ST JOHN’S, Antigua, Jul 21, CMC – Sherfane Rutherford and Sunil Ambris struck half-centuries but West Indies A suffered a chastening eight-wicket thrashing in the final one-dayer, as India A put a firm exclamation mark on a dominant series display here Sunday.
Asked to chase 237 for victory at Coolidge Cricket Ground, the tourists hardly broke a sweat as they overhauled their target off 33 overs, to win the five-match series 4-1.
Ruturaj Gaikwad missed out on three figures when he fell for 99 with victory in sight while opening partner Shubman Gill stroked 69 and Shreyas Iyer an unbeaten 61.
Sherfane Rutherford (65) and Sunil Ambris (61) had earlier hit half-centuries to fire West Indies A to 236 all out in the 48th over, after the hosts opted to bat first.
Khary Pierre, batting at number 10, struck a gutsy unbeaten 34 to help rescue an innings that lay in ruins at 163 for eight in the 38th over.
There were no such struggles when Ambris and Kjorn Ottley (21) were adding 77 off 81 deliveries for the first wicket, as West Indies A controlled the early phase.
Ambris struck seven fours and two sixes in a 52-ball knock while the left-handed Ottley counted two fours and a six off 36 balls before hoisting seamer Navdeep Saini (2-31) to deep mid-wicket in the 14th over.
His dismissal triggered a decline as seven wickets perished for 47 runs, as pacer Deepak Chahar (2-39) and leg-spinner Rahul Chahar (2-53) combined to hurt the innings.
Ambris was needlessly run out in the 16th over when he and Devon Thomas (1) chanced a quick single and Thomas followed five balls later in the next over, playing back and falling lbw to left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya.
Captain Roston Chase flirted with a wide one from Navdeep and edged behind in the following over for one in the 18th over and left-hander Jonathan Carter missed an ambitious reverse sweep and was bowled behind his back by left-arm spinner Axar Patel for nine.
Rovman Powell (1) and Rahkeem Cornwall (10) were both knocked over cheaply by Rahul Chahar before Rutherford came to his side’s rescue, putting on 39 for the eighth wicket with Keemo Paul (13) and a further 52 for the ninth with Pierre.
Left-hander Rutherford punched four fours and four sixes in a defiant 70-ball innings while Pierre’s produced a lively 34-ball knock with four fours and a six.
India A quickly erased any doubt about the result when openers Gaikwad and Gill put on an exhilarating 110 off just 70 balls
Gaikwad slammed 11 fours and three sixes off 89 deliveries while Gill faced 40 balls and struck eight fours and three sixes before falling in the 12th over.
There was no let up, however, as Iyer arrived to notch three fours and two sixes off 64 balls in a 112-run, second wicket stand with Gaikwad, as India A won with time and effort to spare.
