Finance
After Romario Shepherd’s outstanding bowling performance, Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran shone with the bat to seal the five-match T20 series by defeating India by eight wickets in the fifth and final match at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground on Sunday. The West Indies won the five-match series 3-2, their first victory over India in a T20I series since 2017.
After losing the first two matches, India came back strongly and won the next two games to tie the series, but they couldn’t maintain the momentum in the decider, suffering their first T20 series loss over the West Indies since 2017.
Furthermore, this was India’s first series defeat in 13 Twenty20 Internationals since July 2021.
Suryakumar Yadav’s 61 off 45 balls and Axar Patel’s 13 off 10 balls helped India reach 165/9 in 20 overs after deciding to bat first. West Indies responded with opener Brandon King (85 not out) and Nicholas Pooran (47), as the hosts won the match and the series.
West Indies, chasing 166, got off to a good start, with Kyle Mayers hitting a boundary and a six in the first over. Arshdeep Singh got the first breakthrough in the next over, dismissing the former for ten runs.
Then, with an aggressive batting showing, Nicholas Pooran and Brandon King rolled up their sleeves and proceeded to demolish the Indian bowlers.
In the Power-play, Hardik Pandya sent Kuldeep Yadav into the attack, and the spinner was virtually trapped Pooran with lbw but the batter survived as the ultra-edged showed a spike when the ball passed by the glove. Then, King smashed three sixes and a boundary in the sixth over as the Windies were raced to 61/1 at the end of the Power-play.
Pooran and King kept the methodical approach going in the next four overs, and the West Indies were comfortably positioned at 96-1 in 10 overs, needing only 70 with 9 wickets in hand.
King completed his half-century in the 13th over, dancing down the track and lofting it over long-off for a magnificent six. A few moments later, the game was called off owing to bad weather, as the players were being lifted off the ground by lightning in the sky.
Tilak Varma got the important wicket of Pooran soon after the game resumed, denying him a half-century and breaking the 107-run partnership. Following that, King took bowlers to the cleaners before Shai Hope clinched the deal with a maximum as the Windies won in 12 balls to spare.
Earlier, Akeal Hosein dismissed both openers — Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill — in rapid succession, leaving India 17/2 after three overs. Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak then produced a comeback, bringing the Power-play score to 51/2.
Rostan Chase demonstrated excellent vigilance and skill by taking a stunning caught-and-bowled opportunity to dismiss Tilak, ending the 49-run third-wicket partnership.
While the Windies continued to take wickets, India was cruising along smoothly, with Suryakumar Yadav batting wonderfully at one end.
The game was soon delayed as the rain became stronger, forcing the players to leave the field. And the ground crew sprang right into action, putting on the coverings.
After the game resumed, India lost four wickets in a row. Pandya hit a strong stroke that cleared long-off for a six, but was caught by Shepherd on the following ball. Suryakumar was soon sent back to the hut following a spectacular knock.
Shepherd stuck twice in the penultimate over, gained his third wicket in the form of Arshdeep Singh, then removed Kuldeep Yadav on the next delivery, finishing with a tally of 4-31.
Then, in the penultimate over, Axar Patel went for a few lusty blows to add critical runs to the board. However, with only two balls remaining, the rain has returned, creating another little delay. Holder dismissed Axar on the penultimate ball, and Mukesh Kumar completed it with a boundary as India posted 165/9 in 20 overs.
Brief scores: India 165/9 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 61, Axar Patel 13; Romario Shepherd 4-31) lost to West Indies 171/2 in 18 overs (Brandon King 85 not out, Nicholas Pooran 47; Tilak Varma 1-17, Arshdeep Singh 1-20) by 8 wickets.
Source:IANS
