Trinidad, (UNI)
India clinched the two-Test series 1-0 against West Indies after the second Test ended in a draw as the last day’s play was called off due to incessant rains at Port of Spain here on Monday. India were in the driver’s seat as it needed to take eight wickets to clinch a whitewash with West Indies requiring 289 runs more, but rain played spoilsport. For a change, West Indies put up a better show than the first Test in Dominica where they got royal hammering by India inside three days, with Rohit Sharma and Yashashvi Jaiswal cracking 103 and 171 runs. Ravichandran Ashwin had proved his mettle with a 12-wicket match haul to hand the host an innings and 141 runs defeat in the first Test. The offie had claimed 5-60 to help skittle out West Indies for 150 in the first innings, and in the second innings he claimed 7-71 even as Jaiswal was adjudged player-of-the-match. Both teams earned 4 WTC points for this Test.
The action now shifts to a 3-match ODI series and first two matches will be played in Barbados. India will use these matches as preparation for 2023 World Cup to be held in India and Sri Lanka. The Windies, meanwhile, will use this series to improve after they failed to qualify for the World Cup.
The first ODI will be played on July 27. Brief scores: India 438 (Virat Kohli 121, Rohit Sharma 80; Jomel Warrican 3-89) & 181/2 decl. (Rohit Sharma 57, Ishan Kishan 52*; Shannon Gabriel 1-33) drew with West Indies 255 (Kraigg Brathwaite 75; Mohammed Siraj 5-60) & 76/2 (Kraigg Brathwaite 28; R Ashwin 2-33).
