India vs West Indies, Highlights, 3rd T20I at Mumbai, Full Cricket Score: Virat Kohli and Co clinch series with 67 runs win

Most Man of the Series awards in international cricket:

19 – Sachin Tendulkar

15 – VIRAT KOHLI*

14 – Jacques Kallis

Virat Kohli: It was all about going out there and executing the plan. It’s a special innings and it is my second anniversary so this is a special gift to my wife. I think you have to do it out there and take confidence it. This pitched allowed us to bat freely.

KL Rahul, MoM: Happy that we won the series. Batting first our record has not been great so we were looking to do what we can do batting first to put up a good total for our bowlers. We are very happy that it came off and it will give us confidence. It was a learning lesson for us before the World Cup. Like any other format, once you are set, you want to carry on and know what shots to play on. T20s has been kind and I try to do my best and give the results for the team.

KL Rahul is the Man of the Match for his knock of 91 off 56

Kieron Pollard, WI captain: When you look at our performances with the bat through the series, we were consistent, we’ll take that as a unit. At the end of the day, we know we need to get better at executing with the ball. In our minds (the target was gettable). 230 has been chased here when England played South Africa. There’s a lot of emerging players coming through. Yes, the bowling is a concern, but we have a roster of guys coming through. Those are the areas, but we know success is a boring thing, you need to do the right things day in and day out. Yes, we lost 2-1, but we have three more games to look forward to in the ODIs.

Most defeats in T20Is:

61 : Sri Lanka, West Indies*

60 : Bangladesh

56 : New Zealand

Game, set and match for India. And third consecutive T20I series win for India in this home season. Today after losing the toss, the way Rohit and Rahul set the pace for hosts in the powerplay was the key behind this result. Then in the second half the new ball bowlers came out hard on the opponents and took three quick wickets in no time. Actually, the foundation of this win was laid in the first six overs of both innings.

After 20 overs,West Indies 173/8 ( Kesrick Williams 13 , Sheldon Cottrell 4)

It’s all over. All-round performance from India to win the third T20I by 67 runs and also clinch the series 2-1. The batsmen set the tone with brilliant display of power-hitting and then the bowlers did the job by taking crucial top-order wickets.

Low full-toss from Chahar and Cottrell hits the ball over mid-off fielder.

Chahar removes Pierre. The batsman looks for the gap on the off-side but hits it straight to point fielder. K Pierre c sub (R Jadeja) b Chahar 6.

After 19 overs,West Indies 169/7 ( Khary Pierre 6 , Kesrick Williams 13)

Very difficult chance in the first ball of the over. Williams hits hard and Bhuvi, the bowler, couldn’t make the ball stick to his palms. A six and four from Williams to end the over.

Short from Bhuvi and Williams just guides it past the keeper’s head for a boundary.

Over the bowler’s head for a maximum. Shot from Williams.

After 18 overs,West Indies 157/7 ( Khary Pierre 5 , Kesrick Williams 2)

Washingoton Sundar is introduced into the attack. He was protected because the likes of Pollards and Hetmyer love to go against off-spinners but now that the job’s almost done, there’s no need to keep Washington away from bowling. Five runs from the over.

After 17 overs,West Indies 152/7 ( Khary Pierre 3 , Kesrick Williams 0)

Shami to bowl his final over of the night. Good variation of speed as he starts off with short deliveries but then tries a slower one to the stumps. The fourth ball is a solid yorker but Pierre does well to take a single. The next one results in a wicket and he could’ve got another one in the final ball. Goes for the pace and yorker but Williams does well to block.

With Pollard, West Indies’ hopes of winning this fixture, are gone as well. Nevertheless, this has been an impactful knock for the big man. We often see such dominating batsmanship from him in various T20 leagues across the world, but not much when he wears the national colours. But now having taken charge of this Windies T20I side,  Pollard should ideally adopt to such sort of mindset at the international level as well.

BOWLED! 

Walsh tries for a scoop but misses the yorker length delivery from Shami. H Walsh b Mohammed Shami 11.

After 16 overs,West Indies 148/6 ( Hayden Walsh 10 , Khary Pierre 0)

Good over from Chahar. Just seven runs from his over. West Indies now need 93 runs from the last four overs. It’s just a matter of time now. Maybe we will see a few big hits but that’s just for entertainment.

Short from Chahar and Walsh clears his front leg and smashes the ball through mid-wicket.

