The Indian team, led by Virat Kohli, defeated West Indies by four wickets in the opening match of the T20I series at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill, Florida on Saturday.
Here are the highlights from the match:
# India win by four wickets as Washington Sundar smashes a six off the second delivery over long-on with a straight batted loft. India 98/6 (17.2 overs)
# Keemo Paul to bowl the 18th over of the innings!
# India 92/6 (17 overs) with four runs from the over as Sundar and Jadeja complete four singles hitting the ball to deep square leg, fine leg.
# Carlos Braithwaite to bowl his second over of the innings!
# Four runs and a wicket off the over as Krunal Pandya departs for 12 following four singles completed hitting the ball to long-off, mid-off, sweeper cover and deep mid-wicket. India 88/6 (16 overs)
# Washington Sundar is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Krunal Pandya departs for 12 runs off 14 deliveries after being dismissed off the final ball of the over, following a yorker which went on to hit the stumps. India 88/6 (15.6 overs)
# Keemo Paul to bowl his third over of the innings!
# India 85/5 (15 overs) with 12 runs from the over as Ravindra Jadeja and Krunal Pandya complete three runs off consecutive deliveries hitting the ball to deep cover, between mid-wicket and mid-on. Pandya further scored his first boundary of the innings hitting the ball on the back foot towards deep mid-wicket.
# Oshane Thomas is back in the attack!
# Five runs and a wicket from the over as Virat Kohli is dismissed for 19. Ravindra Jadeja further gets off the mark with a double off the final delivery following two consecutive wide deliveries. India 73/5 (14 overs)
# Ravindra Jadeja is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Virat Kohli departs for 19 runs off 28 deliveries following a slower, shorter delivery which Kohli attempted to pull early, resulting in a top-edge to Kieron Pollard. India 69/5 (13.5 overs)
# Sheldon Cottrell to bowl his fourth over of the innings!
# India 68/4 (13 overs) with two runs from the over as Kohli and Pandya complete singles from the fourth and final deliveries, hitting the ball wide of long-on and to long-off.
# Sunil Narine to bowl his final over of the innings!
# Six runs from the over as Kohli and Pandya complete four singles and a double, hitting the ball to mid-on, deep cover and backward square leg. India 66/4 (12 overs)
# Krunal Pandya is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Manish Pandey dismissed for 19 runs off 14 deliveries following a full, fast yorker which hit the base of off-stump. India 64/4 (11.4 overs)
# Keemo Paul to bowl his second over!
# India 60/3 (11 overs) with eight runs from the over as Virat Kohli scores his first boundary of the innings, hitting the ball past the fielder at backward point. Kohli and Pandey further complete four singles, hitting the ball to long-on and square of the wicket on the off-side.
# All-rounder Carlos Braithwaite into the attack!
# India 52/3 (10 overs) with eight runs from the over as Manish Pandey scores his second boundary of the innings, off the second delivery of the over. Pandey hit the fuller delivery bowled outside off between cover and mid-off. The two batsmen further complete three runs hitting the ball past point and to third man.
# Oshane Thomas to bowl his third over!
# India 44/3 (9 overs) with three runs from the over as Kohli and Pandey complete a double and a single off the first and final deliveries. Pandey hit the ball to long-on for a single, which was followed by a double off the final delivery as Kohli hit the ball to sweeper cover.
# Sunil Narine to bowl his third over of the innings!
# India 41/3 (8 overs) with eight runs from the over as Manish Pandey scores his first boundary of his innings, off the first delivery hitting the ball straight down the ground. Pandey and Kohli further complete three singles hitting the ball to third man and long-on.
# Keemo Paul has been introduced into the attack!
# Two runs and two wickets from the over as Manish Pandey gets off the mark with a single from the fifth delivery, hitting the ball into the on-side. India 33/3 (7 overs)
# Manish Pandey is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Narine is on a hat-trick as Rishabh Pant departs off his first delivery of the innings, hitting the ball to Sheldon Cottrell. India 32/3 (6.4 overs)
# Rishabh Pant is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Rohit Sharma departs for 24 runs off 25 deliveries as he attempts to go for a big hit off a turning delivery, resulting in a catch to Kieron Pollard. India 32/2 (6.3 overs)
# Sunil Narine to bowl his second over!
# India 31/1 (6 overs) with 11 runs from the over as Rohit Sharma scores a boundary and a six off the second and fourth deliveries. Rohit Sharma hit the length delivery over mid-on which was followed by a six as the opener hit the ball over covers.
# Sheldon Cottrell to bowl his third over of the innings!
# India 20/1 (5 overs) with seven runs from the over as Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma complete three singles, accompanied by the first boundary of the innings by Rohit Sharma who hit the ball between point and short third.
# Spinner Sunil Narine into the attack!
# India 13/1 (4 overs) with two runs from the over as Rohit and Virat Kohli complete two singles off the third and fourth deliveries. Rohit hit the inswinging yorker to deep third man which was followed by a single by Kohli, who hit the ball past gully.
