Providence: Again a disappointing batting performance as India suffered a second T20I defeat in a row as West Indies took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series with a two-wicket win on Sunday. Batting first, India scored 152 runs for seven wickets based on Tilak Verma’s first half-century. In response, Nicholas Pooran laid the foundation for his team’s victory by scoring 67 runs in 40 balls. West Indies 18. Achieved the target by losing eight wickets in 5 overs.
Yuzvendra Chahal certainly tried to bring India back into the match by taking two wickets in the 16th over but Alzarri Joseph and Akeel Hussain dashed India’s hopes with an unbroken 26-run partnership. West Indies needed 12 runs from the last two overs and Indian skipper Hardik Pandya made a mistake by not handing the ball to his most successful bowler, Chahal.
Pandya bowled a brilliant first over handling the new ball in which India got the wickets of Brendan King (0) and Johnson Charles (2). After this Pooran batted without coming under pressure and also hit Pandya for a six. He did not spare any bowler of India. Earlier, while batting fearlessly, Verma scored 51 runs in 41 balls for India and became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a half-century in T20 matches.
In the last match, he scored 39 runs although India had to face defeat. Verma came to bat when India had lost two wickets for 18 runs. He shared a 42-run partnership with Ishaan Kishan (27) and a 38-run partnership with captain Pandya. Pandya (24) tried to increase India’s score by hitting two sixes but lost the wicket to Alzarri Joseph’s yorker. Joseph took two wickets for 28 runs.
India’s decision to bat first after winning the toss proved to be ill-advised as wickets kept falling at regular intervals. West Indies captain Rovman Powell used the bowlers properly. Ishaan also hit Akil Hossain for a six in his 23-ball innings but was dismissed by Romario Shepherd. Shubman Gill (seven) failed once again.
The same vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav also got run out after scoring one run. Kyle Myers dismissed him with a precise throw from square leg. Sanju Samson (seven) also could not make any contribution and missed an attempt to play a big shot but Nicholas Pooran did not make any mistake in stumping. Hussain, Joseph, and Shepherd took two wickets each.
