advertisement
With 14 runs required in the last two overs, Virat Kohli once again took Kesrick Williams for a ride. It took Kohli just 4 balls to end the match.
Kohli started the over with a two followed by a six over extra-cover. The next delivery again saw a double with the skipper finishing the match with a huge six again over extra-cover.
With this win, India go 1-0 up in the three-match series.
This was the highest score chased down by India in T20 internationals and Virat Kohli also registered his highest T20I score.
Previously, Virat had scored 90 not out against Australia in Adelaide in 2016.
India: 209/4 in 18.4 overs
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard takes a stunner off his own bowling to dismiss birthday boy Shreyas Iyer.
Pollard jumps to his left on his follow through to take an outstanding two-handed catch.
It is looking ominous!
Kohli has not only changed gear but has gone into the beast-mode. He brings up his fifty with a six off Jason Holder - first delivery of the over. Next ball he dispatches for a four.
One over later, Kohli slams Kesrick Williams again for back-to-back four and six. Suddenly, it is India’s game to lose and the skipper wants to be there till the end.
Meanwhile, Pant holds out to Holder off Cottrell. Pant hits a slower delivery way outside off stump over long-off and finds Holder out there. He goes for 9-ball 18.
India: 182/3 in 17 overs
After two consecutive sixes, Rahul throws away his wicket. Pierre picks his second victim of the night as Rahul mishits as Pollard plucks the catch over extra cover.
Rahul went onto hit 5 fours and 4 sixes en route his 40-ball 62. Rahul would have loved to stay till the end.
As, Pant came in to replace Rahul in the centre, he dispatched the very first ball for a six over long-on.
India: 139/2 in 14 overs
The Indian skipper has now taken the mantle over from Rahul as he is doing all the hitting.
In the 12th over, Kohli smashed Holder for back-to-back boundaries. First, he hits Holder for a six over deep backward square leg. He follows this with a boundary over over deep mid-wicket.
India: 110/1 in 12 overs
Now, Virat joins Rahul in the onslaught. Kohli is happy to play along the ground meanwhile Rahul prefers the aerial route. The duo completes a 50-run stand in the 9th over.
If India want to win this match it is very important for either of these to play a long innings.
India: 81/1 in 9 overs
Rahul dealing in sixes. After hooking Cottrell for a six over fine leg off the last delivery of the 5th over, Rahul smashes Pierre for a six in the next delivery he faces. A slog-sweep over deep square leg and the ball is over the boundary. Rahul loves to play against the West Indies side.
India: 62/1 in 6 overs
Rohit never looked to be in his element during his 10-ball stay at the crease. Caught at the boundary by Hetmyer off Pierre, Rohit mistimed a quick one from the spinner. In between, Rohit managed a solitary boundary.
India: 33/1 in 4 overs
After a quiet first over from Sheldon Cottrell, KL Rahul decides to hit on the pedal.
The Karnataka batsman dispatches Jason Holder for three fours in the second over. Holder getting a taste of his own medicine.
India: 16/0 in 2 overs
Jason Holder smashed a 9-ball 24 to take West Indies past 200. He hit 2 sixes and a four for his 24.
In the last over, Holder slammed Bhuvneshwar for a six and a four as the experienced campaigner gave away 17 runs in the final over.
West Indies: 207/5 in 20 overs.
Finally, Chahal gets his way in the match.
Rohit finally manages to hold onto a ball as Chahal dismisses Hetmyer of the first delivery of his last over.
One ball later, he gets Pollard bowled for 19-ball 37.
Chahal finishes his 4 overs with 2 wickets for 36.
Everything is happening here.
First Sundar drops Hetmyer at long-on but Rohit manages a stunner to save a boundary.
Pollard hits two back-to-back sixes, which includes a dropped catch from Rohit Sharma. Before this delivery, Rohit once again almost pulled off a stunner at long-on at the leg side, but is not able to maintain his balance as he spills the ball from his hand.
West Indies: 172/5 in 17 overs.
Hetmyer score his first T20 fifty against India. He reaches the milestone with a six off Chahal. But not before he is given an extra life by Washington Sundar.
Apart from Lendl Simmons, all Windies batmen have piled on India’s misery and skipper Kieron Pollard is no different.
Pollard hit young all-rounder Shivam Dube for back-to-back four and a six in the 11th over as Dube leaks 13 runs in his first over.
In the 14th over, Pollard takes on Chahal for six over long-on.
West Indies: 141/3 in 14 overs.
Ravindra Jadeja strikes as Brandon King fails to convert his good start.
Jadeja saw King advance down the track so he dragged the length back, King misses the ball and Pant clips the bails off.