After 15 overs,West Indies 141/6 ( Hayden Walsh 3 , )

Indians were getting bit worried. Pollard was the only man standing and he was dealing in boundaries. One mistime shot and India got the wicket they needed. Don’t think the Windies can pull it from here.

Pollard falls! It’s the wicket India needed and Bhuvi gets the danger man. 

Short from the bowler. Pollard goes for the shot but the timing is not right. The deep mid-wicket fielder takes the catch. K Pollard c sub (R Jadeja) b Kumar 68.

One more. This time, the ball is pitched up Pollard hits it straight down the long-off region.

Short from Bhuvi and Pollard smashes it straight down the ground for a boundary.

Full-toss from Bhuvi and Pollard’s brute power is in show once again. Six over bowler’s head.

After 14 overs,West Indies 124/5 ( Kieron Pollard (C) 53 , Hayden Walsh 2)

Kuldeep is done with his quota of four overs. Expensive mainly because of this over. Pollard just following the see-ball-hit-ball approach now. The crowd appreciates  the Mumbai Indians star for his fighting innings but pretty sure they’re also bit nervous.

Half-century from Pollard and he gets it with a four through the mid-wicket region.

Oh what a hit! 

Wide delivery from Kuldeep and Pollard makes extra room and hits it powerfully over covers.

Kuldeep tosses the ball up and Pollard launches it into the crowd at deep mid wicket boundary.

After 13 overs,West Indies 107/5 ( Kieron Pollard (C) 36 , Hayden Walsh 2)

Dube bowls his third of the night and it’s a good one. The medium-pacer gives away only two runs. There was a chance to take single off the final ball but Pollard refused. He knows he’s the only hope and he will have to hit quite a few boundaries. Can he do it? Looks very tough.

After 12 overs,West Indies 105/5 ( Kieron Pollard (C) 35 , Hayden Walsh 1)

Hayden Walsh is the new batsman after Holder’s dismissal. The game is drifting away from the Windies. Pollard is the key here but to score almost 17 a over is just too difficult. A top over from Kuldeep as he concedes just two runs and picks up a wicket.

Kuldeep should consider himself lucky to get Hetmyer out with a juicy full-toss. However, perhaps, he needs this luck in his comeback match. On paper the southpaw is India’s all format bowler but of late he has carried drinks more than bowling in an international fixture. In next year’s World T20, on those big Australian grounds, Kuldeep is expected to be India’s trump card. But prior to that, he needs to get his confidence back to be a regular feature in the playing XI.

Another wicket goes down! 

Holder tries for a big six but fails to clear the long-on fielder. A wrong one from Kuldeep gets the wicket. J Holder c sub (MK Pandey) b Kuldeep Yadav 8.

After 11 overs,West Indies 103/4 ( Kieron Pollard (C) 34 , Jason Holder 8)

Shami comes back to the attack for his third over. West Indies go past the 100-run mark with a single. Holder then plays a solid straight drive but the fielder at the boundary cuts off in time and it results in a double. A single to end the over.

After 10 overs,West Indies 97/4 ( Kieron Pollard (C) 32 , Jason Holder 4)

Despite the sixes and the four, it’s a good over for India because Kuldeep gets rid of the dangerous Hetmyer. Virat, as usual, shows his emotions and lets everybody know how much this wicket means for the team. The job’s not done though. Pollard and Holder are capable of turning this game around.

Shot from Holder. Uppish from Kuldeep and Holder gets his four runs with a good-looking drive.

And it’s a wicket!

Kuldeep bowls a bad full-toss. Hetmyer goes for another maximum but fails to time the shot properly. The deep mid-wicket fielder makes no mistake near the boundary line. S Hetmyer c Rahul b Kuldeep Yadav 41.

One more! 

This time, there’s flight but Hetmyer picks it up early and sends the ball over long-off fielder.

Kuldeep bowls on the leg-side and Hetmyer comes up slog sweep for a maximum.

After 9 overs,West Indies 79/3 ( Shimron Hetmyer 29 , Kieron Pollard (C) 31)

Another day for Indian cricket team and another chance dropped. Hetmyer goes hard on the off-side against Dube and Shami, fielding at the mid-off, couldn’t hold on to the chance. Virat Kohli lets out a smile and to be honest, he can only do that. A six and three singles from the over.

Length ball from Dube. Pollard makes sure he gets six runs from the shot.

