A brilliant batting performance by Rishabh Pant, Virat Kohli and Venkatesh Iyer first, and then an assured penultimate over of the game by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, played a major role as India edged out West Indies in the second T20I by 8 runs to win the three-match series. India lead the three-match series 2-0 with the final game on Sunday.
The win was India's 100th in men's T20I cricket as well.
However, it was not a cakewalk for India, as WI batters Rovman Powell (68*) and Nicholas Pooran’s (63) century partnership had the hosts in a fair amount of bother with their counter-attack. It was only after Bhuvi’s final over that India had some breathing space.
Asked to bat first, India’s openers, Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, found it tough to get going as the West Indies bowlers kept the lines and lengths quite tight. The hosts lost Kishan in the second over for 2 when he tried to break the shackles against Sheldon Cottrell but was caught at point.
In walked Virat Kohli and took charge with some exquisite shot making. Kohli swept, drove over the top, on the ground and attacked from his end, even as Rohit survived a dropped chance at point in the fourth over.
The duo put on a 49-run stand with Kohli looking dangerous, and also playing the more aggressive role in the partnership with the skipper. Rohit, who hit two boundaries and a six, though could only manage 19 off 18 before he fell to Roston Chase, caught by Brandon King.
Suryakumar Yadav started off with a crisp drive through point but could only add 8 to the cause before Chase had him caught and bowled in the 10th over. Kohli at the other end continued to make merry, scoring at well over run-a-ball, driving the Indian batting along.
In the 14th over, Kohli slog swept Chase over long on for a maximum, just getting over Jason Holder, to get to his half century off 39 deliveries. A couple of deliveries later, Kohli looked to push Chase away through the legside but the spinner went through the gate and knocked over the stumps. Kohli was gone for 52.
At the other end, Rishabh Pant meanwhile had settled in and was joined by Venkatesh Iyer, with both left-handers looking to finish the innings strongly. Chase meanwhile finished with figures of 3/25.
Pant began the 15th over with an audacious boundary to fine leg and he finished it with a slap through the covers and an edge to third man, both resulting in boundaries, giving India’s total a move on after Kohli’s dismissal. Iyer took that as his cue and smashed a couple of boundaries off Cottrell in the next over, as India started to go through the gears. The duo brought up their 50-run stand off 23 deliveries as India hurtled along.
Iyer and Pant kept up the momentum, scoring big runs in the final overs to drive India to 186/5. The duo put on 76 runs for the fifth wicket before Iyer was cleaned up for 33 in the final over. India added 88 in the final 7 overs.
In response, West Indies did not have a good with Kyle Mayers and Brandon King opening the innings. While King was the more aggressive, Mayers was dismissed in the 6th over, caught and bowled by Yuzvendra Chahal with the score at 34.
Nicholas Pooran joined King and the duo put on 25 before Ravi Bishnoi struck, removing the opener for 22. Pooran was dropped too early in his innings by Bishnoi, after which the left hander teed off.
Pooran and Rovman Powell then joined hands took charge and used brute force to thwart India’s bowlers, who were eyeing wickets. Powell and Pooran were scoring at good clip, finding the boundaries and clearing them too with a fair amount of regularity as well.
Clean hitting was the order for the evening, and the two batters obliged as the contest was setting up for a grand stand finish on a Friday evening. The batters were particularly severe on the spinners and Harshal Patel too, as they muscled their way through the runs.
The third wicket partnership had brought WI to a place where they needed 63 runs in the last 5 overs, and the overrate was also not on India’s side. In the 16th over, Powell too was afforded a chance when Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped a difficult chance off his own bowling, as India started to worry. The next over saw West Indies take Deepak Chahar to the cleaners, picking him off for 16 runs.
Rovman and Powell both completed their fifties in the process of the onslaught as WI needed 29 from the final two overs. The duo put on a century stand in 62 deliveries. However, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, in his final over, used the slower ball well and Pooran’s miscued hit was caught by Bishnoi. Pooran was dismissed for 62 as Bhuvi bowled a brilliant four-run over.
Powell (68 not out) had India in a spot of bother in the final over with a couple of huge sixes, but Harshal was able to guide the hosts over the line with an 8-run win.
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