co will salvage pride winning in Australia.

India will play four Test matches against Australia with the first five-day contest commencing in Adelaide on December 6.

The Indian pace attack had impressed in England in their 1-4 series loss and Ganguly said: "I have seen in England that they (bowlers) have taken 20 wickets in almost every Test."

Ganguly however warned the Indian team stay cautious.

"But you also have to keep in mind that Australia in Australia are a different kettle of fish. Many feel that they are a weak outfit but I don't think so," Ganguly added.

Brand ambassador of Complan, Ganguly also handed over Rs 1 lakh each to the 10 prize winners of the 'Aro-Sapno-Aro-Bere-Otho' contest on the occasion of the Children's Day.

The contest was launched at the Jodhpur Park Pandal during Durga Puja last month with participation of students from class two to six from 100 schools of Kolkata.

CHENNAI: When Rohit Sharma took the flight to South Africa earlier this year, he was on a high that he is now. The 31-year-old had scored 1293 runs in 21 ODIs in 2017 at an average of 71.83 and 217 runs from two Test matches against Sri Lanka at home pretty much ensured him a spot in Test XI in South Africa.

But what followed was a string of poor performances - 11, 10, 10 and 47 in the first two Test matches - and it saw him getting dropped from the longer format. But now, following his superb show in the shorter formats over the last few months, the Mumbai man is back in the Test squad for the Australia series.

1030 runs at an average of 73.57 in 19 ODIs this season, coupled with the 560 runs from 16 T20Is give one the impression that Rohit is in fine nick going to Australia. The team management, too, is so keen on preparing him for Test cricket that he is being sent with the India 'A' team to New Zealand for a four-day warm-up match. If he plays that game in New Zealand starting in Mount Maunganui on November 16, it would be difficult for Rohit to join the Indian team in Brisbane for the first T20 on November 21.

But probably the team management and Rohit himself are ready to make that sacrifice so that the stylist is well-prepared for the first Test starting in Adelaide on December 6.

"Test matches are something I was looking forward to for a long time. So it will be nice to go out there and play a Test match again for India. But then, we have the T20Is (three-match series) and practice games before the first Test. So I am not thinking too far ahead now," Rohit said after India completed a 3-0 whitewash of West Indies in the T20 series on Sunday night.

For Rohit, the Tests in Australia could be make-or-break. For a while now, the exceptionally talented batsman has failed to live up to his promise in the longer format. Even though he has three centuries, including back-to-back hundreds in his first two Tests, the right-hander has only scored 1479 in 25 matches at an average of 39.97. What has also hurt India is his failure to deliver in crunch situations, for instance in the series against South Africa.

Rohit, though, says that it will be a fresh start for him when he reaches Australia and has also chalked out a 'simple' game plan for the tour. "As a batsman, I don't think what I have done in the past. Every game is a new game. Every time I go out there in the middle, I keep things simple. This game is simple if you keep it simple. If you overthink, it can get complicated. So it is important to stay in present. It is important to start well in Australia and then, take it from there. If I try and stay in present, it works for me," Rohit said.

Rohit's competition for a place in the first XI could be with Hanuma Vihari, who scored a half-century on debut against England at The Oval a couple of months back. While Rohit is all flair and style, Hanuma is the dogged fighter who doesn't give his wicket away easily. But the fact that Rohit is a good back-foot player should stand him in good stead to clinch that No. 6 spot in the batting-order.

"As a team, it will be important to start fresh. Australia will be a different ball-game and I completely understand that. Every time you go there, you are tested as a player, as an individual and as a team. But I think the things we have been doing as a team, we have to keep repeating the performance. So we got to be at our best," Rohit said, looking ahead to a gruelling Australian summer.

LUCKNOW: Hit-man Rohit Sharma lit up the Ekana Stadium on Diwali eve with a cracking unbeaten 111 (61 balls, 8x4, 7x6) as India registered a whopping 71–run win to clinch the T20 series against West Indies on Tuesday.

The victory meant the home side went 2-0 up in the three-match series, having pocketed the opener in Kolkata on Sunday. The final game now comes up in Chennai on Sunday.