After 8 overs,West Indies 68/3 ( Shimron Hetmyer 27 , Kieron Pollard (C) 23)

Kuldeep bowls his first over of the day. He starts off with a sharp turner, a googly and Hetmyer barely survives. After the single, Pollard punishes Kuldeep for bowling quick and with no flight. After the maximum, Kuldeep gives away one single and ends the over with two dots.

A huge one from Pollard! 

The ball lands on the third tier. Just too much power from the Windies skipper.

After 7 overs,West Indies 60/3 ( Shimron Hetmyer 26 , Kieron Pollard (C) 16)

Terrible over from Dube. Maybe Kohli wanted to get his overs done quickly considering the Windies are in pressure but both Hetmyer and Pollard punished him for bad deliveries. 19 runs from the over. A very, very constly one for India.

Virat Kohli has rotated his bowlers wonderfully in the powerplay. He knows that unpredictability is the key in this format, even as a captain. Now, it will be interesting to see how uses his spinners, especially Kuldeep Yadav, in the non-powerplay overs. These two batters will target the slow bowlers for sure.

Players to score 1,000-plus runs for West Indies in T20Is:

Chris Gayle

Marlon Samuels

Dwayne Bravo

Kieron Pollard*

Full-toss and it deserved the punishment. Another four for Pollard.

One more! 

Again a slower one from Dube and Pollard finds the gap on the leg-side.

This time, Dube pitches the ball up and Hetmyer smashes it past mid-off.

Some welcome from Hetmyer to Dube. Short of length and Hetmyer perishes the ball towards the mid-wicket.

After 6 overs,West Indies 41/3 ( Shimron Hetmyer 15 , Kieron Pollard (C) 8)

Bhuvi continues his third. Good start to the over as the first three deliveries did not yield any runs. The fourth ball is bit uppish and Pollard hits it for a six. India take the DRS for a LBW appeal in the final ball against Hetmyer. They lose the review after replay showed the ball has pitched outside.

Pollard special!

Bowled on the legs by Bhuvi and Pollard just flicks it over square boundary for a mximum.

After 5 overs,West Indies 33/3 ( Shimron Hetmyer 15 , Kieron Pollard (C) 1)

Shami bowls his third and he starts off with a yorker. Hetmyer does well to block the ball and take a single. The second one is also a yorker length delivery and Pollard pushes it towards the mid-on for a single. Hetmyer then smashes two maximums to ensure West Indies get going.

Another one! 

This time, the ball is short and Hetmyer pulls it towards the mid-wicket for another maximum. Power!

Shot from Hetmyer! 

Uppish from Shami and Hetmyer drags it towards the long-off for a six.

After 4 overs,West Indies 19/3 ( Shimron Hetmyer 2 , Kieron Pollard (C) 0)

West Indies are shaken. Both Indian pacers have bowled really well, not giving the easy runs and also taking the wickets. Pollard and Hetmyer have their task cut out. Somebody has to play a special knock here. A wicket and two runs from Chahar’s over.

Shami, coming in following a terrific home season in Test cricket, has made an immediate impact in this match. His extra pace resulted Simmons’ downfall. And you can’t blame the batsman for going for that shot, especially when the asking rate is 12 and a half.

Another one bites the dust!

Nicholas Pooran goes for a golden duck. Short and wide outside off from Chahar. Pooran goes for the shot and Dube makes good ground to pull of a stunner near boundary line. N Pooran c Dube b Chahar 0.

After 3 overs,West Indies 17/2 ( Shimron Hetmyer 1 , Pooran 0)

Brilliant over from Shami. There’s a run out chance in the second ball when Hetmyer takes off without hearing Simmons’ call. Plenty of time for Shami to hit the stumps but the throw is off target. Nevertheless, he gets his man in the over. Just one run from his six balls.

Simmons departs! 

Shami takes his first of the day. Simmons goes for an ugly-looking slog as he mistimes it and Iyer runs backwards to grab the catch. Simmons c Iyer b Mohammed Shami 7.

After 2 overs,West Indies 16/1 ( Lendl Simmons 7 , Shimron Hetmyer 0)

Bhuvneshwar almost gets a wicket in the first ball of his over as Simmons’ drive towards the mid-on falls just short of the fielder. The next one is a dot and then Simmons smashes a four on the off-side. King tries for a big shot but Bhuvi’s slower ball does the trick. He fails to time it properly and it results in his dismissal. Good over from the bowler.

GONE!

