Ruturaj Gaikwad was caught out at 99 (File Photo)India A ripped apart West Indies A in the fifth and final unofficial ODI between the two sides at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua on Sunday, winning by 8 wickets and 17 overs to spare. After they restricted the home side to 236 in their 50 overs, openers Shubman Gill (69) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (99) unleashed on the Windies bowling attack as the target was overhauled in the 33rd over. With this win, India A have clinched the five-match series 4-1.
🌴v 🇮🇳
India A win the 5th ‘ODI’ by 8 wickets. #WIAvINDA pic.twitter.com/sMSHxuEvLZ— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 21, 2019
Gill launched a blitzkrieg at the very onset of the second innings, racing to his 50 in 29 balls. This was his third consecutive fifty-plus score for India A.
Gaikwad was content to take the backseat when Gill was pounding the bowlers, continuing to time and place the balls into gaps. He took a special liking to left arm spinner Karrie Pierre, taking the inside out route to smash him for three sixes over extra cover.
After Gill’s wicket, Shreyas Iyer came out at No. 3. Iyer saw the first few balls out, letting Gaikwad take charge, before launching an attacking innings of his own as India A looked to be in a hurry to finish the contest off.
When Gaikwad was caught at midwicket with his score on 99, the match was over as a contest. Manish Pandey joined Iyer in the middle as the chase was seen out with ease.
Earlier, in the first innings, Navdeep Saini (2/31) was the pick of the India A bowlers. He took two wickets and had the best economy rate.
The Chahar brothers picked up two wickets each too, while Krunal Pandya was at his economical best. Khaleel Ahmed, the other pacer in this match who will have a role to play in the series between India and West Indies, returned disappointing figures of 1/41 in 6 overs.
The two teams will now meet for the first unofficial Test of this ongoing tour on July 24.