After the visitors asked India to bat first, Rohit regaled the huge crowd with some sweetly-timed pulls and drives to power the home side to 195 on a wicket that lacked bounce. In reply, the pressure of runs proved too much for the Caribbean side as they could only manage 124/9.

Making the most of a dropped chance early on by left-arm spinner Fabien Allen off his own bowling, the Indian captain kept the vocal chords of a boisterous crowd busy.

He and Shikhar Dhawan posted 123 runs for opening wicket to provide a perfect platform after West Indies started off promisingly with paceman Oshane Thomas bowling a maiden Dhawan got to a somewhat sedate 43 (41b, 4x3) before being caught by Nicholas Pooran off the bowling of Allen at long-leg, but there was no respite for the visitors thereafter as the Indians pressed on the gas pedal to dictate terms.

Rohit, in particular, was in sublime touch as he came up with his third century against West Indies on the tour. He got an undefeated 152 at Guwahati and 162 in Mumbai in the One-dayers.

This knock also had the stamp of his class, as the Mumbai batsman reached the three-figure mark by clubbing skipper Carlos Braithwaite for a six and a boundary in the final over of the innings. The knock also pushed Sharma past Virat Kohli as the highest T20 run-getter for India.

After Dhawan’s departure, Rishabh Pant too didn’t last long but KL Rahul provided Rohit the requisite support with a busy 26 not out off 14 balls.

In reply, the West Indian top order again disappointed as left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed started the rout by sending back the openers – Shai Hope and the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer and then chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav nailed things by removing Darren Bravo and Nicholas Pooran in his first over.

And once Jasprit Bumrah had foxed Pollard with a slower one to have him caught and bowled, it was all over the bar shouting for the tourists. Though Keemo Paul and Carlos Braithwaite got back at Kuldeep by hitting him for three sixes in his last over, it came too late in the match to have any effect.

Both the sides made a change each in their playing XI with India getting in Bhuvneshwar Kumar in place of Umesh Yadav, while Nicholas Pooran came in for Roveman Powell for the visitors.

LUCKNOW: Skipper Rohit Sharma's record-breaking fourth T20 International hundred powered India to a comprehensive 71-run win over West Indies in what turned out to be another one-sided series victory for the hosts.

Scorecard | Blog

India, thus, took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match T20I series. The last match will be played in Chennai on November 11.

The legend of Rohit in white ball format continued to grow exponentially as his unbeaten 111 off 61 balls helped India score 195 for 2 after being put into bat.

Rohit, who also surpassed regular skipper Virat Kohli to become top run-getter among Indians in shortest format, was at his brutal best, hitting eight boundaries and seven towering sixes.

In reply, West Indies batting caved in once again as they managed only 124 for 9 at the end of the stipulated overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/12), Jasprit Bumrah (2/20), Khaleel Ahmed (2/30) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) equally shared the spoils.

West Indies' misery in the two-month long tour was compounded as they suffered yet another series defeated after losing the Test series 0-2 and subsequently the one-dayers by 1-3 margin.

Earlier, Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (43 off 41) made up for their rare failure in the first T20 in Kolkata on Sunday, stitching 123 runs off 84 balls for the opening wicket to lay the foundation for the big score.

Young pace sensation Oshane Thomas got West Indies off to a fine start with a maiden over. But the Indian openers finally broke the shackles in the fifth over when Rohit and Dhawan took Thomas to the cleaners hitting a six and two boundaries, picking up 17 runs.

Dhawan, however, was lucky as Keemo Paul dropped a straight forward catch at deep mid-wicket in the ninth over off captain Carlos Braithwaite.

It eventually opened the flood gates for India as Rohit thereafter dealt mostly in boundaries and sixes to notch up his fifty in 38 balls. The elegant right-hander mostly preferred the straight boundaries and cleared them on both sides with consummate ease.

Dhawan's luck finally ran out in the 14th over when he was caught by Nicholas Pooran at the long leg boundary off Fabian Allen as the batsman went for a slog sweep.

Rishabh Pant failed for the second consecutive time, holing out to Shimron Hetmyer at midwicket boundary off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre.

Rohit and KL Rahul then shared quick-fire 62 runs for the third wicket off just 28 balls to take India close to the 200-run mark.