King perishes after making just 5. Bhuvi draws the first blood. Off-side drive from King but the ball takes a thick outside edge and goes high in the air. Rahul at third makes no mistake. B King c Rahul b Kumar 5.

Simmons charges down the track and cuts the ball for a boundary over point.

The highest target successfully chased by West Indies in T20Is is 232 — against South Africa at Johannesburg in 2015.

After 1 overs,West Indies 7/0 ( Lendl Simmons 2 , Brandon King 5)

Deepak Chahar starts off with two dot balls and then concedes a single on the leg-side. Brandon King takes a singe from the very first ball he faces. One more single and a four off the final ball of the over.

First boundary of the innings. Down the leg from Chahar and King beats the short fine-leg for a four.

This is the first instance of three batsmen scoring 70-plus runs in a T20I innings.

KL Rahul : 91(56)
Rohit Sharma : 71(34)
Virat Kohli : 70(29)*

Alright then. Time for the chase. Evin Lewis suffered an injury while fielding so he’s not opening the batting with Lendl Simmons. Brandon King is the other opener.

Update from the West Indies camp: Evin Lewis has gone to hospital for scans on the right knee. Hence, he will not open the batting. Brandon King is likely to open alongside Lendl Simmons.

What a finishing touch that was by Virat Kohli! He has shown his power-game tonight. Came out at a crucial time and continued the momentum for India. KL Rahul too impressed with his touch play and was unfortunate to miss out on a ton. Even with the dew around, 241 will be a humongous total to chase for West Indies. But they are certainly capable of doing so.

India hit 16 sixes today — the second most that they have hit in a T20I match. The record is of 21 against Sri Lanka at Indore in 2017.

Highest totals in T20Is for India:

260/5 v Sri Lanka, Indore, 2017
244/4 v West Indies, Lauderhill, 2016
240/3 v West Indies, Mumbai, 2019*
218/4 v England, Durban, 2007
213/4 v Ireland, Dublin, 2018

KL Rahul last three T20 innings at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai:

91 (56) v West Indies, 2019*
100* (64) v Mumbai Indians, 2019
94 (60) v Mumbai Indians, 2018

After 20 overs,India 240/3 ( Virat Kohli (C) 70 , Shreyas Iyer 0)

It was terrific over by Cottrell. The pacer did so well with his short balls as he gave away just nine runs and also took the wicket of Rahul but still, India have a massive total on the board. Kohli finished the proceedings with a six on the last ball. Windies have a target of 241.

SIX! Kohli finishes off in style. Slower ball from Cottrell and Kohli blasts it down the ground. India have a massive total here – 240/3.

OUT! Rahul c Pooran b Cottrell 91(56)

The ball kicked up from length. In the final over, Rahul had no option as he went for a pull shot but couldn’t control the bounce and edged it to the keeper. He was not sure about the bounce and went to the umpire asking if it was the second short ball but it wasn’t and he has to go.

After 19 overs,India 231/2 ( KL Rahul 91 , Virat Kohli (C) 63)

Huge over for India! 27 came from Pollard’s over. The gentle pace has been punished by Kohli. First length ball was tonked over long on for a six, second one is whipped to midwicket for a six as Kohli brought up his fifty in 21 balls. Kohli added another boundary on a free hit as Hetmyer misfielded at deep cover. He finished the over with a massive six over midwicket.

Think, in the middle of this carnage Kesrick Williams has done a commendable job. His first three overs only went for 21. At this venue, sometimes bowlers with extra pace are easy to hit, whereas someone like Williams, who can bowl those slower ones and cutters are comparatively more effective. And India have couple of those options in their line-up tonight – Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar.

Fastest 50s for India in T20Is:

12 – Yuvraj SIngh v England, Durban, 2007
19 – Gautam Gambhir v Sri Lanka, Nagpur, 2009
20 – Yuvraj Singh v Australia, Durban, 2007
20 – Yuvraj SIngh v Sri Lanka, Mohali, 2009
21 – VIRAT KOHLI v West Indies, Mumbai, 2019*

SIX! Another length ball by Pollard and what did Kohli do? He whipped it over midwicket to add another maximum

FOUR! It was free-hit as Pollard bowled a no ball. Not a mistake you want to do at this stage but for India they have added a boundary with Hetmyer misfielding at deep cover

FIFTY! SIX! Kohli brings up his half-century in just 21 deliveries. And reached to the landmark with a six over midiwkcet.

