WI v IND | When Gayle and Lewis bat like that, there’s hardly anything opposition can do, admits Virat Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli admitted that the West Indian duo is near-impossible to stop when they are on song, decimating opposition bowling attacks on the way. Despite the Gayle-Lewis 115-run opening stand in just 10.5 overs, India managed to restrict the Windies to an easy target.
Things were calm and fully under India’s control after Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered an opening over maiden to start proceedings in the third and final ODI between India and West Indies. Then, Mohammed Shami stepped up – stepped over the line, actually – to grant Gayle a free hit. As if to make things worse, Shami landed the delivery on a length at a regular pace. Gayle deposited it over long-on, thus beginning a carnage that every bowler had ti endure thereafter.Â
By the time Kumar was taken off the attack in the ninth over, he had conceded 48 off his five. Khaleel Ahmed and Shami shared in the medicine with Khaleel going for 33 in his first two, while Shami’s figures read 3-1-31-0. Lewis marched onto 43 from 28, while Gayle did one better and hit a 30-ball fifty.Â
“When Chris and Lewis play like that, you understand why they are rated two of the most dangerous players in the world, especially in white-ball cricket. When they get going, we know there’s hardly anything you can do as a bowler, as a captain, and a fielding side. We tried everything, bowled every ball we could. But, they were just absolutely brutal,” Kohli said at the post-match press conference, reported Cricbuzz.
It took Yuzvendra Chahal to put the brakes on the hosts, to begin with. He removed Lewis in his first over, before Gayle fell to Khaleel for 72. Kohli said his team were lucky that the two wickets were immediately followed by a rain-interrupted delay in proceedings.Â
“Firstly, we were glad that we got two wickets and then it rained for a bit to break the momentum. But even during the break, we were nervous that the D/L method could’ve taken the score way past what we could’ve chased. So, it was actually good that we got some game time, and got those wickets. Otherwise, we would’ve been chasing close to 280 in whatever overs we had bowled. That would’ve been a humongous task on a pitch that was slowing down,” he admitted.
West Indies posted 240 in their allotted 35 overs. After D/L method adjustments, India were asked to chase 255 in the same number of overs, but the Indian openers could not replicate what their West Indian counterparts managed. Instead, it was the middle-order – led by the skipper himself – who did the job. Kohli spoke about the dynamics of the Indian top 3, who are already an iconic trio in cricketing history.
“Shikhar and Rohit have been brilliant performers for us. One of them usually gets a big score. If they don’t, it's my responsibility in the top three to get a big score. That’s how we’ve played, and that’s why we’ve been so successful, a 75% win ratio in the last three, four years. So, we have a good template that we follow as a team,” Kohli added.
The skipper will now lead India in the first Test at Antigua, which also marks both team’s inaugural game of the ICC World Test Championship.