# Sheldon Cottrell to bowl his second over of the innings!
# India 11/1 (3 overs) with seven runs from the over as Rohit Sharma scores the first six of the innings off the second delivery, hitting the ball over fine leg. The two batsmen further completed a single off the fourth delivery.
# Oshane Thomas to continue with the ball!
# Two runs and a wicket off the over, as Dhawan departs for 1 following two wide deliveries off the third and fifth balls.
# Virat Kohli is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Shikhar Dhawan departs for just 1 off the final delivery of the over, following a swinging delivery which went on to hit the pads. India 4/1 (1.6 overs)
# Sheldon Cottrell to share the new ball!
# India 2/0 (1 over) as Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan get off the mark with singles off the third and fourth deliveries, hitting the ball into the off-side and to third man.
# Oshane Thomas to bowl the opening over of the chase!
# Indian openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma are set to start the chase of 96 runs!
# India need 96 runs to win!
# Wicket maiden for Navdeep Saini off the final over of the innings, as the West Indies are restricted to 95/9 at the end of the first innings!
# Oshane Thomas is the final batsman in!
# Wicket! Kieron Pollard dismissed for 49 runs off 49 deliveries following a successful review by Team India off a full toss, which dipped to hit the pads. West Indies 95/9 (19.3 overs)
# Navdeep Saini to bowl the final over of the innings!
# Seven runs from the over as Keemo Paul departs for 3 followed by the fourth six of the innings by Kieron Pollard off a short, slow delivery. Pollard hit the ball over deep square leg. West Indies 95/8 (19 overs)
# Sheldon Cottrell is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Keemo Paul departs for 3 runs off 11 runs following a cutter from Kumar which moves away just outside off, resulting in a top-edge off a cross-batted shot. Skipper Virat Kohli completes the catch comfortably. West Indies 88/8 (18.1 overs)
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl his final over!
# West Indies 88/7 (18 overs) with 10 runs from the over as Kieron Pollard scores his third six of the innings following a full-toss, hitting the ball over deep mid-wicket. The two batsmen further complete three singles, hitting the ball to mid-wicket and mid-off with a single off a wide delivery.
# Navdeep Saini to bowl his third over of the innings!
# West Indies 78/7 (17 overs) with eight runs from the over as Kieron Pollard scores his second boundary of the innings, hitting the ball in front of square on the leg-side. Pollard and Paul further complete a double and a single, hitting the ball towards mid-wicket and past point.
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar is back in the attack and set to bowl his third over of the innings!
# Ravindra Jadeja bowls a wicket maiden as the all-rounder ensures a tight line and length making it difficult for the batsmen to score freely. West Indies 70/7 (16 overs)
# Keemo Paul is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Sunil Narine departs for 2 runs off four deliveries following a tossed up delivery by Jadeja, which Narine attempted to hit across the line resulting in a catch to Khaleel Ahmed. West Indies 70/7 (15.1 overs)
# Ravindra Jadeja to bowl his final over of the innings!
# Five runs from the over as Braithwaite is dismissed for nine following a double off the first delivery between Pollard and the Windies captain. Narine and Pollard completed three singles, hitting the ball to long-off, sweeper cover and deep mid-wicket. West Indies 70/6 (15 overs)
# Sunil Narine is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Carlos Braithwaite departs for nine runs off 24 deliveries as the Windies captain hits the ball straight back to the bowler, with Pandya completing a fine catch. West Indies 67/6 (14.2 overs)
# Krunal Pandya to bowl his final over of the innings!
# West Indies 65/5 (14 overs) with just two runs from the over as Pollard and Braithwaite complete two singles off the fourth and final deliveries. Pollard hit the ball to long-off for a single which was followed by a second single as Braithwaite hit the ball to mid-wicket.
# Ravindra Jadeja to continue with the ball!
# West Indies 63/5 (13 overs) with nine runs from the over as Kieron Pollard smashes his second six of the innings. Pollard hit the ball bowled on the pads over cow corner, with the two batsmen further completing three singles.
# Krunal Pandya to bowl his third over of the innings!
# West Indies 54/5 (12 overs) with nine runs from the over as Kieron Pollard scores his first six of the innings, stepping out and hitting the ball straight down the ground. The two batsmen further complete three singles, hitting the ball to long-on and square leg.
# Ravindra Jadeja to bowl his second over!
# West Indies 45/5 (11 overs) as Pandya bowls the first maiden over of the innings, with quick and accurate deliveries which made it difficult for the batsmen to time the ball effectively.
# Krunal Pandya to bowl his second over of the innings!
# West Indies 45/5 (10 overs) with two runs from the over as Pollard and Braithwaite complete two singles off the second and final delivery. Pollard hit the second delivery of the over down the leg-side which was followed a single off the final delivery as Braithwaite nudged the ball down the leg-side as well.
# Ravindra Jadeja into the attack!
# West Indies 43/5 (9 overs) with six runs from the over as Braithwaite and Pollard complete two singles, hitting the ball to long-off and sweeper cover. Pollard further scored a boundary off the fifth delivery following an edge past the keeper, with the ball beating short third to race to the fence.