SIX! Biggie. A length delivery by Pollard, Kohli gets into the position and blasts it over long on for another maximum. Can’t bowl such easy deliveries.

After 18 overs,India 204/2 ( KL Rahul 90 , Virat Kohli (C) 38)

200 up for India as 17 comes off Williams’ over. Two big sixes in that over. Rahul crashed the fuller delivery over the straight boundary before Kohli slammed the back of length delivery over the same area. More punishment awaiting.

SIX! 200 up for India. Slow, back of length ball from Williams and Kohli needed no more invitation as he crashed it down the ground. Amazing batting.

SIX! Huge shot. Rahul had an easy delivery to face. A fuller one and he did his best by getting inside the crease and lofted it over the ropes

After 17 overs,India 187/2 ( KL Rahul 81 , Virat Kohli (C) 31)

The boundaries are back. Two fours in the over for Kohli off Cottrell. First one came off an edge as Kohli went for a heave, edged it past the keeper. Second one was a slap shot down the ground. 11 off the over.

FOUR! A slap shot down the gorund. Cottrell pitched it a bit short. Kohli back tracked and then slammed the delivery past the bowler.

FOUR! Edged and a boundary. The cutter from Cottrell bounced high as Kohli went for an across the line shot. He edged it and it flew over Pooran.

After 16 overs,India 176/2 ( KL Rahul 76 , Virat Kohli (C) 25)

Excellent over by Williams. He was hugely successful in the last match by taking pace off the ball and tried out the same thing here. Both Kohli and Rahul struggled with timing and only three came from it. Kohli even acknowledged a good ball with a nod of the head.

After 15 overs,India 173/2 ( KL Rahul 75 , Virat Kohli (C) 23)

A huge over for India and that’s exactly what hosts wanted. 22 off it as amazing shots were played. Rahul played an inside out lofted six over extra cover followed by a flick shot boundary by Kohli. He then smashed the full toss by Holder over square leg for a six and scored a boundary with his favourite uppish drive to mid wicket.

Players to score 1,000-plus runs in a country in T20Is:

Martin Guptill in New Zealand
Mohammad Shahzad in U.A.E.
Colin Munro in New Zealand
Virat Kohli in India*

It was a strange call to send Pant at No.3. Yes, India needed to continue the momentum but when a class act like Virat Kohli was waiting in the dug-out, he should have come to the crease straightaway after Rohit’s wicket. In Hyderabad we have seen after getting his eye in, the Indian skipper can be as destructive as anyone else in this batting line-up.

FOUR! You ave seen Kohli play this shot so many times. An uppish drive to mid wicket. And this has fetched him four runs

SIX! Bad. You can’t give a full toss at this stage but that is exactly what Holder did and Kohli easily flicked it over square leg for a maximum

FOUR! First boundary for Kohli. A flick shot on leg off Holder as the bowler went full and Kohli was never going to spare him

SIX! Amazing shot. Rahul made room for himself by shuffling across to leg, and then lofted the fuller delivery inside out over inner circle on off for a biggie.

After 14 overs,India 151/2 ( KL Rahul 68 , Virat Kohli (C) 8)

Walsh has been called back into attack after dismissal of left-hander Pant. Bowled a decent over till Kohli found the six on last ball. Sweeping the loopy delivery in front of wicket, over long off. Nine off the over.

SIX! First maximum for Kohli and what a shot. Made the full use of the tossed up ball from Walsh as he swept it over long on. More of this, please.

After 13 overs,India 142/2 ( KL Rahul 66 , Virat Kohli (C) 2)

Another excellent over for Windies. Skipper Pollard comes into attack and takes the wicket of Pant. The keeper-batsman could have taken sometime but shots were also required. He went behind a wide and full delivery but found the fielder at long off. May be the ball was too away from the body. Six off the over. Kohli is in the middle now.

WICKET! Pant c Holder b Pollard 0(2)

One brings two for Windies. Pant was sent to keep the scoring rate high and his only option was to attack. Pollard pitched it wide and full on off, Pant went for a smash down the gorund but into the hands of Holder.

After 12 overs,India 137/1 ( KL Rahul 63 , Rishabh Pant (W) 0)

Excellent over from Williams as he brings Windies back into the game with the wicket of Rohit. The batsman was at fault with his ugly shot across the line as the ball bounced him over to taken an edge and go into orbit which was taken expertly by Walsh. Finger-on-lips celebration by Williams. Yet Mumbai crowd has an ovation for Rohit. Only four off the over.

