Virat Kohli proved yet again that he was the master of the chase as he joined hands with Ravindra Jadeja to help India chase down a daunting target of 316 with eight balls to spare in the third and final ODI against the West Indies at the Barabati Stadium here on Sunday. Though the captain — quite uncharacteristically — wasn’t there till the end, Jadeja took the Men in Blue past the finish line in the company of Shardul Thakur.

The thrilling victory took India to a 2-1 come-from-behind series win, its 10th successive one against the West Indies. Kohli’s men had lost the opening ODI in Chennai before bouncing back at Visakhapatnam.

The Indian openers’ success story in 2019 continued with Rohit Sharma and K.L. Rahul forging a 122-run partnership and laying a strong foundation for the big pursuit.

Rohit, elegant as usual, made a 63-ball 63 with eight fours and a six — a hit that soared over midwicket — before being caught behind off Jason Holder. It was the Hitman’s sixth half-century of the year.

Rahul oozed class, his cut shots and delicate whips on the leg-side bringing him a lot of runs. His 89-ball 77 was his third fifty in 2019. The wristy Karnataka batsman, who added 45 with skipper Kohli, flicked Alzarri Joseph for a magnificent six over deep-square leg before gloving the same bowler down the leg-side to the wicketkeeper an over later.

Rahul’s departure brought Windies back into the game and India lost three more wickets between the 33rd and 39th overs. With Keemo Paul striking off consecutive overs, the visitors sensed an opportunity.