India made a clean sweep in the T20I series against West Indies by winning the third and final match by 7 wickets. Chasing 147, India completed the run-chase with five balls to spare. Rishab Pant scored 65 while Virat Kohli played a sublime 59 run-knock. Earlier, pacer Deepak Chahar starred with the ball claiming three wickets for four runs.
In the second T20, Rohit Sharma’s 67 off 51 balls and Krunal Pandya’s all-round show powered India to a 22-run win over West Indies in the rain-affected match. Batting first, India scored 167 for five and then had West Indies reeling at 98 for four in the 16th over when lightning and thundershowers struck. The Duckworth-Lewis par score at that point was 120, leaving India winner by 22 runs.
Rohit top-scored with 67 before Krunal (20 off 13 balls) and Ravindra Jadeja propped up the innings, smashing 20 runs in the final over bowled by Keemo Paul. Krunal hit the first two balls of the 20th over for sixes before Jadeja smashed another. During the course of his innings, Rohit became T20I’s most prolific six-hitter, going past Chris Gayle’s record of 105. He struck six fours and three sixes in this match.
India was off to a quick start, crossing 50 in the seventh over with Rohit doing the bulk of the scoring. The India vice-captain found the gaps with ease, clipping Paul off his pads for a six over deep midwicket. The highest scorer in the World Cup then swept him for a four as the Indians upped the tempo. Paul gave West Indies the breakthrough when he bowled Shikhar Dhawan. India was 67 for one in the eighth over at that stage. Two quiet overs followed as India skipper Virat Kohli joined Rohit. The latter broke the shackles with a six over deep midwicket off Sunil Narine and brought up his 17th T20 half-century with a single to long-off.
Kohli, at the other end, hit a six off left-arm spinner Khary Pierre to get going. Rohit then smashed Carlos Brathwaite for a six and four as India’s 100 came up in the 13th over. It took a fine catch from Shimron Hetmyer to bring an end to Rohit’s stay. The Indian opener departed in the 14th over.
Rishabh Pant (5) perished quickly, top-edging Thomas into the hands of Kieron Pollard at third man. Sheldon Cottrell then took the prize scalp of Kohli, sending the middle-stump cartwheeling with a perfectly-executed yorker and performing his trademark salute.
In reply, West Indies was off to a disastrous start with both openers Evin Lewis and Sunil Narine back in the hut with just eight on the board in the third over. Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran lifted the team with a 76-run stand for the third wicket before Krunal again got into the act, removing both batsmen in the space of three balls in the 14th over. Just as things were getting tougher for the hosts came the showers followed by lightning.
India win by four wickets in first T20
India held their nerve to beat West Indies by four wickets in the first T20I encounter. Rohit Sharma was the top scorer with 24 while Virat Kohli scored 20. Sheldon Cottrell, Sunil Narine and Keemo Paul all took two wickets each. Earlier, Navdeep Saini had a brilliant start to his international career as he took three wickets to restrict West Indies to 95/9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck twice while Khaleel Ahmed, Krunal Pandya, Washinton Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja took one wicket each as India dominated proceedings in Lauderhill. Kieron Pollard was the top scorer for West Indies with 49. This was the third time in T20Is where six different bowlers took wickets in the same match for India.