Last time these two teams played each others in a T20I at Wankhede, it was the semi-final of the World T20 and the West Indies chased down India’s 192 quite comfortably. Also, England, during the league stage of the same tournament beat South Africa by chasing down 230 here. So, at this point India should not be complacent. They have to maximise this platform.

WICKET! ROHIT GONE

Rohit c Hayden Walsh b Kesrick Williams 71(34) 

A very good catch by Walsh in the deep. It was in the air for long as Rohit went for an ugly heave, got the ball on top part of his bat and edged it over which Walsh took comfortably. Williams has the finger-on-lips celebration.

This is now the highest stand for India against West Indies in T20Is, surpassing 130 runs stand between Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant at Chennai in 2018 for the 3rd wicket.

After 11 overs,India 132/0 ( Rohit Sharma 70 , KL Rahul 60)

Really poor over by Walsh. 16 off it as the spinner kept giving away freebies. The first half-tracker was slammed by Rohit over square leg for a six. Rahul then got two boundaries. One with a cover drive but second was a whip shot on a full toss. Windies desperately need to break this stand. Or else massive target awaits.

FOUR! Freebie this. A full toss by Walsh. Rahul gets onto the back foot and whacks it on the leg side to find the fence. A whip shot it was through midwicket.

FOUR! Drive shot through sweeper cover. Loopy leg spinner from Walsh and it was enough for Rahul as he drove it excellently on off

Hundred up for India after eight overs. This is the kind of mindset this batting line-up requires in T20I internationals. In modern day cricket, the game is evolving and this hit out or get out approach will be the future in T20s.

SIX! Half-tracker by Walsh and Rohit dishes out the best treatment. Plays the pull shot with his swivel to place the ball into the stands

Both openers scoring 50-plus runs for India in a T20I match:

Gambhir/Sehwag v Eng, Durban,2007
R Sharma/S Dhawan v NZ,Delhi,2017
R Sharma/KL Rahul v SL,Indore,2017
R Sharma/S Dhawan v Ire,Dublin,2018
R Sharma/KL Rahul v WI,Mumbai,2019*

After 10 overs,India 116/0 ( Rohit Sharma 63 , KL Rahul 51)

Afgter Rohit, Rahul has now got to his fifty in 29 deliveries. His second of the series. The guy is an excellent T20 opener. Something for selectors to chew upon. Nine off the over as Holder returned into attack. A boundary also came for Rohit as he edged his hoick shot past the keeper.

FOUR! Outside edge and a boundary. Holder was unlucky there as Rohit edged the fuller delivery going for a hoick but it ran past the keeper

Most century stands for teams in T20Is:

22 – Australia, INDIA*
16 – England, Pakistan
15 – South Africa

FIFTY! After Rohit, it’s Rahul’s turn to celeberate. Round of applause by Mumbai crowd and he thoroughly deserves it as India have got off to a terrific start

After 9 overs,India 107/0 ( Rohit Sharma 57 , KL Rahul 49)

Excellent over by Windies. Just five off it. This is what visitors need and Walsh provides the support. Mixed his bowling up with flatter, short and wide deliveries to avoid boundary shots. Drinks break.

Most 50-plus scores in T20Is:

23 – Virat Kohli, ROHIT SHARMA*
17 – Martin Guptill
16 – Paul Stirling, David Warner

Highest powerplay scores for India in T20Is:

78 v South Africa, Johannesburg, 2018
77 v Sri Lanka, Nagpur, 2009
76 v New Zealand, Johannesburg, 2007
74 v Australia, Sydney, 2016
72 v West Indies, Mumbai, 2019*

After 8 overs,India 102/0 ( Rohit Sharma 55 , KL Rahul 46)

100-run partnership up between the openers but before that Rohit brought up his fifty and in style. Inched closer to the landmark with a slog sweep six and then punished Pierre with a six down the ground for his fifty. Finished the over with an overstretched offside shot for a four. 21 runs off it.

FOUR! Doesn’t matter what you do, Rohit just finds a way to get a boundary. This was away from body, wide still Rohit managed to get the bat on it and found the gap on off

FIFTY! SIX! Rohit brings up his half-century with a maximum. It’s criminal to bowl full to him as Pierre did and Rohit slammed it down the ground to get to the landmark

SIX! Amaxing shot. Hitman in his element. Loopy delivery from Pierre and Rohit brings out the slog sweep for the huge six over square leg

After 7 overs,India 81/0 ( Rohit Sharma 38 , KL Rahul 43)

Powerplay is over, so the batsman need to be smart here. Rahul is a smart batsman, so with no room on offer from Hayden Walsh Jr, the batsman played the cut shot very late to beat the keeper and add a boundary. Nine off the over.

