West Indies clinched the five-match T20I series against India 3-2 with a dominant 8-wicket victory in the final match in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday, August 13. Having lost the two-match Test series and the three-match ODI series, a win in the shorter format was essential for the hosts to end the month-long tour on a positive note. The two-time T20 World Cup champions have been under fire for a few years, however, this win against India will give them some confidence going forward.
After electing to bat first, India got off to a disastrous start as Akeal Hosein sent both openers back to the pavilion inside three overs. However, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma put India back on track when the southpaw took on Alzarri Joseph, hitting three fours and a six in the sixth over. The duo put on a 48-run partnership before Roston Chase dismissed Varma (27 off 18 balls) in the eighth over.
Sanju Samson started his innings beautifully with a couple of boundaries but the 28-year-old was once again dismissed for a low score as Romario Shepherd claimed his first wicket of the match. Once skipper Hardik Pandya came out in the middle, India took a cautious approach as the Windies spinners tightened the screws in the middle overs.
Suryakumar, meanwhile, kept ticking the scoreboard and brought up his half-century off 38 balls. Struggling to find runs, Hardik (14 of 18 balls) seemed to have found his rhythm with a six off the first ball of the 17th over, but Shepherd got revenge by dismissing him in the very next ball. India lost SKY (61 off 45 balls) as well in the following over. The right-arm medium pacer completed his four-wicket haul with two back-to-back wickets in the 19th over. However, Axar Patel’s cameo in the final over gave the bowlers a respectable total to defend.
Indian bowlers looked clueless against Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran
Though 166 wasn’t the score India would have hoped to see on the board after electing to bat first, they would have been confident as the wickets seemed to be a little sluggish. However, Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran had other plans as they both came out all guns blazing. The home team lost the wicket of Kyle Mayers early on but King and Pooran ensured that the momentum was not lost.
Pooran’s promotion to the top order worked well for them. The duo took the game away from the visitors with a 100-plus partnership for the second wicket. Tilak Varma managed to break the partnership by dismissing Pooran in the 14th over, but by then the game was out of India’s reach. The southpaw fell just three runs short of a well-deserved half-century.
King (85 off 55) and Shai Hope (22 off 13) ensured they did not lose any more wickets and completed the victory with two overs to spare. Although Kuldeep Yadav went wickets less in his overs spell, he was economical when others got some serious bashing from the dangerous duo of Windies.
Here’s how fans reacted:
Tilak Varma vs West Indies in this series:
Innings – 5
Runs – 173
Avg – 86.5
SR – 144
50s – 1He has grabbed the opportunity and scored valuable runs for India. ?#TilakVarma #INDvsWI pic.twitter.com/wb0oa3lL2A
— 12th Khiladi (@12th_khiladi) August 13, 2023
People thought india is going to win world cup under Hardik Pandya.
And this guy is on the verge to lose the series vs west indies ?? pic.twitter.com/noEJjygb7B
— ANSHUMAN? (@AvengerReturns) August 13, 2023
"Abey saale itna unique nahi hona hota hai"
— Khush (@JalsaKaroYaar) August 13, 2023
Imagine losing series against West Indies Z team ??
— Tåyyåb X LîvërpööL (@tayyabkhan88999) August 13, 2023
Wo bhi west Indies ke against ??????? chokers always chokers
— Fardeen khan (@Fardeen18008341) August 13, 2023
It's unique to lose. Hardik Pandya disasterclass
— Wa?iyullah Budye (@WasiyullahB) August 13, 2023
Iss team se sirf disappointment mil rahi hai.#INDvsWI
— Joy? (@joy_370) August 13, 2023
Well deserve
— Vivek Gupta (@vivekguptaa) August 13, 2023
Meanwhile Pandya: It's okay to be unique. pic.twitter.com/4pxtBX4jtd
— Banna. (@iJaideep_) August 13, 2023
