Rohit Sharma's fifty carries India to 103 for 2 at the halfway mark in New Chandigarh

Rohit Sharma's half-century has lifted India to 103 for 2 at the halfway stage of the third ODI in New Chandigarh after Jayden Seales removed Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli inside the third over

India won the toss and chose to bat in the final match of the series, and were two wickets down with four runs on the board before Rohit Sharma and Ruturaj Gaikwad set about repairing the innings. At the end of the 20th over India were 103 for 2.

The damage was done in a single over by Jayden Seales, who had Gill caught behind by Shai Hope and then bowled Kohli first ball. It was the start West Indies had been unable to find in either of the first two matches of the tour.

India already hold the three-match series 2-0 and are playing for a clean sweep at a ground staging its first men's ODI. West Indies are playing to avoid a 3-0 whitewash.

Seales strikes twice in the third over

Gill, leading India, edged a delivery through to his opposite number behind the stumps and departed for 1. Hope took the catch cleanly and West Indies had the wicket they most wanted.

Kohli walked in and lasted a single ball. Seales brought the ball back in at 136.5 kph, beat the defensive push and knocked over middle stump for a golden duck.

It was Kohli's first golden duck in ODI cricket since 2019, when Kieron Pollard dismissed him at Visakhapatnam.

A powerplay of survival

With two of India's three senior batters gone, Rohit and Gaikwad made no attempt to force the pace. India took 28 runs from the first 10 overs, the slowest start of a series in which they had scored freely.

The pair left what they could outside off stump and took few risks against the new ball, trusting that the surface would ease as the ball softened.

The approach held. India lost no further wicket in the powerplay and went past fifty without another alarm.

Rohit reaches his fifty

Rohit broke the holding pattern at the start of the 17th over, pulling Alzarri Joseph over deep backward square leg for six, and completed his half-century in the following over.

The fifty came from 58 balls, a considered innings by the standards of an opener who had made 101 from 75 in the second ODI at Guwahati.

Gaikwad, recalled to the side for this match, gave him steady company through the middle overs as India moved towards the hundred.

Kamboj debuts as India change three

India made three changes for the dead rubber. Anshul Kamboj was handed his ODI debut in place of the injured Prasidh Krishna, having been added to the squad earlier in the week.

Mohammed Siraj came in for his first appearance of the series and Nitish Kumar Reddy returned, with Naman Dhir also named in the eleven.

West Indies kept faith with the attack that has struggled on the tour, Seales and Joseph sharing the new ball and Gudakesh Motie the frontline spinner.

West Indies look for a consolation

The tourists conceded 706 runs across the first two ODIs, a return that left their captain, Hope, calling for discipline with the ball before this match.

Seales' burst gave them the opening those two defeats never offered, and the question through the second half of the innings is whether West Indies can keep India to a total they can chase.

India, for their part, still have KL Rahul and the middle order to come, with 30 overs left in the innings.

Scorecard: India 103 for 2 (20 overs) v West Indies, 3rd ODI, Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, New Chandigarh.

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