FOUR! Smart batting again. Rahul had very little room so he delayed his shot and played the cut very late to beat the keeper

After 6 overs,India 72/0 ( Rohit Sharma 34 , KL Rahul 38)

Kesrick Williams has been given a brutal treatment as he comes into attack. Rahul opened the scoring floodgates with a beautiful cover drive before cutting one over third man fence for a six. Another fuller delivery is creamed through extra cover for a boundary. 14 off the over. Powerplay over.

FOUR! Another beautiful shot. Rahul made full use of the fuller delivery by taking the stride forward and driving it through extra-cover

SIX! Super shot by Rahul. Width offered by Williams on off and Rahul cut it over third man fence for a maximum. Absolute class.

FOUR! Lovely boundary. No need of powerful shots when you can time the shot so well on off like Rahul did there

After 5 overs,India 58/0 ( Rohit Sharma 34 , KL Rahul 24)

This over was for Rohit and his job was made easy by left-arm spinner Khary Pierre. Bowled a fuller delivery which was slog-swept over long on for a maximum. Another biggie on next ball but Evin Lewis did well to leap and keep it just to two. Rohit added another boundary by cutting the short ball though gap on off. 14 off the over. Excellent start for India.

FOUR! Through deep backward point. There was just enough room for Rohit and he did well to guide the shot through gap on off

SIX! Poor start by Khary Pierre. Fuller delivery, in the zone for Rohit and he slog-sweeps it over long on boundary. Adds another six.

After 4 overs,India 44/0 ( Rohit Sharma 21 , KL Rahul 23)

Rohit and Rahul are taking turns here in demolishing WIndies bowlers upfront and this time it was KL’s chance. Played the swipe shot across the line confidently against Holder to get to midwicket fence before cutting the wide and short delivery over fence for six. 14 off the over.

SIX! Wide and short ball from Holder. Rahul was quick to get on back foot and cut it over the fence for a maximum

FOUR! Yes the swipe across the line. Rahul picked the ball early off his pads and was quick to play the swipe shot

Players to hit 400-plus sixes in international cricket:

Chris Gayle
Shahid Afridi
Rohit Sharma*

Rohit has opted for this open stance in order to counter the late swing of Cottrell. He knows that on this pitch the left-armer can be dangerous, especially in his first spell. Having missed out in the previous two games, the Indian vice-captain is looking to get going in front of his home crowd. And so far Rohit;s timing has been impeccable.

After 3 overs,India 30/0 ( Rohit Sharma 21 , KL Rahul 9)

The openers are getting better with time. Rohit showed his class in over with two different sort of shots. Pulled the length ball infront of wicket for a six over long on and them creamed the full delivery down the ground for a boundary. Finished the over with another classy shot. With the third man in, smartly caressed the wide ball through the gap. 16 off the over.

FOUR! Smart batting. The third man was called in and Rohit was aware of it. Got the opportunity and guided the ball through the gap on off

FOUR! Beautiful shot. It was a gentle push down the ground which would remind you of Sachin Tendulkar. Timing was so good that mid off fielder was left behind

SIX! The first maximum of the match is here. In his arc as Cottrell bowled a length delivery and Rohit was quick to tonk it straight down the ground over ropes at long on

After 2 overs,India 14/0 ( Rohit Sharma 6 , KL Rahul 8)

Kohli said India have been tentative batting first so we could see an attacking start here and for that you need quick boundaries. Rahul got two in this over, both with outside edges, first one was a thick outside edge as Rahul went for a cut and it ran past the slip fielder. Second one was soft hands outside edge for the same result. Nine off the over.

FOUR! So well played. Soft hands. Rahul used his soft hands to edge the length ball from Holder past the slip fielder and bought up consecutive boundaries

FOUR! Outside edge and four. Rahul was looking to cut the wide delivery as the thick outside edge ran off the bat, past slip fielder, to third man fence

After 1 overs,India 5/0 ( Rohit Sharma 5 , KL Rahul 0)

Cottrell had a lovely start with an inswinging yorker that was bunted down in time by Rohit but the second delivery was in the zone which the opener creamed through covers for a boundary, took a single to retain strike. Five off the over.