Needing a win to stay alive in the three-match series after the five-wicket loss at Kolkata, West Indies got off to the worst possible start, losing two wickets - Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer early on with young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed accounting for both the batsmen.

While Hope was cleaned up by Ahmed in the second over, Hetmyer was holed out at long-on to Dhawan in the pacer's third over.

Introduced into the attack in the eight over, chinaman Kuldeep Yadav continued with his magic and struck twice in a span of one delivery to derail West Indies' chase.

Kuldeep first induced an edge of Darren Bravo with Rohit taking a sharp catch in the lone slip and then Nicholas Pooran failed to read a wrong-un a ball later to be bowled as West Indies slumped to 52 for four in eight overs.

It became bad to worse for the visitors when Kieran Pollard was caught off his own bowling by Jasprit Bumrah.

From there on, it was just a matter of time before India wrapped up the game and they did it in style.

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.

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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.

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.

MUMBAI: India embarrassed the West Indies by 224 runs in the fourth One-day International on Monday for one of their biggest wins and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Scorecard | Blog

Rohit Sharma (162) and Ambati Rayudu (100) struck belligerent centuries to guide India to an imposing 377 for five after the hosts opted to bat.

The duo took centre stage after a rare failure by skipper Virat Kohli.

Rohit's 21st century came off 137 balls with the help of 20 fours and four hits over the fence, while Rayudu decorated his 100-run knock with eight boundaries and four sixes.

Chasing 378, West Indies simply caved in against India's clinical bowling attack on what was a batting-friendly wicket to be bundled out for a paltry 153 in 36.2 overs.

Young pacer Khaleel Ahmed (3/13) impressed upfront before chinaman Kuldeep Yadav (3/42)) ran through the West Indies' tail.

The Indians dished out an impressive effort on the field, inflicting two run outs besides Rohit holding onto three fine catches in the slips.

This is India's third biggest win in the format. Their biggest-ever win in ODI remains the 257-run demolition of Bermuda in the 2007 ICC World Cup.

West Indies' chase never really got going as they lost half of their side inside the 50-run mark with Khaleel doing the bulk of the damage.

Except for skipper Jason Holder (54 not out), no other West Indian batsmen could withstand the Indian attack, as the visitors lost wickets at regular intervals and were never really in the hunt.

West Indies lost two wickets - Chandrapul Hemraj (14) and Shai Hope (0) - in the fifth over. While Hemraj gave a sitter to Rayadu off Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Hope was run out courtesy a stunning direct hit by Kuldeep from mid-on.

Matters became worse for the visitors after Kieran Powell (4) was run-out in the very next over by Kohli.

Wickets kept tumbling and the next to be dismissed was Shimron Hetymar (13), who was trapped in front by Ahmed in the 10th over, even though the batsman went for an unsuccessful review.

The 20-year-old Ahmed was on fire as he picked up two more wickets in quick succession. He first cleaned up Rovman Powell (1) and then accounted for Samuels, who edged one to Rohit in the first slip.

Batting first, India made a quick start with Rohit and Shikhar Dhawan (38) and added a run-a-ball 71 for the opening stand before the latter pulled a Keemo Paul short delivery straight to Powell at the midwicket boundary.

Kohli, who hit three consecutive tons before Monday's match, played aggressively for his 16 before edging a Kemar Roach delivery to Hope behind the stumps.

Rohit and Rayudu held fort and continued to play aggressive brand of cricket.

The duo continued the onslaught and made the West Indies attack look ordinary, picking up boundaries and sixes at will.

After Kohli's dismissal, Rohit, who had scored a match-winning unbeaten 152 in the lung-opener at Guhawati, and Rayudu built the innings and in the process shared a breezy 211-run stand for the third wicket, which came off just 163 deliveries.

Rohit didn't spare a single West Indian bowler and made his intentions clear when he opened the account with a boundary over point.

The Mumbaikar initially played second fiddle to Dhawan but after his half century, that came off 60 balls, he upped the ante.

Rohit displayed all the shots in the book - the drives, pulls, flicks and cuts - before he departed in the 44th over.

Rayadu, on the other hand, took time to settle down, but then hammered the bowlers with his exquisite stroke-play - first in Rohit's company and then alongside veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni (23).

