IND vs WI 3rd ODI: Ishan Kishan’s starting blitz comes good | Cricket News

If Ishan Kishan is not handed a longer stint at the top of the order in the upcoming Asia Cup and beyond, his three consecutive fifties in the ODIs against the West Indies will hold little meaning. The left-hander was given a specific role, of going after the bowling from the first ball, and has performed it selflessly. Of course, the West Indies bowling these days presents few demons, especially with the new ball.
Kishan could have been out caught at point in the second over, but the reprieve did little to douse his attacking instincts. Eight fours and three sixes flowed from his bat, not always from the sweet spot, but the operative word in the whole exercise is ‘intent’, with the 50-over game increasingly becoming an extended version of T20 format. His knock of 77 off 64 balls continued his rich vein of form in the Caribbean. His opening partnership of 143 in 118 balls with Shubman Gill was the bedrock on which India’s eventual score of 351/5 rested.
After sitting out the second ODI in Barbados on Saturday, regular captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were missing from the series decider as well. Head coach Rahul Dravid had stressed that the team was not too concerned about the result of every match and every series, and was looking to try out players in the lead up to the World Cup in two months’ time.

Well played. Deserved a 💯@ShubmanGill..#INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/KPWdZjFQt6
— FanCode (@FanCode) August 1, 2023
Does that mean that Kishan is now in contention to displace Rohit from the opener’s slot? With the talent pool that India possesses, there will always be players available to be tried. But on the cusp of a marquee event, the think tank should have at least a broad idea of their best 11 or 15 – which is not necessarily the case with India.
Making it count
On Tuesday, Gill ended his lean patch with a score of 80-odd at the top of the order, but struggled for rhythm in the latter part of his innings. Sanju Samson just about stayed in contention with a better-than-a-run-a-ball 51, but suffered a soft dismissal, not for the first time in his career, when he had plenty of overs to bat and make a much bigger score and impact. But Kishan and Samson, who may be vying for one spot in the World Cup squad, had pushed the Indian run rate well past seven an over with a large part of the innings left to capitalise.

Short. Sweet. Samson…#INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/re7tjiKMPN
— FanCode (@FanCode) August 1, 2023
Suryakumar Yadav has now been assigned the finisher’s role, after not living up to expectations higher up the line-up, and alongside stand-in captain Hardik Pandya, managed to resurrect the scoring rate, which had fallen to just above six with 10 overs to go. In the death overs, a batsman doesn’t have to be fluent consently, but get the few big hits away that can make the vital difference, and Surya did showcase a bit of his 360-degree skills with a hoick over fine leg and a slice over point, both shots going for maximums. But a 30-ball 35 will not answer all questions regarding his proficiency in the 50-over format.
It was Pandya who showed his power in the final few overs, reaching his half-century in 45 balls. His long levers make him particularly strong down the ground, against both full balls and short, and his assault on Romario Shepherd in the 50th over took the team past 350, a bare minimum what India seemed destined for after the batting efforts of Kishan and Samson. Pandya’s 52-ball 70 came at a time when the innings was losing momentum at a crucial stage.

Early signs of another big one from Ishan 😉#INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/vbzjDqB6tp
— FanCode (@FanCode) August 1, 2023
Sloppy hosts
The wicket at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy at Tarouba, Trinidad, hosting its first men’s ODI, slowed down as the innings went on, making West Indies captain Shai Hope’s call at the toss to field first a debatable one. There was initial movement on offer, but the home team’s bowlers lacked the consency to make use of it. The only bowler to exert some sort of control over the Indian batting line-up was left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie with figures of 1/38 in 10 overs, which included a maiden. All other bowlers went well in excess of six runs an over. Leg-spinner Yannick Cariah got some purchase from the surface, but was also targeted the batsmen.

Innings Break!
Brilliant batting display from #TeamIndia! 💪 💪
8⃣5⃣ for @ShubmanGill 7⃣7⃣ for @ishankishan51 7⃣0⃣* for Captain @hardikpandya7 5⃣1⃣ for @IamSanjuSamson
Over to our bowlers now! 👍 👍
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/boUPUpFuSr#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/rLchdWjPgk
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 1, 2023
Their bowling, which made good use of helpful conditions at the Kensington Oval in the previous match, erred on both sides of the wicket, allowing Gill and Kishan to get off to a flying start. Alzarri Joseph is considered the premier bowler for the West Indies in the format, but it’s high time he lives up to the responsibility. After an underwhelming Test series in which he was erratic most of the time, Joseph’s figures of 1/77 in 10 overs let the team down once again. Jayden Seales was targeted both at the start and the end of the innings, going at well over nine an over in his eight overs.
The less said about the West Indian fielding the better. Apart from dropping Kishan very early on in the piece, an error that turned out to be pretty expensive, the ground fielding and throwing often reached comical proportions. Apart from giving away extra runs, there were possible run-out opportunities that went abegging due to poor out-cricket, alluding to one of the main reasons for the West Indies suffering a debacle at the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe.