West Indies' Jamaican icon Chris Gayle (L) poses with Rihanna during the Cricket World Cup between Sri Lanka and West Indies at the Riverside Ground in Durham, UK, July 1, 2019. /VCG Photo
A cricket match that was viewed as the farewell match of West Indies icon Chris Gayle was won by India. Virat Kohli, Indian captain, smashed an unbeaten 114 to lead his side to a memorable six-wicket triumph in Port of Spain, in the Caribbean island country of Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, on Wednesday.
Despite Gayle's final blast with a power-packed 72 off 41 balls, Kohli's superlative performance helped India win the third and final one-day international against the hosts and clinch the three-match series 2-0 as well.
Having previously announced he would hang his bat at the World Cup, the Caribbean southpaw reversed that decision, saying he wanted to play against India. With his name being omitted for the upcoming Test series against the Indian side, this was Gayle's final appearance for his team.
Wearing a specially made jersey with 301 - the number of ODIs he has played in his career - the West Indies opener was at his best as the match saw a trademark Gaylestorm early in the Caribbean innings.
However, once his blistering innings came to an end off a Khaleel Ahmed delivery, he was greeted by all the India players on his final walk back to the pavilion. The talismanic batsman's departure slowed down the run-scoring for his side and a resurgent performance by the Indian bowlers restricted the home team to 240 for 7 after rain delay reduced the game to a 35 overs-a-side.
Chris Gayle of West Indies waves to fans while walking off the field during the 3rd ODI match between West Indies and India at Queens Park Oval, Port of Spain, the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, August 14, 2019. /AFP Photo
Chasing a revised target of 255 on the Duckworth-Lewis method, India wobbled early losing three of their top-order batsmen Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, and Rishabh Pant. However, skipper Kohli turned out to be the rescuer in chief for the stuttering side and played yet another majestic knock to pull his side to an emphatic victory with 15 balls to spare. This was his second successive century in a row and the 43rd overall in One-Day international matches.
In his post-match reaction, Kohli, however, gave a credit to his bowlers saying, "We also did really well to keep the West Indies total to a manageable level. Credit to the bowlers for sticking to the task."
Meanwhile, his Caribbean counterpart Jason Holder remarked, "We paid a heavy price for letting Kohli off the hook today, but I also felt we didn't execute as well as we should as a bowling unit."