The fast bowlers from both teams will enjoy the bounce on this surface. Also, in IPL games we have noticed pacers getting sideways movement here in the first few overs, which is a good news for someone like Sheldon Cottrell, who tends to pitch the ball up and extracts late swing.

Most consecutive T20Is missed between appearances for India:

65 – Umesh Yadav (2012-2018)
56 – Dinesh Karthik (2010-2017)
43 – Mohammed Shami (2017-2019)*
33 – Ravindra Jadeja (2017-2019)
29 – Ashish Nehra (2011-2016)

FOUR! That’s the start that India needed. Poor overpitched delivery and Rohit Sharma went with a powerful drive, lofting it towards cover boundary

Alright, time for thrilling action! Rohit Sharma is on strike, KL Rahul is his partner. Sheldon Cottrell will bowl the first over.

At Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai in T20Is:

Matches played : 6
Batting first won : 1
Batting second won : 5

India have lost five of the six matches while batting first at home in T20Is this year.

Batting second is a huge advantage in a T20I at Wankhede as dew plays a crucial role in a day-night game in Mumbai. Hence, India need a 200 plus score tonight to defend. Meanwhile, good to see Kuldeep and Shami finally getting a game here. But without Jadeja, India’s batting depth will be effected. Nevertheless, on this flat batting wicket, five batsmen plus Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar should be enough for the home team to post a big score.

India XI: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami

West Indies XI: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran(w), Kieron Pollard(c), Jason Holder, Khary Pierre, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Kesrick Williams

Virat Kohli: It’s a great wicket to score runs. We have been tentative while batting first but T20 cricket goes that way. We were 15 runs short (in 2nd T20I). Fielding is an important part in this format. If we had taken our chances, things could have been different.

Two changes for India: Mohammed Shami replaces Ravindra Jadeja while Kuldeep Yadav comes in to replace Yuzvendra Chahal.

Kieron Pollard: We will field first. Here dew plays a factor when you bat second. It’s a new wicket, hopefully we can restrict them to a total which can be chased. I think it was a good performance (in the last game). We are always looking to improve and there are a couple of areas to improve on.

TOSS: Kieron Pollard makes the right call and decides to field first against India in third T20I. No changes for West Indies, they will be playing with the same team as last T20I.

Here’s the Wankhede pitch. It has a reputation of being a high-scoring ground and we are expecting a lot of big shots today. 

Pitch report: “There are some wet patches so there will be some help for new ball bowlers but the ball will come on to the bat nicely and you will see big shots. Captain winning toss will want to chase,” reckons Sunil Gavaskar.

Mumbai boys are in the house, beware Windies! 

Coach Phil Simmons hopes Kieron Pollard’s experience of playing at Wankhede Stadium for Mumbai Indians in IPL will help the young Windies bowlers in the series-decider. Read about this and more that Simmons had to say before the match here .

All the T20 tournaments are being seen as a dress rehearsal for the 2020 T20 World Cup but India vice-captain Rohit Sharma is of the opinion that there’s still a lot of time left to build a squad for that tournament and his team’s focus should be on the present. Here’s all that he had to say before the third T20I.

Okay, it’s time to turn our attention towards tonight’s match. It’s a winner takes all situation and on such a huge night you would not want the weather to play spolisport. Here’s the weather update for Mumbai tonight.

There’s some more good news for India Test opener Mayank Agarwal. The Karnataka cricketer has been called up to the ODI side for the series against West Indies as a replacement for injured Shikhar Dhawan. Read more details here …

One more IPL related story. 

Royal Challengers Bangalore have been the under-performers in the league. This Virat Kohli-led team need to be on their game on auction day and our writer Sarthak Dev looks at their squad and writes about the gaps they need to fill.

Read the article here .

So the IPL auctions are due next week and we are running a special series called My life-changing IPL auction. 

Mystery spinner KC Cariappa was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 2.4 crores, 24 times his base price in the 2015 IPL auctions. He recalls that ‘beautiful day’ that changed his life here ..

Virat Kohli and Co look to improve on poor fielding, bowling against resurgent Windies in series decider

Read the preview the match here .

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the third and final T20I between India and the West Indies. 

The series is tied 1-1 so both Virat Kohli and Kieron Pollard will go all guns blazing to clinch the match and secure the trophy. 

The match will take place at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and considering the history of the venue, we can expect a run fest today. 

We will get you all the updates from the match so stay tuned.