# Krunal Pandya into the attack!
# West Indies 37/5 (8 overs) with three runs from the over as Carlos Braithwaite gets off the mark from the second delivery bowled down the leg-side, hitting the ball to third man. Braithwaite and Pollard further complete two singles, hitting the ball to the on-side and third man.
# Khaleel Ahmed to bowl his second over of the innings!
# West Indies 34/5 (7 overs) with just a single run off the over following a wide off the fifth delivery with the ball bowled down the leg side.
# Navdeep Saini to bowl his second over of the innings!
# Five runs and a wicket off the over as Rovman Powell departs for four having scored his first boundary of the innings off a short and wide delivery. Powell hit the ball past backward point for a boundary. West Indies 33/5 (6 overs)
# Carlos Braithwaite is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Rovman Powell departs for four runs off five deliveries following a slower delivery bowled well wide of off, which clipped the bottom half of the bat with Rishabh Pant completing a diving catch. West Indies 33/5 (5.6 overs)
# Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed into the attack!
# Six runs and two wickets from the over as Nicholas Pooran is dismissed for 20 after smashing his second six of the innings from the second delivery of the over. Pooran lifted the back of length delivery straight down the ground for a six. West Indies 28/4 (5 overs)
# Rovman Powell is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Hetmyer dismissed for a duck with Saini on a hat-trick. Saini bowled a back of length delivery which Hetmyer attempted to steer down, with the ball going on to hit the stumps. West Indies 28/4 (4.5 overs)
# Shimron Hetmyer is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Saini picks his first wicket in international cricket off the fourth delivery of his maiden over. The fast-bowler bowled a swinging delivery which the Windies batsman failed to time effectively, resulting in a top-edge which Pant completed a catch off. West Indies 28/3 (4.4 overs)
# Fast bowler Navdeep Saini into the attack!
# Just two runs from the fourth over of the innings, as Kieron Pollard gets off the mark with a double off the second delivery which was bowled fuller and on the stumps. Pollard hit the ball wide of fine leg resulting in a double. West Indies 22/2 (4 overs)
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar to continue with the ball!
# 12 runs from the third over of the West Indies innings as Nicholas Pooran scores the first six and boundary of the innings. Pooran hit the first delivery of the over which was bowled a touch short, wide of mid-on for a boundary. This was followed by a six off the next delivery as Pooran hit the ball over long-off. West Indies 20/2 (3 overs)
# Washington Sundar to bowl his second over of the innings!
# Just two runs and a wicket off the over as Evin Lewis is dismissed. The first run was added to the West Indies total following a wide from the second delivery down the leg-side, followed by a single off the fourth delivery as Pooran hit the ball wide of mid-off. West Indies 8/2 (2 overs)
# Kieron Pollard is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! Evin Lewis departs for a duck as well after being dismissed off the final delivery of the over as Bhuvneshwar bowled a knuckleball which was bowled slowly, going on to hit the stumps. West Indies 8/2 (1.6 overs)
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar to share the new ball!
# Six runs from the opening over following five wides from the fifth delivery which was bowled down the leg-side, as Pant failed to collect the ball. West Indies 6/1 (1 over)
# Nicholas Pooran is the next batsman in!
# Wicket! John Campbell departs for a duck as Sundar strikes off the second delivery of his opening over. Campbell attempted to go for a slog-sweep which resulted in a catch to Krunal Pandya. West Indies 0/1 (0.2 overs)
# Spinner Washington Sundar to open the bowling!
# Windies openers Joel Campbell and Evin Lewis are set to start the innings!
# Team India skipper Virat Kohli has won the toss and opted to field!
# The toss is set to take place in a few minutes!
After a semi-final exit in the 2019 World Cup, the limited-overs series against West Indies will be a litmus test for India skipper Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri.
India will begin their tour of West Indies with a three-match T20I series at Central Broward Regional Park in Florida before the two sides lock horns in three ODIs and two-match Test series.
While the team has done well in the longest format of the game, the same cannot be said of the team`s performances in the shorter formats and the last time India won an ICC event was back in 2013 when M.S. Dhoni lifted the Champions Trophy in England.
Failure to have an ICC trophy in the cabinet is one thing, but under Kohli, the team also lost the home series against Australia just before the start of the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. And to think, the Australian unit was without the services of Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc among others.
With the head coach`s contract also up for renewal, the performance of the team in West Indies will play a role in deciding if Shastri is handed an extension or the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) picks a new personnel as the head coach.
The failure of the batsmen after the top three has been highlighted by all and sundry.
Not just the batsmen, even in the bowling department, the likes of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have left a lot to be desired. While the pace bowlers did an extremely good job during the World Cup, the same cannot be said of the spinners.
In fact, that is one of the reasons that someone like Rahul Chahar has been called-up for the T20I series as that gives the selectors a chance to try options.
Lineups:
# West Indies (Playing XI): John Campbell, Evin Lewis, Nicholas Pooran(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Rovman Powell, Carlos Brathwaite(c), Sunil Narine, Keemo Paul, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas.
# India (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli(c), Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant(w), Krunal Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, K Khaleel Ahmed.
(With Agency Inputs)