Kedar Jadhav (16) and Ravindra Jadeja (7) remained unbeaten as the hosts amassed 116 runs in the last 10 overs.

India won the first ODI by eight wickets before the second game ended in a tie. West Indies bounced back to win the third ODI by 43 runs. The final match of the series will be played in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.

DUBAI: In awe of Virat Kohli's batting prowess, Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal on Tuesday said the prolific Indian captain does not seem human sometimes.

"I sometimes feel he is not human because of the way he performs, my goodness, the moment he comes out to bat, it looks like he is going to score a hundred every game," Iqbal was quoted as saying by Khaleej Times here.

"The way he looks after himself, the way he works on his game, it's unbelievable. He is probably the number one in all three formats. He is someone to watch and admire and also learn from. I think he has been fantastic," he added.

Kohli is the world's No.1 batsman in both the Test and one-day formats and is just 81 runs short of becoming the fastest to reach 10,000 ODI runs.

The record currently stands in the name of the iconic Sachin Tendulkar, who took 259 innings to get there, while Kohli has so far played 204 innings.

"...I have seen all the great players that have played the game in the past 12 years. They have their own strong points. But I haven't seen anyone that has dominated as much as Virat has," Iqbal said.

Iqbal garnered much appreciation during the Asia Cup last month when he came out to bat against Sri Lanka with a fractured wrist. He said it was a matter of pride for him.

"I thought facing one delivery could have helped Bangladesh get 5-10 extra runs in that game. And we ended up getting 32 runs because of Mushfiqur's brilliance," he said.

Skipper Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hit sparkling centuries on Sunday to lead India's eight-wicket demolition of West Indies in the first one-day international in Guwahati.

READ ALSO: Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli blitzkrieg steamrolls Windies

Virat scored 140 off 107 balls while Rohit was unbeaten on 152 from 117 balls as India chased the 323-run target with ease. Kohli and Sharma put on 246 runs for the second wicket in a masterly batting display to lead India to victory.

Gordon Greenidge-Desmond Haynes, Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly, Adam Gilchrist-Matthew Hayden... cricket is full of legendary duos. Virat and Rohit have many individual records between them, but what's often overlooked is that in just 64 stands together, they have already joined the list of most prolific partners in ODIs.

5: Most double century stands by pairs in ODIs. Of these, 3 came in India and 2 abroad. Kohli-Gautam Gambhir, Sachin Tendulkar-Sourav Ganguly and Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene-Kumar Sangakkara follow with 3 each.

246: Virat-Rohit's stand vs West Indies at Guwahati on October 21, 2018 is India's highest in a chase, surpassing 224 by Kohli-Gambhir vs Sri Lanka at Kolkata in 2009.


15: Century stands by Virat-Rohit. Of the six pairs who achieved the landmark, they are the only ones still playing. The other duos are Sachin-Sourav (26 century stands in 176 innings), Dilshan-Sangakkara (20 in 108), Gilchrist-Hayden (16 in 117), Greenidge-Haynes (15 in 103), and Jayawardene-Sangakkara (15 in 151).

65.5: Average partnership between Virat and Rohit, the highest among all duos with 15 or more century stands. Dilshan-Sangakkara are next with 53.7.

3,931: Runs scored by Virat-Rohit in partnership, the 7th highest among all Indian duos. Among currently active players, only Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma have more (3,936) but they have also shared many more partnerships (86 to Virat-Rohit's 64). The Indian -- and world -- record is Sachin-Sourav's 8,227 runs in 176 innings.

84.1: Their average partnership in 37 matches won by India. In 25 matches lost by India, their average stand dipped to 42.6, emphasising that when they do well together, the team usually wins.

Stats: Rajesh Kumar

NEW DELHI: Rohit Sharma on Sunday broke master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Australian opener David Warner’s joint record to become the first batsman with six 150-plus scores in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).

READ ALSO: Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli blitzkrieg steamrolls Windies

Rohit, nicknamed 'Hitman' by some for his power-packed batting, notched up his 20th ODI century in the first ODI of the five-match series against the West Indies at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

This was Rohit’s sixth 150-plus score in ODIs and the right-hander now has the most number of 150-plus scores in the 50-over format to his name.

