Twitter Reactions: Rampant India annihilate West Indies to seal series

India invited considerable criticism in the first couple of ODIs against the West Indies for experimenting too much with the World Cup being less than three months away. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were rested for the second ODI as Hardik Pandya led the side. The youngsters were given a go but they failed to impress as Shai Hope’s men managed to keep the series alive with a win.

While many felt regular captain Rohit and talismanic batter Virat would return to the side for the decisive third ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad, the team management relied on the younger lot and backed them in the series decider.

The move worked wonders as the likes of Shubman Gill (85 in 92 balls), Ishan Kishan (77 in 64 balls), and Sanju Samson (51 in 41 balls) scored fluent half-centuries and stand-in captain Hardik Pandya also found form to score an unbeaten 55-ball 70. Suryakumar Yadav also played a decent knock of 35 in 30 balls, with Ruturaj Gaikwad being the only one to missed out, getting out for just eight after coming out to bat at No. 3. The ‘Men in Blue’ posted a daunting score of 351/5 in the first innings.

The West Indies would have hoped for a solid start and big scores from their top 3 but that was just what they didn’t manage. Mukesh Kumar, playing just his fifth international game, scalped the big wickets of Brandon King, Kyle Mayers and Shai Hope with the new ball to push the hosts on the back foot.

Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat further dented the hopes of the home side as the West Indies slumped to 50/6 in the 14th over. Yannick Cariah and Alick Athanaze tried to delay the inevitable but their 25-run partnership could not make a difference. Gudakesh Motie swung his bat around and remained unbeaten on 39 off 34 balls, batting at No. 10. 

His 55-run partnership with Alzarri Joseph helped West Indies get into the three-figure mark before Shardul took the last two wickets to finish with a four-for and help India win comprehensively. Kuldeep Yadav also took a couple of wickets. The visitors won by a whopping 200 runs to win the series 2-1.

Here is how Twitter reacted to India's series win:

Don't know what exactly we ended up learning in this ODI series!
WI look awful and it seems they have given up with this format
Playing Deodhar Trophy would have been a better idea for match practice

Save WI cricket#WIvsIND

— Naman🏏🥰 (@NamanShah2607) August 2, 2023

My Favourite FRAME 😌😌❤️‍🔥

Ex Captain, Captain & Future Captain 💯🔥#WIvsIND #ViratKohli #RohitSharma #HardikPandya #BCCI #IndianCricket #WIvsIND pic.twitter.com/5r3xiXkVVK

— Areeba Khan🇮🇳 (@Areebakhan1325) August 2, 2023

🇮🇳🏆 Onto the T20s pic.twitter.com/G79gSJzanE

— hardik pandya (@hardikpandya7) August 2, 2023

Incredible batting performance by India after losing the toss in the series decider! 🏏

Shubman Gill - 85(92)
Ishan Kishan - 77(64)
Hardik Pandya - 70*(52)
Sanju Samson - 51(41)
Suryakumar Yadav - 35(30)

Well played lads! 👌👌#WIvsIND #IndianCricket #ShubmanGill pic.twitter.com/ZGdz0mypCw

— MANOJ TIWARY (@tiwarymanoj) August 1, 2023

In this 3-Match ODI series, India batted three different No. 3 and three different No. 4. #WIvInd

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) August 1, 2023

Much better batting show today from team India 👏🏽😄 #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/lVZIgFZ9Ge

— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) August 1, 2023

Mukesh Kumar takes 3 wickets and helps India beat by 200 runs after Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shubmann Gill and Hardik Pandya's half centuries. People who trended SACK ROVID are no where to be seen now.
WE SUPPORT ROVID#WIvIND pic.twitter.com/i4gkmzLg9z

— Bala45Rohit (@Balasub13636272) August 2, 2023

Very Much!! @Vimalwa #RohitSharma #SanjuSamson https://t.co/zOtjZLH1K4

— Kritarth Yadav (@Kritart45625128) August 1, 2023

"special thanks to Captain Rohit Sharma for valuable tips before mine batting , he is the true leader leading the team with great example" - Sanju Samson pic.twitter.com/pLHLbn96sU

— 𝗔𝘆𝘂𝘀𝗵 🇮🇳 (@RofiedAyush) August 1, 2023