World Cup 2019: India defeat WI by 125 runs, remain unbeaten

India remain unbeaten in the ongoing ICC World Cup with their victory over West Indies on Thursday (June 27) at Old Trafford, Manchester.

The Men in Blue have also secured the second position on the points’ table, pushing New Zealand to the third. On a contrary, West Indies has won only one match and lost five, while one was abandoned due to rain.

India set a target of 269 runs for West Indies, losing some of the big wickets early in the game. But quick wickets sealed the fate of the Windies batsmen, who did hit some big shots but couldn’t put up a satisfactory partnership. Virat Kohli was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant 72-run knock.

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India had won the toss and chose to bat first. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul opened the innings for India.

The review that raised a question

The first breakthrough for West Indies came as Rohit Sharma’s crucial wicket fell to a rather debateable review. It remained a question whether there was an inside edge or it brushed off Rohit’s pad. The first of the two successful reviews called by the opponents declared Rohit caught behind, but the music did not stop.

The second review sent Kedar Jadhav back to the pavilion as West Indies celebrated another successful call. A brilliant 48-run knock from Rahul was what India needed from an opener. Kohli’s 72 runs off 82 balls helped steer India close to the 200-run mark. This was the fourth consecutive half-century from the Indian skipper this World Cup.

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At a point when it seemed India won’t cross a total of 250, it was Dhoni who did what he does the best – hit massive shots. At 56 off 61 balls, he ended the innings with his iconic last-ball six.

Even though 269 didn’t seem to be a difficult target, Indian bowlers made it seem so.

Big disappointment for Windies

Chris Gayle was perhaps the biggest disappointment for the Windies as the big hitter departed scoring only six runs off 19 balls. Pooran and Ambris’ knocks helped the team steer past the 100-run mark but the duo fell to India’s bowling attacks soon.

However, Carlos Brathwaite who steered West Indies to a possible win against New Zealand also walked back to the stands early, putting the lower order under pressure.

Soon, the big hitters were all back to the pavilion and it didn’t seem like West Indies will stand a chance anymore. On the other side, India was on a quick wicket-taking spree and they were in no mood to rest.

Bumrah’s two consecutive wickets in the 27th over changed the track of the game and the fate of the Windies was decided. West Indies were all out for 143 runs conceding an easy defeat to the Men in Blue.