King smashed 3 fours and 1 six en route his 23-ball 31.
Shimron Hetmyer hoicks Jadeja for a huge six over long-on off the very first delivery off the 9th over.
After the initial six, the Indian all-rounder does well to keep the Windies batsmen quiet. They take three singles off the next five deliveries in 9th over.
Next over, Hetmyer gives Chahal a similar treatment. The Windies batter is quick to pick the googly. He goes down on his knee to smash the ball over the long-on fence. Chahal gives away 10 runs in his first over.
West Indies: 101/2 in 10 overs.
Brandon King took over from Lewis as the later departed.
After a quiet first over against Jadeja, King hit Washington Sundar for two boundaries in the 8th over.
West Indies: 81/2 in 8 overs.
Washington Sundar gives India the much-needed breakthrough. Good comeback from the young spinner.
After being chipped for a six over the cover region by Lewis, Sundar sends him back with an off-break. Lewis gets beaten as the ball hits the pad.
Lewis doesn’t take a review as non-striker Brandon King believes it is not worth taking.
West Indies: 66/2 in 6 overs.
After a great first over, both Evin Lewis and Brandon King has taken Deepak Chahar to the cleaners. 2 sixes and 1 four in the over, apart from a wide delivery from Chahar,
First, Lewis hits him for a six on the leg side. He follows that with a boundary on the off-side. King finished the over with a six down deep square leg off the penultimate delivery in the over.
West Indies: 46/2 in 4 overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar makes a good return to the T20 format. Both batsmen treat the experienced campaigner with respect.
6 runs in the over for West Indies.
West Indies: 27/2 in 3 overs.
It looks like Deepak Chahar took off from where he left against Bangladesh.
His second ball off the match and the pacer strikes. He bowls an outswinger on the off-stump, which induces a front foot drive from Lendl Simmons. The ball takes an edge and regulation catch for Rohit Sharma at first slip.
The visitors still manage 8 runs in the over.
West Indies: 21/1 in 2 overs.
Washington Sundar was again given the new ball by the skipper Virat Kohli and West Indies did their best to make sure he has a short first spell.
Lewis hit Sundar for two back-to-back boundaries to get off the mark. After disposing the second ball in the over for a four, Lewis deposited the third one in the stand over deep backward square leg.
West Indies: 13/0 in 1 over.
There will be dew in 45 mins to one hour. It's a beautiful wicket to bat on, and it's going to get better to bat with the ball coming on nicely and the ball travels.
Chasing has been better for us to be honest - our strength. The data has to be taken into account, particularly when you win the toss, which is an uncontrollable. You have to prepare for losing the toss as well.
Shami and Bhuvi, two experienced guys come back into the squad. Shami is in fantastic form. Bhuvi has done well in this ground to be honest.
Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard(c), Denesh Ramdin(w), Jason Holder, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Kesrick Williams, Khary Pierre.
Left Out: Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Fabian Allen, Nicolas Pooran.
Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli (c), Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (w), Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Left Out: Sanju Samson, Manish Pandey, Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav.
India won the toss and decided to bowl first in the opening T20I against West Indies at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
India captain Virat Kohli said that it was exciting to have pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar back in the squad alongwith Mohammed Shami. He reckons that there will be dew later on which the hosts will be looking to capitalise on.
For more statistics and numbers from India vs West Indies T20Is click here.
West Indies continue to experiment with a young squad in this series, keeping an eye on the World T20 competition set to be held next year in Australia.
Young faces like Hayden Walsh Junior, Brandon King, Khary Pierre will be in action for the defending champions when the side takes the field in the T20 series.
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Rohit Sharma, K.L. Rahul, Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami.
West Indies: Kieron Pollard (captain), Fabian Allen, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Khary Pierre, Denesh Ramdin, Sherfane Rutherford, Lendl Simmons, Hayden Walsh jr., Kesrick Williams
Despite faltering in the format in the recent past, India start as overwhelming favourites ahead of the the three-match series against West Indies.
India had whitewashed Windies in all the three formats when they visited the Caribbean Islands earlier in August. But, went onto drew the T20 series against a much-depleted South African side. This was followed by their maiden loss against Bangladesh in the T20 format.
Skipper Virat Kohli will be returning for this series after resting for the T20 series against Bangladesh.
Along with Virat Kohli, pacers Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also return to the T20 squad. In the spin department, Kuldeep Yadav makes a comeback in the format.
Meanwhile, West Indies would be low on confidence as they would enter the series on the back of a 1-2 loss to Afghanistan in Lucknow. In fact, against India the defending WT20 champions have lost each of their last six T20Is .
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)