India batting legend Tendulkar and Warner have five 150-plus scores to their name.

West Indies’ swashbuckling opener Chris Gayle, Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya and South Africa’s Hashim Amla have four 150-pls scores to their names. Not surprisingly, all these batsmen have been openers.

MOST 150+ SCORES IN ODIs


Chasing West Indies’ 323 to win, Rohit scored an unbeaten 152 off 117 balls to help India register a resounding win in from of a jam-packed Guwahati crowd.

Rohit reached his half-century off 51 balls. The second 50 runs off his innings came off only 33 balls as he scored his 20th ODI hundred in 88 deliveries. His third 50 runs came off only 29 balls.


Overall, Rohit smashed 15 fours and eight sixes in his blistering knock.

Rohit along with captain Virat Kohli added 200 runs for the second wicket off 163 balls, the first double-hundred partnership among Indian batsmen against West Indies for any wicket in ODI cricket.

The second ODI will be played in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday.

GUWAHATI: Skipper Virat Kohli and his deputy Rohit Sharma conjured up breathtaking centuries as India's ruthless domination over the West Indies continued with a facile eight-wicket win in the first One-day International, on Sunday.

Making mockery of what looked like a stiff 323-run target, the home team cantered to the win with 7.5 overs to spare, taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Kohli pounded the Caribbean bowlers with 21 fours and two sixes to raise his 36th ODI century and now needs just 81 runs to join the elite club of cricketers who have amassed 10,000 runs in the One-day format.

After early departure of Shikhar Dhawan (4), Kohli raised a massive 246-run stand for the second wicket with Rohit, who remained unbeaten on 152. It was Rohit's 20th ODI hundred which came off 117 balls with 15 fours and eight sixes.

While Kohli and Rohit plundered boundaries to entertain the packed stadium, it painted a sorry picture of the West Indies attack, which once was intimidating for any batting line up in the world.

The only high point for the West Indies while defending their total was 21-year-old newcomer Oshane Thomas' raw pace up front.

Playing his first ODI in more than three months, Kohli was unstoppable. It seemed another routine affair for Kohli as he also got past the milestone of 2000 International runs in the calendar year.

He emulated iconic Sachin Tendulkar in scoring 2000-plus runs in three successive years. After Kohli was stumped off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, India's vice captain took the side home in company of Ambati Rayudu (22).

After their rout in the Test series, West Indies did a good job by putting on board a challenging 322 for eight, capitalising on the absence of India's frontline pacers Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

The duo has been rested for the first two ODIs and the 21-year-old Shimron Hetmyer (106) put to sword an under-strength Indian attack to raise his third ODI hundred.

Hetmyer punished the Indian bowlers with six fours and as many sixes in his entertaining 78-ball knock.

However, any hopes of a close contest evaporated when Kohli and Rohit started striking the ball clean and hard.

The Indian bowling looked lacklustre while the fielding was shoddy as India, on a high after their Test series win, seemed to have underestimated their opponents.

The Guyanese lad brought up his half-century in 41 balls and brought up two 50-run plus partnerships with Rovman Powell (22) and skipper Jason Holder (38).

Hetmyer notched up his century by lofting Mohammed Shami for a six over extra cover. While he used brute force against the pace, Hetmyer also looked fluent against the spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra Jadeja before being dismissed by the latter after immediately betting the milestone-mark.

Looking to redeem themselves after the 2-0 Test series thumping under six days, the touring side put up a strong challenge after being put in by home captain Virat Kohli.

Visiting skipper Jason Holder on the eve of the match had said 300-plus is the benchmark of ODI cricket and his young batters responded well with Devendra Bishoo taking the team past the milestone in the penultimate over.

Opener Kieran Powell set up the foundation with a 39-ball 51 (6x4, 2x6) in a 67-run stand for the second wicket with Shai Hope (32).

Powell and his debutant opening partner Chandrapaul Hemraj dealt in boundaries against Shami and Yadav.

West Indies lost three wickets in quick succession but the Guyana youngster came to take charge after Marlon Samuels departed for a duck in his landmark 200th ODI.