Rahul 129*, Rohit and Gaikwad fifties set West Indies 352 target

Having needed only four batters in the first two matches, India were forced to dig deep when reduced to 4 for 2 in New Chandigarh, but Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul responded with aplomb to take them to 351 for 7.

While Rohit fell eight short of what would have been a third century in four innings, Rahul turned his only opportunity to bat in the series into his ninth ODI hundred, four of them from No. 5 in just 36 innings. He took 42 off the last 12 balls he faced to turn the hundred into his highest ODI score, adding 40 and 61 with bowlers Anshul Kamboj and Gurnoor Brar. Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with a fortune-filled fifty, and Naman Dhir looked superb in his 21-ball 30.

Jayden Seales, West Indies' best bowler all series, finally got the wickets to show for his work, two of them in two successive legal deliveries, and then Gaikwad with a brutal delivery with the old ball. After Shubman Gill gloved him down leg and Virat Kohli missed a straight ball for a golden duck, India had to endure their longest wait for a first boundary in four years. However, West Indies lent them a helping hand with at least six dropped catches - four of them from Gaikwad, some ordinary ground fielding and inconsistent bowling.