India captain Virat Kohli scored his 38th ODI century off 110 balls to lead a lone battle against a rejuvenated West Indies team in the third ODI at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune, on Saturday. (LIVE UPDATES)
Scoring 10 boundaries and a six, Kohli reached the triple-digit mark for the third consecutive time. He became the first India to achieve this rare feat in the One-Day Cricket.
Kohli also became the first batsman to hit hundreds in four successive innings against an opponent. Apart from his centuries during the ongoing series, he had scored one when he last faced the Windies at Kingston in 2017.
Kohli's last four inngs against West Indies:
111(115)*, Kingston, 2017
140(107), Gauhati, 2018
157(129)*, Vizag, 2018
100(110)*, Pune, 2018
Kohli became the first Indian and 10th overall to score three successive hundreds in the One-day format but it could not prevent West Indies from tasting their first win of the tour.
After making a commendable recovery from a shaky start to post 283 for nine on the board, West Indies bowlers rattled the Indian middle and lower middle-order, to snuff out a victory and level the series.
The hosts were bundled out for 240 in 47.4 overs.
India had won the lung-opener in Guwahati before West Indies ensured a tie in the second game at Visakhapatnam.
Between victory and defeat, stood a determined Kohli (107), who notched up his 38th ODI hundred and seventh against the Windies. The India skipper was going all guns blazing till he was dismissed. He hit 10 boundaries and a lone six in his 119-ball knock at the MCA International Stadium.
India had their chances till Kohli was at the crease. But West Indies skipper Jason Holder's gamble to bring in off-spinner Marlon Samuels (3-12) paid off, as he got the prized wicket of Kohli in the 42nd over and that changed the complexion of the game.
Kohli tried to pull a quicker one by Samuels, but missed it and the ball came onto the stumps. After Kohli’s dismissal it was just a matter of time. Samuels added two more wickets to his kitty.
With track slowing down, it proved to be a tough job for the Indian tail-enders.
(With PTI inputs)
